Cuban Streets

Cuba and its people are a bit like all post-Soviet societies, a certain state of mind, in this case in a good way. This collection of photographs shows Cuba and the Cuban people as I encountered them during my travels between Havana and Trinidad - during the week I photographed at the National Ballet School in Havana, and at weekends I went to Trinidad to photograph cockfights. It was my last visit to Cuba and probably the most interesting in all respects, e.g. I got official accreditation and permission to take photographs at the National Ballet School, but my passport was taken away, without which I theoretically could not travel or check into a hotel or casa particular outside Havana. Fortunately, we Poles and Cubans share a common history, which means we have to develop a skill called combining. I managed to travel relatively freely and found illegal accommodation where no one asked for a passport 😊.

The photos collected here from this period are special to me, and although they were taken without any particular idea or design, they form a colourful gallery of memories of places and people that are probably no longer there. I hope I can give you at least a little taste of the atmosphere of Cuba in 2006.

Havana/Trinidad, Cuba 2006