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The Cuban refugee experience of Guantánamo Ba

18 NOVEMBER 2013 – AURORA DE ARMENDI

Guantanamo Public Memor Project , Projects , Methods

ditor’s Note: This piece continues a series of posts related to the Guantánamo Pulic Memory Project, a collaoration of pulic
history programs across the country to raise awareness of the long history of the US naval ase at Guantánamo ay (GTMO) and
foster dialogue on its future. For an introduction to the series, please see this piece y the Project’s director, Liz Ševčenko.

Rememering, an act of courage.

Speaking and listening, a gesture of empathy.

M understanding of the U naval base at Guantánamo Ba (GTMO) comes primaril from m experiences as a Cuban refugee
between the ears 1994-1995 after the alsero Rafter Crisis but also through m attempt to shed light on the complexit of the
Cuban Diaspora via m project EntreVistas and most recentl b learning and participating in the Guantánamo Public Memor
Project. In 2008, I began interviewing Cuban immigrants mostl living in the United tates from di�erent waves of migration in Cuban
histor: the Earl Exiles of the 1960s, the Mariel Boatlift immigrants of the 1980s and the alseros of 1994.

January 8, 2008 – Caguas, Puerto Rico

I placed a video camera in front of m father, handing him a microphone. “What is our name?” I asked. He looked at me in silence.
At the time he was serving as a volunteer doctor in Puerto Rico. I wanted to ask him about how he felt about his decision to leave
Cuba and the aftermath but ended up surrendering, understanding that he wasn’t read to speak, at least not in front of a video
camera. He went to the balcon to smoke a cigarette.

August 6, 2008 – Hialeah, Florida

It was noon when a friend introduced me to Antonio. Telling him I was also a alsera[1], I asked if we could talk. He welcomed me
onto his large terrace to sit at a table and chairs. I readied m equipment and asked him to introduce himself. “M name is Antonio
Díaz Hernández,” he started and without interruption he spoke for the duration of 31 minutes and four seconds. He told me about his
time in the sea and his experiences as a refugee detained at various camps within GTMO, as well as his life in outh Florida for the
last 14 ears. Antonio �nished his monologue b saing:

“This month, the 30th, I will be 60 ears old and I feel ver aged
because I have made tremendous e�orts to go on but I feel ver happ
about being able to at least do this that I’m doing right now, to talk
freel about m past. Man thanks for giving me this opportunit of
telling ou this tale, one more of those who came in 1994. Thank ou.”

ntreVistas, Antonio Díaz Hernández (Last two frames of his interview), As Antonio said these words he didn’t look at the camera but straight
31min, 4 sec. Photo Credit: Aurora de Armendi into m ees. Then, he smiled, stood up, and left the picture frame. For
how long had he been waiting for this opportunit– for a moment to
share his stor?

Sometime in 2009

While working on the production of EntreVistas, I would visit m parents in Fort Lauderdale. During one of those visits I stopped at
the Universit of Miami, Cuban Heritage Collection to see its archives regarding the Cuban Rafter Crisis and documents pertaining to
Cuban refugees in Guantánamo. Jorge Mulet, a fellow at this institution at the time, handed to me the documents I had requested.

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The were all stored in manila folders with photocopies of newspaper clippings, drawings, and writings from Cuban refugees.

As I was

University of Miami, Cuan Heritage Collection (Drawings & Writings)

University of Miami, Cuan Heritage Collection (Drawing y Johana Photo Credit: Aurora De Armendi
González of a camp at GTMO) Photo credit: Aurora De Armend

photographing some of the documents, Jorge approached me and said that he had a surprise for me. After a few minutes he came
back and handed me two black plastic wristbands.

“Major Paschall observed that man of the refugees had managed to remove the plastic wristband. ome chewed through them, or
cut them o� with homemade knives. Although their records could alwas be found using the Touch print scanner, time and material
were wasted replacing lost wristband[s]. He suggested reinforcing the plastic wristband with metal �laments.”[2]

uddenl, seeing this object – touching it – brought to m memor the

anxiet I had felt ever time that m right wrist had been scanned when
entering or exiting the camps in GTMO, et I still listened to Jorge’s
stor. He spoke about these objects with such care that I could sense
these wristbands had either belonged to him or someone close to him. I
didn’t know how to handle the strange fondness with which I was
relating to these wristbands. How could a device such as an electronic
ID bracelet – the ver emblem of the condition of refuge – spark this
kind of remembrance?

