Tuesday February 5, 2002, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Old cuban in Oldtimer at Malecon

Everildo sitting in an Oldtimer. Malecon, Centro Habana.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Friday May 15, 1998, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Cuban singer ibrahim Ferrer

The 205 nominees for the prestigious Latin music awards include Cuba-based Ibrahim Ferrer, of Buena Vista Social Club fame. Ibrahim Ferrer, a leading voice with the hugely popular Buena Vista Social Club of vintage Cuban performers, died Saturday, his representative in Cuba said. He was 78.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Friday May 15, 1998, Havana, Cuba

Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer

Ibrahim Ferrer, winner of the Grammy with the Buena Vista album, at the balcony at his home in Old Havana, where cuban producer Juan de Marco Gonzalez picked him up while he was making his living cleaning shoes, to take him to the Egrem recording studio, where they would produce the Buena Vista Social club album together with Ry Cooder. Ferrer, a leading voice with the hugely popular Buena Vista Social Club of vintage Cuban performers, died August 6, 2005. He was 78.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Saturday December 26, 1998, San Juan y Martinez, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

Alejandro Robaina at his farm

Alejandro Robaina, Cuba's most famous Tobacco farmer at his farm.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Saturday December 26, 1998, San Juan y Martinez, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

Alejandro Robaina smokes a cigar

Alejandro Robaina, Cuba`s most famous Tobacco farmer smokes a cigar.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Saturday August 9, 2003, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo in front of building where he was imprisoned

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo in front of the building at the La Cabana fortress where he was imprisoned in the 70's. Menoyo, a rebel leader and Commander in the revolution of Fidel Castro, broke with Castro in the early 60's and left Cuba to live in Miami, where he was a co-founder of Alpha 66. In 1964 he returned to Cuba in a failed armed attempt to overthrow the Castro regime. He spent 22 years in prison and was released to Miami, where he founded the Cambio Cubano movement. Since 1995 he travelled to Cuba to visit family members. This year's trip, he decided to stay in Cuba and fight from the inside for a democratic change.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday April 24, 2003, Gibara, Holguin, Cuba

Cuban repairs Ford truck

Roberto Claro (r) repairs his Ford F-6, 1946, truck in front of his house.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday February 27, 2003, Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rio, Cuba Kuba

Cuban female sugarcane cutter

Yanelis Silva, 20. Machetera, female sugarcane cutter, in the sugarcane fields of the central Halem.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday February 27, 2003, Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rio, Cuba Kuba

Cuban female sugarcane cutter

Maria Antonia Rodriguez, 31, Dialnelys Acosta, 24, Yanelis Silva, 20, Huberlina Acosta, 43, Maria del Carmen Leon, 37, Lourdes Maria Pinonez), 31. Macheteras, female sugarcane cutters, in the sugarcane fields of the central Halem.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday February 27, 2003, Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rio, Cuba Kuba

Cuban female sugarcane cutter

Yanelis Silva, 20, Huberlina Rojas, 43 and Dianelys Acosta, 24. Macheteras, female sugarcane cutters, in the sugarcane fields of the central Halem.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday February 27, 2003, Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rio, Cuba Kuba

Cuban female sugarcane cutters

Dianelys Acosta, 24, Maria del Carmen Leon, 37, Yanelis Silva, 20, Maria Antonia Rodriguez, 31. Macheteras, female sugarcane cutters, in the sugarcane fields of the central Halem.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Wednesday June 3, 1998, Havana, Cuba

Compay Segundo, frontman of the Buena Vista Social Club

Compay Segundo, 90 year old singer and 1998 Grammy award winner with the CD "Buena Vista Social Club", like he likes to see himself: with a Havana Cigar and a young Cuban woman in his bodega bar in the center of Havana. Cuban music legend and the charming frontman for the Buena Vista Social Club group, has died July 14, 2003, at the age of 95.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Sunday March 8, 1998, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer

Cuban Singers Ibrahim Ferrer (left), Manuel "puntillita" Licea (right), Grammy 1998 Winner with The Buena Vista Social Club, and also members of the Afroc Cuban All Stars, sing with Felix Valoy (c), in an Havana barber shop. Ferrer, a leading voice with the hugely popular Buena Vista Social Club of vintage Cuban performers, died August 6, 2005. He was 78.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Friday May 15, 1998, Havanna, Havana, Cuba

Cuban pianist Rubén Gonzalez of the Buena Vista Social Club dies at 84

Ruben Gonzalez, a Cuban pianist and Grammy 1998 winner with the traditional Cuban album "Buena Vista Social Club," plays the piano in his house in Miramar. Mr. Gonzalez died on December 8, 2003 in Havana. He was 84 and had battled bone disease and other ailments. Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, in 1919, Gonzalez studied music and medicine before moving to Havana in 1940. He played with a series of groups including Arsenio Rodriguez and Enrique Jorrin, the father of the cha-cha-cha. In 1997, he joined the Buena Vista Social Club, whose members have becoms ambassadors of Cuban culture. Their album sold four million copies worldwide and took home a Grammy.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Friday May 15, 1998, Havanna, Havana, Cuba

Cuban pianist Rubén Gonzalez of the Buena Vista Social Club dies at 84

Ruben Gonzalez, a Cuban pianist and Grammy 1998 winner with the traditional Cuban album "Buena Vista Social Club," plays the piano in his house in Miramar. Mr. Gonzalez died on December 8, 2003 in Havana. He was 84 and had battled bone disease and other ailments. Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, in 1919, Gonzalez studied music and medicine before moving to Havana in 1940. He played with a series of groups including Arsenio Rodriguez and Enrique Jorrin, the father of the cha-cha-cha. In 1997, he joined the Buena Vista Social Club, whose members have becoms ambassadors of Cuban culture. Their album sold four million copies worldwide and took home a Grammy.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Thursday April 24, 2003, Gibara, Holguin, Cuba

