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A Nation in Mourning: Images of Cuba After Fidel Castro A Nation in Mourning: Images of Cuba After Fidel Castro
(about 3 hours later)
Cuba declared nine days of mourning after Fidel Castro’s death, a period that will culminate in his funeral on Sunday. Photographers for The New York Times crossed the nation to capture the mood of Cubans grappling with life without him.Cuba declared nine days of mourning after Fidel Castro’s death, a period that will culminate in his funeral on Sunday. Photographers for The New York Times crossed the nation to capture the mood of Cubans grappling with life without him.
Havana, by nature, is a noisy place. Honking, chatter and pulsing music are just three strands of the city’s braided soundtrack. But the death of Mr. Castro brought an eerie silence.Havana, by nature, is a noisy place. Honking, chatter and pulsing music are just three strands of the city’s braided soundtrack. But the death of Mr. Castro brought an eerie silence.
The government banned drinking, partying and loud music, leaving the city on mute, bereft of its melody and verve.The government banned drinking, partying and loud music, leaving the city on mute, bereft of its melody and verve.
Mr. Castro’s ashes were taken into the countryside, on a route that retraced, in reverse, the steps of the revolution he led in 1959. Tens of thousands crowded roads and open stretches along the way.
For many Cubans, the death of Mr. Castro felt like that of a father — one with whom they had a complicated relationship. In his nearly 50 years leading the nation, he brought much to Cuba, including free health care and education, but he also oversaw economic deprivation and stifled freedom.For many Cubans, the death of Mr. Castro felt like that of a father — one with whom they had a complicated relationship. In his nearly 50 years leading the nation, he brought much to Cuba, including free health care and education, but he also oversaw economic deprivation and stifled freedom.
Some people hardly mourned at all, yet kept quiet all the same, out of fear, respect or a sense of social obligation. The contradiction of Mr. Castro’s Cuba persisted in his passing. Across the generations, there were tears and genuine sorrow. Others hardly mourned at all, keeping quiet all the same, out of fear, respect or a sense of social obligation.
But along the pockmarked highway to Santiago de Cuba, where Mr. Castro will be buried Sunday and where his revolution began, the clearest impression was borne on the banners and shirts of those paying their respects: Yo soy Fidel. In death, as in life, Mr. Castro demanded reverence.
On Wednesday, Mr. Castro’s ashes were taken into the countryside, on a route that retraced, in reverse, the steps of the revolution he led in 1959. Towns and villages along the route were emptied of residents as caravans of flatbed trucks carted thousands to catch a glimpse of Mr. Castro’s remains.
People, many carrying framed pictures of Mr. Castro, filled the streets. As his remains approached Santiago de Cuba, the crowds grew denser, slowing the cortege as it approached the city.
In Santiago, where Mr. Castro will be buried on Sunday and where his revolution began, the clearest impression was borne on the banners and shirts of those paying their respects: Yo soy Fidel.