Photos by Mike & Sally Harris

We recently had the opportunity to join a Canadian photographer, Richard Martin, for a ten-day photo workshop in Cuba. There were eight people in our group including Mike's two daughters, Ashley and Brooke. We spent six days in Havana and four in the colonial city of Trinidad (a World Heritage Sight). Our goal was to capture the essence of Cuban life through photography.

We have selected photos to tell the story of politics, beautiful vintage cars, music, cigars, sports, and the warm and welcoming children and adults of Cuba.

We were a little surprised to see the Cuban and American flags hanging side by side outside our hotel. We found, however, that the people we talked to were thrilled to meet with us and openly discuss politics. With a few exceptions, Cubans are not permitted to travel anywhere in the world. They are an isolated people. We did not see a lot of signs of Fidel Castro. By comparison, Che Guevara was pictured everywhere. One person mentioned that the leaders want to keep the revolution of 1959 alive in the minds of the Cuban people.

There is one plaza dedicated to the revolution. Here is a mural along the sidewalk. This woman is simply waiting for a bus.

Our hotel was very modern and a delightful center for our activities. The Capitol building was just a few blocks down the street. There is a wide road in front of the building, and the center of the road is reserved for parked taxis. The driver of this gem pulled up our first morning, and we all gathered around to admire the vehicle. The architecture of Havana is a mix of colonial grandeur, art deco and mid twentieth century design. The city has two million people and is by far the most cosmopolitan city in the Caribbean islands. Cuba has unfortunately suffered greatly since the revolution. Government is investing in parts of the city, but many buildings seem on the verge of falling down. It can be a sad sight.

There is public art to be seen, although it is not plentiful. This sculpture is on a pedestrian mall nears the Capitol.

In both Havana and Trinidad, you encounter artists at work. Private homes and workplaces have their doors left open allowing those in the streets to gaze in. This artist was at work painting as we walked by.

When people think of Cuba, old American cars come to mind. Vintage cars from the forties, fifties and early sixties are omnipresent. They come in all stages of repair from heaps left on the street to beautifully restored models. We are told that parts for the cars are manufactured in Cuba. Each car is registered, and the owner is not permitted to sell it off the island. Many of the vintage cars are taxis, but there are lots of privately owned ones as well. Our reaction was to get excited every time a vintage car came into view, over and over and over. We must have photos of hundreds of different models.

Music permeates Cuba. The guitarist above left entertained us at lunch in one of Havana's better restaurants. We stopped by a bar in Trinidad to hear this renowned bongo drummer, above right. He is a very young eighty and loves to entertain.This is an example of music put to good social use. The guitarist immediately above was playing for a group of handicapped children. They danced happily and all hugged when the music ended.

Many visitors to Cuba never make it to the city of Trinidad. After all, it is a six-hour drive to get there. Yet it is one of the most colorful, most photogenic places we have ever visited. These three kids were on a school break and struck this pose in a nearby park.

Here four kids vie for attention, but only three succeed in getting into the picture.

As we walked down the street, Richard said he recognized a man leaning against the wall, seen above left. We went up and asked the man if he had been photographed for National Geographic. He said no and disappeared into the house while we waited in the street. He came out with a guidebook showing him on the cover. We later had some beers and cigars together and listened to the bongo player. Lots of Cubans dress colorfully to attract tourists, and they then ask for money to be photographed. We were sure that would be the case with this fellow, above right, but he simply assented to having his picture taken. When we said we liked his hat, he took it off so we could feel the material. Just a nice guy. Sports are alive and well in Cuba which is a healthy sign. This girl jumped into a split right in front of the camera.

Soccer games spring up along the streets. The Prado is a tree-lined street with a wide walkway that the children use as their playground. There was always a game here.

Boxing has been a national pastime since the days of Kid Chocolate. Cuba regularly gets Olympic gold in this sport. We went to a run down facility with an outdoor ring where there were matches between boys ages twelve to sixteen. It was at night and we stood at ringside. You could feel the controlled violence of the sport. Trainers yelled instructions, and the kids really went at each other.

Here is a picture of our group and two adopted members, a little girl who had taken Brooke into her home and a man named Segundo who had been sitting on the steps and readily joined our family.

We could not visit Cuba without smoking some of those fabulous Cuban cigars.