Volume 1, July, 2016
by Tapo Banerjee
Habana
has a complicated relationship with its representation in popular
photography. A lot of attention is
directed to classic cars, murals of Che Guevara and costumed characters with
either musical instruments or cigars!
While
the cars and murals are ubiquitous in Habana and the rest of the country, this
series attempts to reveal urban facets of the daily lives of Habaneros.
Malecon Pelican
A
pelican flies past the seawall (El Malecon) at dawn. In the distance, an oil
refinery emits soot into the Habana sky.
Nacional_Polski
The
historic Hotel Nacional with a Fiat 125, commonly called Polski after its country of origin, in the foreground.
San Lazaro
Early
morning in Vedado, Habana
Neptuno
Florist on Calle Neptuno, Centro Habana
News Infanta
Newspaper stand on Calle Infanta
Colmar Cabaret
Ladies
in the doorway
San Jose Market
After
a quick afternoon shower, Habana Vieja (Old Havana)
Coco Stand
Cuban
version of the auto-rickshaw
Colectivo
A
large number of US made cars from the 1940’s and 50’s serve as share taxis
(Colectivos) in Cuba. In popular parlance, they are known as maquinas or almendrones, the latter a reference to the almond like shapes of the automobiles from that period.
These
taxis ply on fixed routes, and destinations are indicated by hand signals made
by the drivers. They are not licensed to carry tourists.
It
took some mental preparation to hail a ride in one of these, but it finally happened
a day before departure.
Note:
Habana is intentionally spelled as in Spanish i.e. with b instead of v
Author’s Bio- Note:
Tapo Banerjee has been visiting Cuba since 2012. His last assignment in Habana
was in Jan-Feb 2016. Originally a resident of Darjeeling (India), he now calls
Chicago home.
Flickr
Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/teabeefoto/albums
Instagram
Link: https://www.instagram.com/isthisthereallight/
No comments:
Post a Comment