It's Cuba Week at Huck
- Text by Michael Segalov
Here at Huck, we want to talk about Cuba. As Obama embarks on a historic visit to the island, the next step in the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and their most powerful neighbour, there are changes afoot for this island nation.
Sure, there’s been a lot of talk about the government in Cuba, and what this new relationship might mean for U.S. corporations and the powerful in both states. But what does the end of trade embargoes, increased access to the internet and the continued repression of dissenting voices really mean? This week we’re looking at life from the ground up. The rebels, punks, skaters and firestarters paddling against the flow to make their voices heard. As the week goes on, we’ll be speaking to political dissidents, artists, entrepreneurs and people going against the grain to get an insight into what’s happening in Cuba in 2016.
Keep an eye out here for all our Cuba week stories, but we’ll be adding the highlights below throughout #CubaWeek.
Meet the Ladies in White – Cuba’s most notorious dissidents
The Long Read: The story of Charlie Hill, an FBI fugitive in Havana
Cuba’s first-generation entrepreneurs have mixed feelings about ‘the changes’
The female pioneers driving Cuba’s emerging skate scene
Dreams of skating in Cuba – a tale of two young boarders
The photographer capturing Cuba’s LGBT scene in 2016
For the Record: After 10 Years, one of Cuba’s first female DJs returns home
Meet the cyclists and mechanics rebuilding Cuban bike culture against the odds
Life in landfill – the Cuban poverty hidden from sight
Cubans are online and hustling despite restrictions and censorship
In pictures: Carl De Keyzer captures the decline of Cuban communism
The Cuban musicians you need to be checking out right now
Cebe Loomis takes an analogue adventure across Cuba
Obama’s historic visit to Cuba is over, now what happens?
Films about the new, free Cuba
Latest on Huck
This erotic zine dismantles LGBTQ+ respectability politics
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Written by: Isaac Muk
As Tbilisi’s famed nightclubs reawaken, a murky future awaits
Spaces Between the Beats — Since Georgia’s ruling party suspended plans for EU accession, protests have continued in the capital, with nightclubs shutting in solidarity. Victor Swezey reported on their New Year’s Eve reopening, finding a mix of anxiety, catharsis and defiance.
Written by: Victor Swezey
Los Angeles is burning: Rick Castro on fleeing his home once again
Braver New World — In 2020, the photographer fled the Bobcat Fire in San Bernardino to his East Hollywood home, sparking the inspiration for an unsettling photo series. Now, while preparing for its exhibition, he has had to leave once again, returning to the mountains.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Ghais Guevara: “Rap is a pinnacle of our culture”
What Made Me — In our new series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that have shaped who they are. First up, Philadelphian rap experimentalist Ghais Guevara.
Written by: Ghais Guevara
Gaza Biennale comes to London in ICA protest
Art and action — The global project, which presents the work of over 60 Palestinian artists, will be on view outside the art institution in protest of an exhibition funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
Ragnar Axelsson’s thawing vision of Arctic life
At the Edge of the World — For over four decades, the Icelandic photographer has been journeying to the tip of the earth and documenting its communities. A new exhibition dives into his archive.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai