Cuba 1959: The Second Front by Alinka Echeverria

Cuba 1959: The Second Front FotoVisura Cuba 1959: The Second Front For this freedom which is youths empire For this freedom As beautiful as life We have to give our all If necessary even our shadows And it will never be enough... Alinka Echeverria http://c0875922.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/14977.medium.jpg http://www.fotovisura.com//user/alinkaes/view/cuba-1959-the-second-front 10/31/10 Cuba 1959: The Second Front For this freedom which is youths empire For this freedom As beautiful as life We have to give our all If necessary even our shadows And it will never be enough “Por esta libertad’, Fayad Jamis, Havana As a visual artist I am primarily interested in hidden stories unreported by mainstream media. My current project, ‘Cuba 1959: The Second Front’ explores the historical memory of the veterans of the Cuban Revolution that still live in the ‘Sierra Maestra’ of Cuba – the place where they were born and fought as teenagers in Fidel Castro’s rebel army over fifty years ago. This will be followed by a second phase exploring youth culture in Cuba. The nostalgia, memory and legacy of the veterans will be juxtaposed with the aspirations for a different tomorrow of the country’s youth. These two seemingly contrary themes are inextricably linked, and meet face-to-face in the evident generation gap between the grandfathers and grandchildren of contemporary Cuba, a country that currently finds itself in a push-pull struggle of economic and ideological survival within a globalized, capitalistic world. January 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the United States severing diplomatic relations with Cuba. Given the present political climate and poor economic condition of Cuba, it is evident that this is a time for urgent reflection and reconciliation between two countries whose governments somehow remain frozen in a ‘cold war’, decades after the end of The Cold War. My hope is that the future leaders of Cuba- the grandchildren of this revolutionary legacy- can look to an alternative future without forgetting the struggles of the past. Through portraits of the veterans in their homes -the environment that defines them- fragments of their past are visually extracted to unveil life stories of the anonymous protagonists of the rebellion that changed the nation forever and gave way to the socialist system that prevails in Cuba. Only though their personal histories can we begin to understand the complexity of the island. My stylistic choice for this work was ‘collaborative’ portraiture blurring the boundaries between fine art and documentary photographic practice. I use classical compositions and mostly natural light to capture the character and essence of these countrymen, who for me are the embodiment of an ideology. I found that the process of being photographed wearing their military uniforms and medals, provoked, in many, an emotional journey into their past and created a space for self-reflection, adding an interesting psychological dimension to the project. Despite the toil of post Soviet alliance years and the prolongation of the economic embargo they remain devoted to ‘La Revolucion’, for she has given them everything tangible in their lives, as well as their life purpose.

1 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. The home of a revolutionary veteran.

2 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. Three generations of revolutionaries in the home, with portraits of their leaders Raul and Fidel Castro, to whom they are devoted.

3 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 displays his commemorative medals and the weapon he used during the revolution.

4 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 proudly wears his medals during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

5 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - A veteran of the revolution contemplates his reflection, while wearing his military uniform and commemorative medals.

6 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. The bedroom in a revolutionary veteran’s home.

7 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the rebel army of 1959 with his wife in the home. He holds his original weapon from the revolution.

8 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - A veteran of the Cuban revolution with his grandchildren, whose generation currently find themselves at a crossroads in the country's history. Unlike their parents, they were born after the fall of the Berlin wall and did not enjoy the privileges of the glory years of Soviet alliance.

9 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - A veteran of the Cuban revolution with his grandson, who is part of a new generation of Cubans who now find themselves at a crossroads in the country's history. Unlike their parents, they were born after the fall of the Berlin wall and did not enjoy the privileges of the glory years of Soviet alliance.

10 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the rebel army of 1959 with his wife and daughter. Born after the revolution, his daughter’s generation enjoyed the privileges of education and healthcare, and an abundance of food and supplies from the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s.

11 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 recalls his days as a soldier, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

12 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 recalls his days as a soldier, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

13 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the rebel army of 1959 and his wife. The women played an important role in the revolution, by taking care of the soldiers, washing their clothes and making their meals. Many of them lost fathers, brothers and loved ones in the battles.