Viva Fidel

Viva Fidel, Long Live Fidel sign at a stairway.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Tuesday February 5, 2002, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Old cuban in Oldtimer at Malecon

Everildo leaning on an Oldtimer. Malecon, Centro Habana.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Havana, Cuba

Oldtimer at Malecon

Oldtimer, Habana Vieja, Old Havana, Malecon.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Monday February 28, 2000, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Compay Segundo, frontman of the Buena Vista Social Club

Compay Segundo, winner of the grammy with the Buena Vista Social Club, smokes a Cuban cigar as arriving in an oldtimer at the inauguration of the Cuban cigar festival Habanos in Havana. Cuban music legend and the charming frontman for the Buena Vista Social Club group, has died July 14, 2003, at the age of 95.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Tuesday February 5, 2002, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Young Cubans jumping in water at Malecon

Young Cubans take a swim at Havanas waterfront Malecon, Centro Habana.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Tuesday February 5, 2002, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Junge Kubaner baden am Malecon

Young cubans take a swim at Havanas waterfront Malecon, Centro Habana.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Monday February 10, 2003, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Traffic at Malecon

Traffic at Malecon.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Sunday October 27, 2002, Australia, Matanzas, Cuba

Fidel Castro refuses umbrella during speech at closed sugarcane factory

Fidel Castro, Cuba's Head of State and Party is refusing an umbrella brought to him by an aide as it starts drizzling. Castro was giving a speech in the sugarcane factory, central azucararo, Australia on occasion of the termination of the repair works of homes, damaged by hurricane Michelle in 2001.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Saturday December 7, 2002, Havana, Cuba

Fidel Castro reacts as playing chess

Cuban President Fidel Castro reacts while playing against Lazaro Castro during a chess tournament at the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana. After decades on the global political chessboard, Cuban President Fidel Castro joined 11,000 other Cubans at the real thing on Saturday, taking part in what Cuban officials billed as the world's largest chess exhibition. In the background, a picture of Che Guevara. Castro was born and raised on his family's sugar plantation. He became a lawyer and devoted himself to helping the poor; he intended to run for a parliamentary seat before Batista overthrew the Cuban government. Castro went to court and challenged Batista with violating the constitution, but when his claim was rejected, he started his own army and went through several attempts to start a revolution before Batista fed the country on New Year's Day 1959. The new government was met initally with popular support, even in the face of numerous US attempts to assassinate Castro and inspire an overthrow. Since then, Castro has made Marxist decisions to nationalize industry, confiscate property not owned by Cubans, and enact policies to benefit peasants and laborers. A large anti-Castro middle class community has since fled to Miami. Castro is the world's longest-serving political leader.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Friday April 29, 2005, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez fight the FTAA

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela and Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, during a meeting of Venezuela and Cuba to fight the FTAA (ALCA). Both Presidents declared the FTAA dead and promoted a Cuban-Venezuelan initiative, the ALBA, the Bolivian Alternative for the Americas.

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela and Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, during a meeting of Venezuela and Cuba to fight the FTAA (ALCA) at Theatre Kalr Marx.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Tuesday May 17, 2005, Havana, Cuba

Fidel Castro leads march against terrorism

Posada Carriles is seeking political asylum in the USA. The march passed in front of the US Interest Section in Havana. Castro, recovering from a several times broken knee, walked more than half a mile.

Fidel Castro, Cuban President, leads a march of more than a million Cubans against terrorism, demanding the arrest of Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile and former CIA collaborator who is linked to several terrorist attacks against Cuba, like the 1976 bombing of a Cuban civilian aircraft.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Sunday April 17, 2005, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Fidel Castro casts his vote in Havana

Cuban President Fidel Castro talks to the foreign press after casting his vote in local elections in the Vedado district of Havana.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Monday February 24, 2003, varadero, matanzas, cuba

sven creutzmann selbstportrait im spiegel, hotel lti varadero beach resort

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Saturday August 9, 2003, Havana, Havana, Cuba

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo in front of building where he was imprisoned

Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo in front of the Havana skyline at the La Cabana fortress where he was imprisoned in the 70's. Menoyo, a rebel leader and Commander in the revolution of Fidel Castro, broke with Castro in the early 60's and left Cuba to live in Miami, where he was a co-founder of Alpha 66. In 1964 he returned to Cuba in a failed armed attempt to overthrow the Castro regime. He spent 22 years in prison and was released to Miami, where he founded the Cambio Cubano movement. Since 1995 he has travelled to Cuba to visit family members. This year's trip, he decided to stay in Cuba and fight from the inside for a democratic change.

Credit: Sven Creutzmann / Polaris

Sven Creutzmann

Sven Creutzmann, born 1962 in Germany, resides permanently in Havana, Cuba, since 1993.

Education in both editorial and advertising photography. Sven was covering seven years national and international assignments for the british news agency REUTERS and was pool photographer at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

He is now a reportage photographer and his photography is published in all major German publications like STERN, SPIEGEL and magazines all over Europe, and, among others, in the NEW YORK TIMES, BUSINESS WEEK, NEWSWEEK. He has also published a book on Cuba.

Sven's work includes features on all aspects of Cuban life, extensive archives on Castro as well as on all tourist spots on the island. He has travelled throughout Latin America to cover issues ranging from Presidential portrait of Chavez in Venezuela, Lapislazuli mining in the Chilenean Andes, Favelas in Rio de Janeiro to American's handover of the Panama Canal. Sven is the only german photographer permanently accreditated in Cuba and Polaris member since 2002.

Personal web site of Sven Creutzmann