people of Cocodrilos

(2013) A series of portraits shows ten villagers of a hamlet on the way to disappear. Located deep inside Zapata Swamp, Cocodrilos is one of the hardest places to live in Cuba. In 2002 the zone was declared Natural Reserve. The coal production practiced by generations, became banned. Refused to leave their land, near one hundred people remains on the village, most of the times practicing basic survival techniques. “People of Cocodrilos” is a tribute to the courage of the people who most of all-refuses to abandon their land.

The idea of carrying out the project “Gente de Cocodrilos” (”People of Cocodrilos” ) is based on the experiences gained during the filming of the documentary movie “Hombres de Cocodrilos” (director Liván Magdaleno, 2013). The purpose is to show as graphic evidence the dificult living conditions of that comunity in the Ciénaga de Zapata (Zapata Swamp). The proposal consist of a series of portraits of type-characters who, although they show on the distinctiveness of the environment, go beyond that condition to become representations of the human element. Despite the documentary substrate, the pieces have a high conceptual and symbolical content, verifiable in their different reading levels. (Catalog of “Zona Franca”, Collateral exhibitions at XII Biennial of Havana)