Los Ultimos Carboneros
The last charcoal burners of Cuba, 2011-2016
(Los ultimos carboneros de Cuba)
Trough this project, I wanted to pay tribute to those manual laborers who are symbols for an endangered profession.
They are probably the last generation of men and women unremittingly performing the same ritual in order to perpetuate this noble ancestral know-how of the slow metamorphosis of wood into charcoal. An extraordinary meeting with humble and pure people, proud of their labor and the superhuman work which they carry out with such amazing dignity.
Many sincere and respectful relationships were forged during these intense moments. They gave me a lot, and I hope, through this work, to sincerely and respectfully thank them. These men and women, with their magnificent spirit, their courage, generosity, and simplicity of life, sometimes appeared to me as living gods, who, with their eyes full of emotions, provide us with a large and beautiful lesson about life which forces us to question...