Submitted by Francesca Cheatham on the 2018 winter session program in Cuba sponsored by the Department of Art…
During my study abroad program, I have had the opportunity to take note of something rather unique to Cuba, which is its nationwide commitment to preservation and reuse. To elaborate, Cuba is a very poor country, and due to the embargo, resources tend to be scarce. Everyday objects are reused and repurposed. When something is broken, even if it is of poor quality, it is fixed and continues its purpose or serves a new one. The ubiquitous image of Cuba is in the old 50s style cars, large and brightly colored and iconic; they have lasted this long through the ingenuity of Cuban people, painstakingly replacing and fixing the mechanisms within the same frame. Even the buildings are not preserved and kept separate, or even torn down. Everything is built on top of what was before; history pervades every niche, and is a pillar for the present.