Abstract
Imaginings and representations of Guantánamo, Cuba, are divided. Serene mountain regions line the eastern coast of Guantánamo province, while Guantánamo City bustles with cars, storefronts, and children in red uniforms. The U.S. naval base looms in the distance: it carries the same name but is a world away and far from national and provincial guantanamero identities. This chapter focuses on the land and local culture of the province. It examines relationships of inside–outside, us–them, and past–future to consider what Guantánamo the homeland and Guantánamo the base mean for Cubans. Exploring the narrative visions and imaginings of artists and culture-keepers, it shows how the turbulent image of ‘Guantánamo’ is transformed in cultural memory on the island and elsewhere.
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Frederik, L. (2017). Poetic Imaginings of the Real Guantánamo (No, Not the Base). In: Walicek, D.E., Adams, J. (eds) Guantánamo and American Empire. New Caribbean Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62268-2_10
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