My silly question in previous comment aside, I have just had quite a tour of the collection having viewed a number of the 58 pages of historical and artistic shots. Deena, I didn’t realize that you are a photojournalist also! What you captured and preserved, and what is now preserved by Duke University, is a riveting view of Cuba at that time. In particular (keep in mind I will return to view more) I am taken with a shot of Castro-profile view-in a crowd. There is a young Raul Castro that shows him practically fresh-faced. There’s a double exposure that I found so artistic. And each one I saw of Che was wonderful. To think that you were actually there with him….
Your portrait photography is amazing. One of a fish captain from a captured boat was wonderful. Even a shot of pigs out in a field was like no farm shot I’ve ever seen.

Thank you for these intimate and amazing photos. It is absolutely wonderful that Duke has the collection. So many will learn from this in the years ahead.

Thanks for sharing these, it is a wonderful collection. Greatly enjoyed the shots of Castro doing a work out. And this one: http://bit.ly/8ip8m

For street shots, I liked this one: http://bit.ly/96Qqr and this one http://bit.ly/15Fps2

Perhaps my favorite of the collection is this one: http://bit.ly/AY4OF – They seem to be guarding themselves against the giant banner and holding onto their hats at the same time…

Dear Deena,
Thank you for publishing your photos; it is indeed a historic treasure. I had a great time browsing through the collection and getting to a see a Cuba a never had the opportunity to know. You are an exquisite photographer.
I’m curious about one thing though; I notice there no photos of the current province of Villa Clara, where the city of Santa Clara, its capital is located. Villa Clara also has one of the older cities in the country (Remedios), very nice beaches and the Escambray Mountains with the city of Cienfuegos on the south.
In my opinion, as I go and study more and more my birthplace (Santa Clara), I notice that the city is pretty much all the time forgotten my travelers. So my questions are: What happened? Was there something special that made you not go there? Were you by yourself, or did someone on the newly communist government taking you to places?
I’m asking all this, because, like I said before, I realized most people flyby the center of Cuba without stopping. And there is popular rumour that the Castro brothers sort of despise Villa Clara, and Santa Clara in particularly. Obviously that has never been proved or whatsoever.
As a person who lived those Cuban moments seating in the first row by yourself, I’m quite curious about your inside on this matter.
Thank you very much in advance,
Wilder Mendez.