THE WAITING

Cuba is at the crossroads of a profound and complex political situation; stuck between two periods, between two centuries. The 21st century is bringing brutal change to Cubans.  The anticipated end of the embargo which cut them off from western civilization since the Cuban revolution can be felt everywhere in the Island. The urge to make up for lost time resonates in every street corner.   New technologies are playing an important role for the country. This could be seen as symbol of development and at the same time a symbol of a new revolution. Over the last three years the Cuban state has been granting licenses to new entrepreneurs and innovative ideas but how much of those will be open to private investors in the future? What will happen to agriculture, construction, housing and the export of their particular know-how such as medical research? Although reforms are currently taking place, the government is still trying to preserve the spirit of the 1959’s revolution when implementing them.  The result is already causing huge disparities between sectors and people are left very confused. There is a sense of despair on people’s eyes; they are now taxed on their miniscule incomes, taxed on their poverty. With these portraits, I tried to feel and capture their fear of the unknown in the face of a fast-changing society. The mood often lifted when the camera was set up and smiles reappeared punctuated with incomparable traces of humour.