Cuba
Guajiro
Guaijors is the name of the Cuban farmers, a figure in between a peasant and a cowboy. They usually live in the countryside, in small remote villages called Caserios, made-up of few houses dislocated all over the island.They conduct a tough rough life in a symbiotic relationship with animals and nature.
Their days start very early in the morning and end at sunset, following the rhythm of nature.
I grew up close to my grandparents who lived in the mountain where they were born. They were peasants and I was fascinated by their lifestyle. I could feel a distance between my urban lifestyle and their approach to life, which had a completely different pace.
When I was a child I was intrigued by the way they prepared the food. At my city home, I used to go to the Supermarket to buy food while with my grandparents we were used to eating the animals that they bred, and with which I used to play: roosters, chickens, rabbits, pigs and so on.
Now, as a grown man I still feel a strong attraction to that lifestyle which is way different from mine: maybe harder but more meaningful and respectful of life.
When I arrived in Cuba, I was looking for something that reminds me of that part of my childish life. Something that could reconcile me with my roots. I kind of “call of the wild”. I “jumped” into Caserio La Nueva, somewhere between Santa Clara and Cienfuegos and I immediately felt at home. I became part of their broad family which is running the State farm here. Since 2017 I’ve been visiting them many times, working with them, eating with them, sleeping with them. Living with them.
This is their story and mine.