La Clave de Cuba

I took these photos in early 2011 while accompanying a friend who was filming a documentary on Cuba’s rich musical traditions as seen through the eyes of a family of percussionists and Lucumi priests of Santeria. The series is entitled "La Clave" after the raw, rhythmic pattern that underlies all Cuban music and the percussion so prevalent in Santeria religious ceremonies. The name provides the perfect metaphor for images that depict the raw reality of the second class Afro-Cuban citizenry in a country that portrays itself as a model of social and racial equality. At the same time, La Clave is a universal Cuban theme; a common reference point upon which various parts of Cuban culture find unity regardless of class or status. In these images, I attempt to show the rich Afro Cuban Culture that many in Cuba look down upon.