Identidades in English No 5, Abril, 2015 | Page 25

Any attempt to convince them to tell
and reveal their reality is met with aggression, rude language, and vulgarity.
These actions are the result of a society
that has excluded them. As a result, they
do the same in reverse.

Disastrous living conditions, unhealthiness, marginality, poverty, exclusion
and social vulnerability have become
even worse in recent decades, as a result
of governmental apathy.
This situation marks the lives of men
and women, and increasingly and
alarmingly affects the integral, emotional and psychological development
of children and youth.

Yet, what is really the case with this
kind of work, whether it is audiovisual,
or involves interviews, workshops, or
any other kind that is attempted in situations like these and goes beyond the
established boundaries, is very necessary. Despite the fact many Cubans are
afraid of or worried about standing before a camera, there are always others,
like us, who from behind a camera lens
will be able to speak and reveal the truth
for everyone else. That is what we set as
our goal when we decided to make the
video “El Moro: The Price of Disdain.”

The documentary’s images reveal the
physical environment of El Moro and
the way in which its inhabitants see it.
Yet, behind all that one can also appreciate the social and spiritual fabric of
the place, the human values that have
been deteriorating and are strained by
leaps and bounds due to everyday life’s
difficulties.The testimonies may seem
brief and, in some cases, filled with
fear, something normal when someone
is placed before a camera and knows the
multiple consequences and reprisals that
could result from an expression of criticism. Yet, They all reflect multiple perspectives of a life suffocated by so
much misery for numerous generations.
A young, Afro-descendant man expresses doubt about his future and his
ability to have a family, given the nearly
insurmountable challenges it would
entail. I, who was born, grew up in, and
currently live in the area, have been able
to talk to him about all the burden life
has placed on him, and all the things
that prevent him from planning a coherent, normal family.

As a neighborhood, El Moro came into
existence in the early twentieth century,
in Mantilla, a zone on Havana’s periphery. In just a few years, it became one
of the many areas that housed a majority black and mestizo population. With
the passage of time, it has become a
refuge for families not only from Havana, but also from the rest of the country, mostly Afro-descendants, who lack
shelter due to a shortage of housing.
They are forced to survive in the worst
conditions. The images and testimonies
in this video are of the residents; they
make visible a topic that the entire media apparatus tries to hide.

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