Tag Archives: Cuba

Cockfighting 2

Posted by hakanronnblad on

  Cock fighting is a serious activity in Cuba. Illegal, hidden away in the forest. The participants put their entire soul in the training of the combatants. Doping, money, violence and legendary fighting cock champions..    It´s a messy business.

Is Babalú Ayé listening?

Posted by hakanronnblad on

  At December 16–17 every year, thousands of Cubans of various religious beliefs make a pilgrimage to San Lazaro at Rincon in Santiago de las Vegas, some 30 km from Havana. They come to show penitence and pray for health and make other wishes.
Many crawl kilometers on their knees dragging stones as an extra proof of their devotion.
Some of the pilgrims worship  the orisha  Babalú Ayé,  “Father of the World”  the Santeria version of, San Lazaro.
This religios phenomenon is not seen with benevolent eyes from the Cuban government.
Plain clothes security police are heavily present.

My Cuban friend was taken apart and searched in a humiliating manner for walking with to foreigners active with cameras!

The Cuban religious passion, both santeria and catholic is growing as the revolutionary
enthusiasm has been going down for some time now!

Have a cigar!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

These are the tobacco leafs of Viñales and Pinar del Rio. Does not get any better than this! The quality of the Cohiba, Montecristo, and the Partagas cigars, all depend on the  meticulous work of men like this guajiro!

Viñales valley, Cuba.  (Click on Viñales tag to see more pictures)

Un litro de leche!

Posted by hakanronnblad on

At the end of 1993 I stayed in Luyano, Havana. It was the “período especial”. Several years of hardship for the Cubans.

This particular picture was a result of an hour or so waiting at the Calzada Luyano for something to turn up (it always does in Havana!)

I caught the attention of the father passing by with the daughter sleeping in the bicycle carriage just in time to make him stop and give me the chance to take some pictures.

It could have been a propaganda picture for the … government campaign at that time  “one liter of milk per day to each child”

2010. Seventeen years later I found the Facebook group “Solo gente de Luyano”
(Just for people from Luyano)

added the photo (also the one where you see the father) and the comments and additional information poured in!

Click tag Luyano to see more material from this part of Havana or just check this link

Daysi Rivas :    AYYYYYYYYYYY DIOS MIO HE VISTO ESTA FOTO MUCHAS VECES Y AHORA ES QUE ME DOY CUENTA QUE ES OMAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MI AMIGO DE TODA LA VIDA,………………. PERO ESTA FOTO TIENE UN MONTON DE AñOS, QUE SERA DE LA VIDA DE EL?????????????

Oh my God I have seen this photo many times and now I understand that it is Omar!!!!! my life long friend …. but this photo is very old, what has happened with his life?????