First Secretary in charge of cultural affairs of the Cuban Embassy in the United Kingdom, Michel Rodríguez, attended the opening of the Repair is Essential photo exhibition on the repair culture in the Caribbean Island.
The exhibition shows a series of snapshots taken between 2016 and 2019 featuring the ability of Cubans to repair pieces of equipment that would end up in the bin elsewhere in the world, and celebrating the repair culture that has developed in the country. Its author, photographer Mark A. Phillips, focuses on "constructive" stories about people taking action creatively on social problems with an emphasis on the environment and sustainability.
In his multiple trips to Cuba, the artist could appreciate how this trait is manifested in Cuban society and was surprised by the ability of Cubans to improve themselves daily, repair and reuse products and seek solutions to the problems of everyday life. This attitude of Cubans contrasts with the excess of consumerism and planned obsolescence in the rest of the world.
The exhibition addresses the practice, the facilities and, most importantly, the repairers, their customers, their clients and their families.
Cuba has had to survive amid limited access to imported products due to the US blockade. The inventiveness of Cubans has allowed the repair, reuse and repurposing of products and a repair culture has flourished on the island.