“Among the refugees, reactions were often surprising. Lonel and

David, two English-speaking brothers from Port-au-Prince, said the
The University of Miami, Cuan Heritage Collection (The wristands of actuall liked it. ‘When the put this on me, mahn,’ said Lonel, ‘I knew
Jorge Mulet and a family memer: Deployale Mass Population
Identi�cation and Tracking wristand.)
that the were taking me seriousl, and that something was �nall going
Photo credit: Aurora De Armendi to happen for me.’ David agreed. ‘When I saw m name and picture in
that computer, I knew things were gonna be �ne.’ David also sees the
wristband as a smbol of the refugee’s solidarit in living through a
shared emergenc.”[3]

Jorge said he wore the small wristband on his ankle since he was onl �ve ears old at the time. That’s wh it bears so man
scratches on the top front surface. The night before coming to the United tates, one of the marines let him keep it as a souvenir. He
later donated it to The Cuban Heritage Collection.

Octoer 2, 2012 – New York, NY

I was invited b Liz Ševčenko, director of the Guantánamo Public Memor Project, to speak to her students about the EntreVistas
project in her Topics in Museum tudies class at New York Universit. At the time, her students were selecting the photographs and
writing the text that would best communicate from various perspectives the collective experience of Cuban refugees at the U Naval
Base of Guantánamo Ba. The culmination of this work was going to be exhibited at NYU’s Kimmel Center for Universit Life
Windows Galler along with 11 other exhibition panels, each one focusing on the plural histor of Guantánamo.

The process of working on EntreVistas and the collaborative work conducted b the Guantánamo Public Memor Project engage the

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desire to remember and recollect GTMO’s histor. The material residue of GTMO’s detainees – that is Jorge’s identi�cation
wristband, Johana González’s drawing, or the archives of the Guantánamo Public Memor Project – these are powerful and
necessar tools for educating and generating empath with the general public as we continue these national dialogues surrounding
the U naval base at Guantánamo Ba as a site of detention for some but as a place of work and dwelling for others.

~ Aurora De Armendi is an interdisciplinar artist and teacher. he was born in Havana, Cuba, and received a BFA from The Cooper
Union chool of Art (2005) and an MFA from The Universit of Iowa (2009). Her work has been exhibited at the Old Capitol Museum
in Iowa Cit, The Universit of Iowa Museum of Art, International Print Center of New York, the Bronx Calling: The econd AIM
Biennial, and The Center for Book Arts, among other venues.

[1] alsero/a, term used to describe Cubans who left their countr in homemade rafts during the 1994 exodus. The ones that survived
were rescued and detained in GTMO. There were 33,000 Cubans at GTMO.

[2] Lnne Brakeman, contributing editor, “New DoD sstem tracks refugees: Nav deplos RF/ID-based human tracking sstem to
cope with HaitianCuban Exodus,” Automatic ID News 10, no. 13 (December 1994): 14-17.

[3] Ibid.

HARE THI POT

5 COMMENT

MARTIN
D E C E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 3 AT 1 0 : 5 8 P M

Hello This surel bring back a whole bunch of past memories that somehow still linger to this das. Could ou send me info of this
place where items are shown, or an other memorabilia of those times like picture, refugees art and so
Good reading

R E P LY

AURORA
M A R C H 2 9, 2 0 1 4 AT 8 : 5 7 P M

Hello Martin
Thank ou for our comment and interest on the histor of Gtmo.

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You can visit this site:

Blog.gitmomemor.org and under REOURCE ou ma �nd more information about the collection for this project. You can also check
The Universit of Miami Librar to learn more about the Balsero Crisis and see documents and photographs pertaining to this period.
Florida International Universit holds a small archive as well.
Thanks again,
Aurora

R E P LY

MICHELE COCHRAN
AU G U T 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 AT 1 0 : 1 5 P M

Are ou interested in pictures of the actual camp. I have famil that was picked out of the ocean on a failed trip, in a home make raft
tring to reach Florida The Coast Guard took the survivors to Guantánamo Ba where the were imprisoned for ears.

R E P LY

HEATHER GEHRON-RICE
JA N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 2 1 AT 3 : 3 6 P M

I served on one of the UCG Cutters that was stationed in the Florida traits. I’m working on a project dealing with atonement. Would
ou be willing to be in conversation with me? I would also be interested in pictures from that time.
Ver respectfull – Heather

R E P LY

IDALMI CORDERO
M AY 2 , 2 0 2 1 AT 1 : 3 8 A M

Hello Heather. I was 8 ears old when I was rescued b the UCG on Aug 24th, 1994. On behalf of the man lives ou helped save,
THANK YOU! The moment when we saw one of those majestic UCG cutters next to us is one we shall never forget as it meant
freedom, help, survival and so much more. I lived in Guantanamo from Aug ‘94 – March ‘95 and have man pictures I can share if
ou’d like.

R E P LY

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