Reflections#1: Afro- Cubano, 2003 Havana, Cuba

Just days after the earthquake ravaged Haiti, Cuba opened it's airspace to the US for Med-Evac planes transporting people in need of immediate medical attention, cutting the travel time by 90 minutes. Despite the tensions between the US and Cuba since 1962 when the US imposed an embargo, the Castro regime found the heart to set aside cold-war politics for a more urgent and dire cause. In an open letter to “sister Republic of Haiti” Cuban leader Raúl Castro pledged: “On behalf of the Cuban people and government, I convey to you our most heartfelt condolences and reiterate that you can count on aid in solidarity from our country at this difficult time.” His letter was translated in the state-run Cuban newspaper Granma.

In honor of this act of compassion, I put together this gallery, celebrating Afro-Cubano people and culture. Whether born in Haiti or Cuba, we all share the same origins...Africa.

Enjoy!
































border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435593528961121682" />
























Though I'm Haitian-American, I was Cuban the entire time I was there. I immersed myself in the spirit and beauty of Afro-Cuban culture...
...and I chilled out on the beach!