My first trip to Cuba 1993 I lived with a family in the district of Luyano, Havana.
This was the so-called “período especial” and in practice it ment a decade of misery for the Cubans.

Mayari sat at the corner of Municipio and Melones trimming the hair of his dog Miringuita.
Of course I could not resist picking up my camera!

Seventeen years later I stumbled upon a page on Facebook “Solo gente de Luyano”

(Just for people from Luyano) The fantastic thing I realized a little later when I started to
contribute my photos (most of them almost forgotten and deep down in some old analog archive) to the group, is that the responsable person for the site was Reynier Perez.
Reynier was just a kid back in 93 and lived upstairs in the same house where I stayed and I had caught him in my pictures playing with the children of “my” family.  (i´ll post some of this in the future)

Internet, Facebook can sometimes be a fantastic media to reconnect people. Many Cubans have left their country and are spread out all over the world. On “solo gente de Luyano” they can make contact with old friends and neighbors!

The additional information I get referring my photos from these comments in the Luyano page
increases the documentary value a lot. The picture of Mayari for instance no longer just represents an image of an odd character!

Listen to the following quotes (translated from original Spanish)

Yanliet Linares: Sitting outside of what used to be his house. An unforgettable personality from Luyano

El Lachy Pons: A personality from Luyano. He is dead now.. lived a block from my house

Claribel Alvarez Sosa: Mayari was well known? “look at me women, play with me, look here I am single now”. Fantastic personality, a skilled tailor and as you say Reynier he liked sports and he participated in competitions, he was strong

Armando Mandito Valdes: The old Mayary lived beside my house. Sometimes they came and emptied his house. It was filled to the ceiling of stuff that he found walking around. It could be of use to somebody . I lived close by. I moved to the states 1980, never saw him again. HE WAS A GOOD PERSON

 

Eduardo Somoza Rios: He used to whip me when we played chess, the day I beat him was our last match

Yohandra Ramos: He died some time ago, he lived near my house

Grettel Llana: My God whats he doing to the dog????

Grettel Llana: Looks like he wants to cut his tail..

Yanet Viamontes: Por dog!!

Reynier Perez : I can assure you that MAYARI never would cut the tail of the dog because it was his only friend he spoke to him and prepared food for both of them. The hands holding that scissors is hold by an excellent tailor.. a surgeon with his cloth

mayari, the revolution gave him everything ?????? (ironically)

Keyla Roymer Barrientos: mayari, everybody knows mayari, this is great!! What memory’s really this page is really good