14 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 proudly wears his medals during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

15 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the Cuba revolution, Torres* joined the rebel army as a messenger at 15. He was too young to be accepted as a soldier, but was one of the few who knew how to read and write, so was commissioned to write revolutionary banners.

16 of 25

Santiago de Cuba -2009. A veteran of the Cuban revolution holds a portrait of himself taken in 1958 during the revolutionary period.

17 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A portrait of a young Raul Castro, the current president of Cuba, hangs in a home in Santiago. The veterans and their families remain devoted to their leaders Fidel and Raul Castro.

18 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A portrait of Castro hangs above the television in a home in Santiago. Television and radio has been used by Castro’s government for political propaganda and communication since ‘Radio Rebelde’, a radio station set up by the rebel army, in the highlands of Cuba during the revolution.

19 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. The terrace of a deceased veteran of the Cuba revolution.

20 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the rebel army of 1959, wearing the original neckerchief, woven by local women, to identify the guerilla soldiers that belonged to the ‘ 26th July movement’. The 26th July marks the first attack of the rebel army in Santiago de Cuba which resulted in the imprisonment of Fidel Castro.

21 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 recalls his days as a soldier, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

22 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. The commemorative medals of a revolutionary soldier.

23 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A very sick veteran from the revolution lies on his bed. He met his wife shortly before the Revolution. He recalls the romance they maintained throughout the war. They communicated through letters sent transported by rebel army messengers. She would inform her lover on on-goings in the village and send supplies to him in the highlands .

24 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of the revolution and his wife at their home.

25 of 25

Santiago de Cuba - 2009. A veteran of Castro's rebel army of 1959 recalls his days as a soldier, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the victory of the revolution.

Cuba 1959: The Second Front

For this freedom which is youths empire

For this freedom

As beautiful as life

We have to give our all

If necessary even our shadows

And it will never be enough

“Por esta libertad’, Fayad Jamis, Havana

As a visual artist I am primarily interested in hidden stories unreported by mainstream media. My current project, ‘Cuba 1959: The Second Front’ explores the historical memory of the veterans of the Cuban Revolution that still live in the ‘Sierra Maestra’ of Cuba – the place where they were born and fought as teenagers in Fidel Castro’s rebel army over fifty years ago. This will be followed by a second phase exploring youth culture in Cuba. The nostalgia, memory and legacy of the veterans will be juxtaposed with the aspirations for a different tomorrow of the country’s youth. These two seemingly contrary themes are inextricably linked, and meet face-to-face in the evident generation gap between the grandfathers and grandchildren of contemporary Cuba, a country that currently finds itself in a push-pull struggle of economic and ideological survival within a globalized, capitalistic world. January 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the United States severing diplomatic relations with Cuba. Given the present political climate and poor economic condition of Cuba, it is evident that this is a time for urgent reflection and reconciliation between two countries whose governments somehow remain frozen in a ‘cold war’, decades after the end of The Cold War. My hope is that the future leaders of Cuba- the grandchildren of this revolutionary legacy- can look to an alternative future without forgetting the struggles of the past.

Through portraits of the veterans in their homes -the environment that defines them- fragments of their past are visually extracted to unveil life stories of the anonymous protagonists of the rebellion that changed the nation forever and gave way to the socialist system that prevails in Cuba. Only though their personal histories can we begin to understand the complexity of the island. My stylistic choice for this work was ‘collaborative’ portraiture blurring the boundaries between fine art and documentary photographic practice. I use classical compositions and mostly natural light to capture the character and essence of these countrymen, who for me are the embodiment of an ideology. I found that the process of being photographed wearing their military uniforms and medals, provoked, in many, an emotional journey into their past and created a space for self-reflection, adding an interesting psychological dimension to the project. Despite the toil of post Soviet alliance years and the prolongation of the economic embargo they remain devoted to ‘La Revolucion’, for she has given them everything tangible in their lives, as well as their life purpose.