Photo exhibition "Cuba – Carnival and Daily Life"

Photographer Bern Harnisch (Noordwijkerhout) searches in vain in the faces for the aggression against which US citizens should be protected. He writes himself: “Cuba has been a recurring destination for my wife and me; in total, we have visited the country ten times. Together, we have traversed the island three times by bicycle, far away from the usual tourist routes. What has stayed with us is this: whenever we had a problem, whether it was a flat tire or the lack of a place to sleep, Cubans made our problem their own and found a solution for us. To us, Cuba is more than just palm trees, white beaches, rum, “Chan Chan,” and Che Guevara.

It is the people, with their warmth and hospitality, that have made us return time and again. In late January, when I heard about the American blockade, I instinctively started editing the photos I had taken during the Santiago Carnival in the summer of 2024. I isolated the people in the images and chose a unique background for each to emphasize their personality and draw attention to their eyes. In doing so, I asked myself the question: are these the people against whom the population of the United States must be protected become?

 The fuel shortage in Cuba leads to power outages, which in turn limits production, transport, healthcare, and even waste collection. This causes a chain reaction that comes at the expense of the poorest and weakest members of the Cuban population.”