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A Nation in Mourning: Images of Cuba After Fidel Castro A Nation in Mourning: Images of Cuba After Fidel Castro
(1 day 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.
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.
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.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.
In death, as in life, Mr. Castro demanded reverence.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.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. The residents rose before dawn and retired after dark, forming surreal lines of order. Their faces were fixed in reverence.
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. In rural Cuba, there was no trace of the cynicism or state pressure that was on display in Havana.
The revolution delivered to the rural poor the benefits of cities, like doctors and teachers. Schoolgirls and weathered farmers shared an unscripted devotion born of admiration for Mr. Castro’s ideals and values, and for the self-respect he gave his people.
On Saturday, in Revolution Plaza in Santiago de Cuba, where his revolution began, the ambience was one of genuine warmth. People were enjoying one another, their friends and families, a human connection that predated the distraction of selfies and social media. A distinctly Cuban togetherness unbroken by technology.
Mr. Castro was buried in the city Sunday morning, the revolutionary interred in the heartland of his revolution. Compatriots from his earliest days hobbled to attend, as did students, soldiers and officials. As the procession finished the final mile from the plaza to the cemetery, a stillness presided over the crowd.
But the refrain of the journey was the same. What had been carried in the chants of Cubans and on their shirts and banners now emerged without a word: Yo Soy Fidel.