Portraits of Cuba by Daniel Duncan, Marcela Vásquez-León and Dereka Rushbrook (review)

Portraits of cuba is a visually captivating snapshot of Cuba in the twenty-first century. The photos and text span a range of issues crucial to an understanding of contemporary Cuba. They seem directed primarily toward U.S.-readers and those who have been deprived of meaningful exposure to the lived experience of its island neighbor just 90 miles to the south, because of the bloqueo, the U.S. embargo implemented in 1960. In fact, the authors choose to use the bloqueo as the touchstone for organizing their panoramic view of the island, returning in each chapter to its far-reaching impact on all aspects of life for Cubans.

Though the colorful and dynamic photos are intended to dominate the narrative, the text is also engaging and informative. The introduction deftly condenses both Cuba’s recent and more distant history into a few pages of text accompanied primarily by photos of street scenes, including the iconic Malecón in Havana. An inset next to a photo of two men under the hood of a late-model American car, explains that the scarcity of resources caused by the U.S. embargo has forced Cubans to be more innovative in relying on the materials they have at hand in order to get by, such as fashioning tools from leftover bicycle parts. The authors rightly emphasize that “this self-sufficiency is now a matter of national pride” (p. 11). The introductory chapter sets the tone for the book, with a tribute to Cuban solidarity and ingenuity in the face of external (economic and political?) pressure emanating from the United States.

Subsequent chapters feature photographs of city life in Havana, culture under the Revolution, billboards and murals, agriculture in the countryside, an evolving economy, and the ongoing legacy of the Revolution. While some of the photos are contextualized with explanations by the authors, in other cases they are accompanied only by brief captions. In some instances, there are quotes by both famous historical figures and contemporary, “man/woman on the street” Cubans superimposed on the photos, which lend a touch of authenticity to the descriptions.

The chapter on billboards and murals is especially enhanced by the photography and underscores the premise that Cuban solidarity has been essential in overcoming the many threats to the socialist system. As the authors indicate, one of the first impressions that strikes U.S. travelers to the island is the abundance of billboards, or vallas, none of which displays a corporate logo or sales pitch. Instead, the visual landscape is replete with public service messages, revolutionary slogans, and homages to national heroes. For Cubans, the vallas are an ever-present reminder of the Revolution and its values whereas their effect on tourists, according to the authors, is to make them conscious of “how, elsewhere in the world, societies have normalized the inescapable visual intrusion of capitalism into people’s daily lives” (p. 111). Photographs of an interesting mix of murals and billboards are included in the chapter, most of which were created after 2013. As the authors explain, the content of the visuals may vary from simple entreaties to civil behavior to more elaborate celebrations of national icons, such as José Martí, Antonio Maceo and Che Guevara. Underlying every image, however, is the exhortation to embrace the Cuban Revolution and what it stands for.

Agriculture and the Land is another chapter that effectively demonstrates Cuban solidarity and ingenuity, especially in terms of food production. Once again, a concise and engaging historical overview of the history of agriculture is provided as context before the authors delve into an explanation of the agroecological movement that emerged during the Special Period following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At this time, both food and petroleum were in short supply, which prompted a return to traditional farming methods that...