Jan Sochor Photography

photo essays

50 years after Revolution

Although Cuban political system tends to prohibit influences coming from the world outside, young Cubans follow the fashion trends and they like to wear the latest models of clothes.

A young Cuban girl wearing trendy sunglasses stands in front of the ruined stairs inside a devastated house in the Old Havana, Cuba, 11 August 2008.

Hundreds of Cubans waving the national flags and expressing support for the regime of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro during the annual celebration of the Cuban Revolution's beginning.

Fidel Castro, the former Cuban leader, said in his revolutionary speech: “Revolution is to feel the historical moment, to change what should be changed, revolution is absolute equality and liberty…”

A young Cuban boy passing in front of the famous Fidel Castro's Revolution speech written on the wall in a bakery, Havana, Cuba, 12 August 2008.

The basic food source for the majority of the Cuban families is the state rationing system. It may cover approximately one third of people's life necessities. The quality of the food is very questionable.

A young Cuban woman distributing a limited amount of bread to her fellow citizens according to quotas of the Cuban rationing system, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 29 July 2008.

A queue can be seen everywhere in Cuba. Cubans are used to wait patiently to buy a drink on the street, to buy any shortcoming products, they even wait in a queue for the public transport.

Cubans waiting in a queue on the street to change their foreign currency, earned from tourism, to the Cuban convertible peso which can be used to buy anything, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 31 July 2008.

Cubans would wish the economic changes but the general country's direction change is out of the question.

A writing, supporting the regime of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro, painted on the wall of a concrete apartment block in the neighbourhood of Abel Santamaría, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 31 July 2008.

Cuban women looking through a shop window. The state controlled and planned economy together with the US trade embargo caused the longtime shortage of food, consumer goods and services.

Cuban women looking through a shop window, checking out if a desired product is available, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 5 August 2008.

Social conditions and living standards of an average Cuban citizen, who is not a Communist Party member or is not involved in the tourism business (both legally or illegally), remain at a very poor level.

A Cuban family spending a hot afternoon in the patio of the house they live in, Havana, Cuba, 19 August 2008.

Music is one of the key elements in the Cuban culture. The Cuban traditional music stays beyond the politics. Popular music and dance fill weekends (and working days too) of all Cubans of all ages.

A Cuban musician, troubadour (trovador in Spanish), changing strings on his old guitar during the Carnival in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 27 July 2008.

Many Cubans live in large concrete apartment blocks called “Russian buildings”. They were built during the time when Cuba was supported by the former Soviet Union.

A young Cuban boy climbing a palm tree in front of the large concrete apartment blocks in Alamar, the eastern part of Havana, Cuba, 12 February 2009.

Since private ownership is not allowed in Cuba and investments are extremely limited, Cuban industry stays generally underdeveloped.

A Cuban master printer, leant against a printing machine, waiting for a new load in the state print shop, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 4 August 2008.

Young Cuban girls walking embraced down the street during the dusk. The Cuban street is always full and lively, especially in the evening when people meet, talk and enjoy the time of being together.

Young Cuban girls walking embraced down the street in the Havana downtown during the dusk, Cuba, 11 August 2008.

Many Cuban girls aware of their natural beauty offer cheap sex to foreigners hoping that they might marry them later (and take away from Cuba). These girls are called “jineteras”.

A young Cuban girl (“jinetera”) flirting with a foreigner on the beach of Siboney close to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 27 July 2008.

Cuba has the biggest number of the classic American cars from the 1950s still in the service. The UN statistics show there are 32 cars per 1000 people in Cuba, comparing to 745 cars in the US.

Old American classic cars, the symbol of Cuba, driving slowly in the sunny street of Havana, Cuba, 14 August 2008.

Men selling clothes pegs at the black market in the centre of Havana. Cubans turned increasingly to the black market to obtain hard-to-find goods, food or medicines.

Cuban men selling clothes pegs on the black market in the centre of Havana, Cuba, 12 August 2008.

A Cuban man hurrying for a fiesta, holding a bottle of rum, smoking a cigar and carrying a sweet cake. Although the overall situation in Cuba is tough, Cubans never forget to celebrate, to call for a fiesta.

A Cuban man hurrying for a fiesta, holding a bottle of rum, smoking a cigar and carrying a sweet cake in his hand, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 3 August 2008.

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50 years after Revolution

Cuba, July 2008 – March 2009

About 50 years after the national rebellion, led by Fidel Castro, and adopting the communist ideology shortly after the victory, the Caribbean island of Cuba is the only country in Americas having the communist political system. Although the Cuban state-controlled economy has never been developed enough to allow Cubans living in social conditions similar to the US or to Europe, mostly middle-age and older Cubans still support the Castro Brothers' regime and the idea of the Cuban Revolution. Since the 1990s Cuba struggles with chronic economic crisis and mainly young Cubans call for the economic changes.

Photography by Jan Sochor
Music by Los Aldeanos – “Verdades nada mas”, Poesía Esposada (2004) – 26 Musas / Real 70 / Emetrece Productions