STORIES
During 9 days of late 2016, a military caravan with the ashes of former Cuban President Fidel Castro, traveled Cuba from west to east. They/those were intense days and a lot of work. The Cuban communist government arranged a massive farewell on the roads throughout the country. These photographs show some moments of the historic event.
Two decades ago, in the midst of rioting and anti-government protests in Cuba, Fidel Castro announced that 'whoever wanted to leave, could go'—indicating that his forces would not prevent Cubans from fleeing the country. More than 35,000 took the opportunity to leave, heading to the United States. Men, women, and children packed into small boats and makeshift rafts and set off for Florida in the largest exodus since the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. I caught up with some of those 1994 refugees in Miami, photographing them at work in their new country, 20 years later.
EMILIA
Emilia Rodriguez, the granddaughter of Spanish immigrants, has been a state employee all her adult life. When she was 17, she started work in a clinic, doing cleaning and feeding bedridden people. For the last 30 years she has been cleaning apartment buildings, receiving a monthly salary of 250 pesos ($10). She lives next to her family in the building she has been cleaning for the past eight years.
MARTA AND THE CHIMPS
A 62-year-old Havana Zoo biologist, Marta Llanes Torres, has spent one year raising two baby chimpanzees in her fifth floor Havana apartment - as if they were her own children. It's a full-time job, and Llanes is an expert. Anumá and Ada are the 35th and 36th chimps she has cared for. Llanes allowed me to chart the chimps' progress over the course of 12 months during regular visits to her house.
CUBAN BOXERS
These young boxers boys train hard despite the precarious conditions in an improvised Gym located in the neighborhood of La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), Cuba. Everything is scarce, from gloves mouth guards, but they have the most important thing: talent and desire to become champions. For a month I made this photo reporting that shows the hard training and professionalism of Professor Casanova, a former Cuban boxer. Of out of these dilapidated facilities, will come the future boxing champions of Cuba.
NUCLEAR PLANT
Two decades ago, in the midst of rioting and anti-government protests in Cuba, Fidel Castro announced that 'whoever wanted to leave, could go'—indicating that his forces would not prevent Cubans from fleeing the country. More than 35,000 took the opportunity to leave, heading to the United States. Men, women, and children packed into small boats and makeshift rafts and set off for Florida in the largest exodus since the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. I caught up with some of those 1994 refugees in Miami, photographing them at work in their new country, 20 years later.
NICARAGUA ELECTIONS 2011
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a socialist former guerrilla leader, had 63 percent support based on a sample of votes from almost 40 percent of polling stations in 2011 Nicaragua presidential elections.
