The challenges of travel in Cuba … and writing about it

This account had great potential, Messner (an American) is travelling through Cuba at the dawn of the Obama era, accompanied by a Cuban guide, providing ample opportunity for connecting with locals. Sadly this rich resource remains largely untapped,

Messner clearly tries to balance his passion for Colonial architecture with descriptions of lives and culture of Cuba's people, with the high school book report style providing an unpretentious account of what is seen and experienced. Unfortunately, the result is at times both superficial and lacking awareness of the author’s own cultural lens, with ethnocentric assumptions monitored but still leaking through. This was particularly notable in the guidebook style histories, with repeated reference to European ‘discovery’ of Cuba, lacking even the briefest acknowledgement of impact of colonisation on indigenous inhabitants. A final brief summary attempted to address the Cuban conundrum, but ultimately served best to highlight the importance of editorial guidance when providing historical/political context.

In spite of these limitations, at times, particularly when describing architecture, Messner does manage to capture the uniqueness of Cuba. Accompanied by his many photographs this would no doubt have provided a colourful account. Unfortunately, as an audiobook this dimension is unavailable. If however, there is a photo essay version of Messner’s travels, that would be a book I’d like to see!

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