LA CHISPA!
(The Sparkle)
Despite more than forty years of a powerful economic embargo against the island, and,
later, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the people of Cuba survive with spirit intact.
The recent influx of tourism and collaborative ventures with sympathetic countries has created,
on one hand, a two-tier economy, where those with access to dollars have the means to buy better
food, better clothing, car parts, building materials, and so on. Those without such access must
wait to see their lives improve as the economy in general improves. The struggle to uphold the
cherished goals of socialism is often at odds with the struggle to build a decent life.
During my first trip to Havana in 1997, I was struck by the high level of solidarity among
the people I met. Combined with a pervasive generosity of spirit, it manifests itself in
streets safe for walking, even at night, even for women. It is evidenced in a high degree
of comfort between the races. It is found in the care and concern people give one another,
even though strangers.
Cubans claim that those who leave the island also lose "La Chispa," or, the sparkle,
the joy of life. These photographs explore the complexities, the contradictions,
and the chispa of Cuban life.
All photographs are digitally printed from negatives or slides, in black & white and color.
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