Dayana, the eye of Cuba
Santiago de Cuba, July 2024
Dayana Oris is a 34-year-old woman born and raised in Santiago de Cuba, in the Tivoli district. She lives in a courtyard where there are 17 flats where 17 families live. Dayana stays in a humble 25-square-meter place with stripped-down services. There is no shower, the kitchen runs on gas tanks, and the government rations electricity.
Dayana has three dependent daughters: Juliane, Julianis, and Jimena, aged 14, 12, and 5. She has had them with two different men, with whom she maintains sporadic relationships. Her family lives far away, in Havana. That’s why Dayana has built her closest relationships with her neighbors and her godmother, Elvis, 60. Both practice Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion with Catholic elements that developed in Cuba in the late 19th century, now widespread in Santiago de Cuba.
Dayana’s story provides an insight into the life of today’s decadent Cuba. In the past, she worked in a textile factory. Today, Dayana earns a living solely through dance lessons. The Cuban state, which distributes food to its citizens, is able to guarantee fewer and fewer portions. They are currently limited to about 2.5 kg of sugar and 1 kg of rice per month. Inflation is skyrocketing. As a result, people rely on a proximity economy that escapes state control for coffee, soft drinks (much more common than water), and food.
Cuba in 2024 is facing a prolonged economic crisis. The economy, which depends largely on tourism, remittances from Cubans abroad, and the export of goods such as sugar and tobacco, has been weakened by US economic sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic. On the social front, Cuba has a declining population of around 10 million. More than one million have left the island during 2022 and 2023, according to estimates released in July 2024. Demographically, Cuba is characterized by a low birth rate and an aging population—it ranks ninth in the world for the percentage of people over 60.
To document these aspects, I spent a week with Dayana and photographed life in 2024’s Santiago de Cuba through her eyes. I aimed to capture a twofold reality. On the one hand, I wanted to tell the intimate life of mum-Dayana, who looks after her daughters, her house, and her community. On the other, I sought insights into Cuban society through Dayana’s eyes. For example, going to the bank requires hours of waiting due to poor services, finding a gas tank is often a challenge, food for her three daughters costs, at the market, half of an average salary and lasts less than a week. Despite these difficulties, the community spirit and resilience of the Cubans emerge in their ability to adapt and support each other, clinging to tenacity and solidarity in their daily lives.
