A look at Cuba today

By Nikki Ulasowski WOLLONGONG — "Cuba is facing the hardest time ever since the revolution. The government of the United States has tried to isolate Cuba. One side of the counter revolutionaries want to tighten the blockade, they want confrontation, they're the radical extreme. The other side try to subvert the revolution of Cuba from within, through ideological and intellectual ways. But, Cuba is an independent country, and we will decide what to do." This was how Cuban consul Marcelino Fajardo described the situation in his country at the opening an exhibition of photos here on November 2. The exhibition, "Cuban Kaleidoscope", has been organised by Australian Cuban Friendship Society. It includes photographs by artists who have recently travelled in Cuba. The exhibition, held in the Wollongong City Council foyer, runs until mid-November. The display featured photographs from Jo Connolly, Dale Conway, Fred Huntley, Barb Smith and Rodney Spark. The photo's emphasised the political and cultural life of Cuba. The photo display neatly captured Cuban people's lives today, and their support for the revolution. Jo Connolly's photo "Mayday in Havana" was taken in 1986 at the traditional and massive May Day demonstration in the Plaza de la Revolution in central Havana. With streets filled with crowds of Cubans waving red flags, it speaks of Cubans' support and enthusiasm for their revolution. Barb Smith' "Heroes' Cemetery", 1993, displayed the cemetery for Heroes of the Revolution in Santiago do Cuba. "During the Special Period", a simple shot of an apartment doorway of old Havana, deals with the shortages of imported fuel and building supplies that have resulted in buildings being left run down. Fred Huntley also captured the essence of what the Cuban people face today with "Bikes Along the Malecon", 1993. In a country once famous for its 1950s vintage American cars, fuel shortages have now made bikes the most popular form of transport. Other photos demonstrated the social and cultural life in Cuba. Dale Conway's "At the End of The Day", 1991, with secondary students returning from agricultural work in the fields, captured young peoples' participation in society. "Musicians", 1993, by Fred Huntley, featured a street party organised by the local Committee for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) in Santiago de Cuba. Since their decisive role in defeating the 1961 US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion the CDRs have played a central role in Cuban life, politics and culture.