.CUBA 3
I travelled to Cuba for one week in the 1990s but took no photos or videos.  ​A second visit took place in December 2023 and January 2024.​

Rehearsing at Ballet Folklorico Cutumba.

Trumpet in Trinidad.

Soccer in Santa Clara.

A painter in Holguin.

Palo Monte (Regla de Congo or Palo Mayombe) is a syncretized religion in the era of enslaved people.  ​Palo Monte is often misunderstood, and tales of black magic and grave-robbing abound, most or them false.*
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​​Palo Monte revolves around ancestor worship and a belief in natural earthly powers such as water, mountains, and sticks which are said to yield spiritual powers, such as water, mountains and particularly sticks, which are said to yield spiritual powers.*

Santiago de Cuba is home to dozen folklorico dance groups, which exists to teach and perform traditional Afro-Cuban dances and pass their traditions on to future generations.*

Lighter repairman, Houlin.​​

Art exhibit in Holguin.
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Santiago de Cuba band

Santeria is a syncretistic religion that hides African roots beneath a symbolic Catholic veneer. Santeros believe in one God, Oludomare who communicates through a pantheon of orishas, various imperfect deities who are blessed with different natural and human qualities. Orishas have their own feast days, demand their own food offerings, and are given numbers and colours to represent their personalities.*

Afternoon entertainment at Casa de la Trova, Santiago de Cuba.

Bike repair in Santa Clara.

Musician Fernando Casolja and writers Ronel Sanchez, Eliccer Almaquer, and Jose Luis Serrano entertain at Casa de la Trova in Holguin.

Paintings of fishermen and fish.

Indentured workers brought over from Africa via the Middle Passage hid their animist beliefs behind a Catholic smokescreen, pretending to venerate Christian saints while worshipping their own pantheon of religious of religious deities in secret.*

Special sticks are used to decorate altars adorned with sacred religious vessels called nkisi (human-like dolls or figurines) believed to be inhabited by spirits.*
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The director talks about the Ballet Folklorico Cutumba, Santiago de Cuba.


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Embroidery in Trinidad.​
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Words of wisdom at Club Mejunje, Santa Clara.

Watch repair in Santa Clara.

Getting a tattoo in Santa Clara.

Football in Cuba.

Jamming in Camaguey.
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e Repair in Santa Clara.

Jazz practice in Santiago de Cuba.

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Pottery factory Casa del Alfarero, Trinidad.​

​Palo Monte rites and belief system were introduced by enslaved people brought to Cuba from the Congo Basin in Central Africa.*
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The Palo Monte has its own deities called Kimpngulu and a creator god known as Nzambi. Palo Monte deities are similarily associated with Catholic saints.*
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Teenagers hanging out in Parque Vidal, Santa Clara.​


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Teenagers hanging out in Parque Vidal, Santa Clara.​

Street performance in Santiago de Cuba.

Photo shoot in Santa Clara.​

Skateboarding in Cuba.