Timeline / January 19, 2021

Album Published January 19, 2021

Los Barrios (15 new items)

Cuba is a truly exhilarating country.She is seductive, audacious and ruined to perfection.By this I mean a type of beauty similar to the face of a refined mature lady.A lifetime worth of accumulated beauty.The Cuban people are educated, independent, fun loving and sincerely mischievous. This distinctive amalgam of Latino spirit, relentless hardship and the need to escape from the obligation of their history has shaped the Cubans with a burning spirit. For the majority of Cubans on the lower end of the financial scale life is tough, the price of survival is measured in American dollars. They are constantly being reminded how happy they are under socialism. A growing feeling of discontent has lead to a questioning of the mandatory Marxist indoctrination, a frustrated dream for many.Various political factors have prevented Cuba from being sullied by mass consumer tourism. They are now at a unique tipping point in Cuba's history when everything is about to radically change. Thankfully the energy on the street is beaming with enthusiasm in spite of continually being crushed. La Lucha, is the perfect word in Spanish that describes the sweat and persistent scramble for everyday existence. This theme was vocalised by many on my visits around Cuba. A fifth of Cuban population live in and around Havana. Los Barrios, translated as 'the neighbourhood' is an underprivileged area of Havana where survival is an everyday challenge. In spite of a good education and the free health-care system it’s hard to reconcile these benefits if you can’t make end meet. In the new yet to be born Cuba it seems that daily life is a trial, caught between the old and a draft of the new. I look forward to a future where the creative spirit of the Cuban people will be unleashed to flourish.