Outdoor Art and Propaganda of Cuba

I was pleasantly surprised to see some street art in Cuba (mostly in Havana) that I thought was pretty good.  There was a small amount of graffiti at construction sites or defacing buildings but most of what I saw appeared to have been well-planned and likely sanctioned by the authorities.  I did not see any street art that was a direct challenge to the Communist government.  Following are some examples:

I suppose that propaganda on billboards, signs, and posters could also be classed as art.  It is meant to appeal to the viewer and evoke a response.  But it is also meant to unify the citizenry around the values that the rulers would like them to adopt.  Actually, there was less public propaganda in Cuba than I might have expected.  Perhaps this reflects a less ideologically-based Cuba than I would have found had I visited 50 years ago.  It also seems like the government keeps public propaganda out of the tourist areas like Old Havana and Trinidad.  I suspect they realize that most tourists find such stuff a joke and a sign that Cuba is still stuck in its old ways.  

Here is a translation:

REVOLUTION is a sense of the historical moment; to change everything that must be changed;

it is equality and full freedom; to be treated and treat others as human beings;

to emancipate ourselves and with our own efforts;

to challenge powerful dominant forces inside and outside the social and national sphere;

to defend values in which one believes at the price of any sacrifice;

it is modesty, selflessness, altruism, solidarity and heroism;

it is to fight with audacity, intelligence and realism;

never lying or violating ethical principles;

and the deep conviction that there is no force in the world capable of crushing the force of truth and ideas.

REVOLUTION is unity, independence;

it is fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world, which is the basis of our patriotism, our socialism and our internationalism.

 

© Will Mahoney 2022

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