Set aside political ideologies and international affairs. Cuba, at its heart, is defined by her people, a melange of black, brown and white seemingly filled with a joie de vivre captured in quick smiles, infectious rhumba and a welcoming spirit.
Here are 21 photos that show some of the faces of Cuba encountered during a nine-day August trip organized by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. Almost two dozen Americans learned about the country’s agricultural and cultural traditions, as will be outlined in coming posts. (All photos are copyrighted by Andy Brack; all rights reserved.)
Three years ago, agronomist Fernando Funes left the classroom to start a small, organic farm and apiary west of Havana. You’ll learn about his success in a column on Sept 11.
Rafael Barrios is production manager for the state-run El Moncada farming cooperative in western Cuba where more than 600 people work to harvest coffee and tobacco.
This young woman is a drummer and singer in a band that plays Afro-Cuban music at an art studio in El Callejon de Hamel in Havana.
An artist from the studio where Afro-Cuban art, particularly associated with the Santeria religion, is displayed.
Artist Sandra Dooley, who lives west of Havana in the Santa Fe community, soon will be showing her works in a Charleston art gallery. See some of her art.
This man in Havana was standing in line at a cooperative that sold eggs.
The only things that the woman at the cooperative seemed to have on hand were eggs and bread. Adjacent to the store was a stand that sold rum and tobacco, as well as a refurbished shipping container that served as a neighborhood agricultural education center.
These men, apparently soldiers, were caught in traffic in Havana near the cooperative store and agricultural education center.
Jose Raul Viera Linares, a former United Nations diplomat for Cuba, welcomed the group into his home to talk about the impact of thawing American-Cuban relations.
These guys waited on customers at a shop at an urban market in Havana.
A guy at the urban market.A worker rolls a Cuban cigar at a barn in the heart of Cuba’s tobacco country in the western part of the island.
A boy sweeps water off a porch outside a decaying house facing the Malecon seawall that stretches for miles along the Havana coast.
People of all ages, such as these youths at dusk, gather along the Malecon all day to sit and take in the view.
People also hang out on balconies of old buildings that face the Malecon.
A bus driver with more than 30 years of experience.
A woman captured by the camera while walking during the heat of a Havana day.
Workers rest in midday around lunchtime after spending a morning renovating a building in hot, downtown Havana.
Locals know how important it is to stay hydrated during Havana’s hot days.
This woman walks along the Prado, a main drag filled with grand old buildings and some captivating street art.
This man hobbled to carry flowers in a Havana neighborhood.
NEXT: The cars of Cuba (coming Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015).
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