Cuban Women

In the day-to-day struggle for survival during this “special period,” Cuban women have endured the most difficulties. They have also worked with boundless creativity. Cuban women are the backbone of the family, and often the glue that holds together the sometimes fragile social environment. I took these photographs of Cuban women, young and old, workers and professionals, to reflect their testimonies for future generations. I hope through the lens of my camera to freeze these images in time, to transmit all the possible images in their full eloquence to create a historic frame of reference. The click of the camera, the instantaneous capturing of these moments in black-and-white, are my form of seizing these moments of a special present through these portraits of Cuban women. I feel the need to immerse myself in this Cuban sea of humanity so I can capture the essence of these women’s existence-and my own. That is my utopia.