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Sven Creutzmann

FineArt
Editorial
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Belview ArtCafé Havana
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Balseros

A last farewell, as another group of some 35.000 balseros leave.

First night of the "balseros" crisis; a French colleague and I were the only ones to witness the events that night.

First night of the "balseros" crisis; a French colleague and I were the only ones to witness the events that night.

First night of the "balseros" crisis; a French colleague and I were the only ones to witness the events that night.

First night of the "balseros" crisis; a French colleague and I were the only ones to witness the events that night.

Getting the raft ready as the sun sets.

Many times I saw men that had come to watch the show suddenly decide to leave the country too.

Another family torn into pieces.

"Balseros", Cuba's boat people crisis. Some 35.000 left Cuba in 1994.

Not a raft, but already a boat. They probably made it to the Florida shores.

A last, fast kiss.

A young priests gives the blessings to two young men ready to leave.

Balseros leaving from Havana's Malecon waterfront.

For many years he has been wanting to try his luck in "America", and now it was time for him to go; our friend Tony waves goodbye.

A last hug before he leaves his wife.

Minutes ago the man with the blue-black T-Shirt had hugged his wife goodbye.

Balseros peparing a raft in the streets of Centro Habana.

The crisis started in Cojima but would soon spread to Old Havana.

Praying and hoping for the best before departure.

First heavy problems shortly after they left.

The most brutal experience was to see how people suffered as they seperated, a theme that i knew very well from East Germany.

Some 35.000 are said to have left the country.

The most sophisticated raft I had seen.

A big raft and lots of provisions, I am sure they made it.

The ones that stayed spent hours just watching their beloved ones fade into the horizon.

The raft they see disappear, will return the next morning.

This raft had left the shore the day before but came back to leave behind the women aboard as they had panicked during heavy weather last night.

She stood there with a note and a photo of her husband watching the raft with her love disappear.

While the rafts from the early days were basically just truck tubes, later there were more sophisticated rafts.

My "Balsero Crisis Lady", a young Cuban woman takes a break as waiting for the tide to be perfect for leaving.

Tha last day of the Balseros crisis. After seeing tens of thousands of refugees arriving at the shores of Florida, the US finally agreed on an immigration treaty with Cuba.