Camera Odyesseys
Travel to the Tobacco Harvest of Cuba
Date: February 1, 2020
When we visit some of our favorite remote places, like Cuba, we’ll be sure to give you a trip with a twist that no ordinary group would offer. For instance in Cuba, we’re not just going to visit magnificent urban and rural areas, we’ll be following the tobacco harvest with some of the most famous growers and cigar makers in the world, across the country, a trip equivalent to being on the ground for the great wine harvests of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
The trip will start in Havana where we will explore the city and it’s people. We will have Carlos Rene Aguilera Tamayo as our guide to take us into the culture and the world of Cuban art.
We will drive to Vinales on the western end of the island. The valleys of Vinales hold the greatest tobacco fields in the world, which will be in full bloom. The farmers have opened their farms to us to photograph and learn about the famous Cuban cigar. The sunrises and sunsets will be taken while looking over the farmland. The artists of the area have invited us into their homes to listen to great music and talk art.
We will also travel to Trinidad to the south. Stopping along the way for a portrait workshop with local farmers.
Over the past six years, Janet Jarman has immersed herself in covering topics related to human rights and healthcare in Mexico. She is currently producing a book and a feature length documentary about this topic with the assistance of a MacArthur Foundation grant.
Through deeply personal stories, “Birth Wars” explores conflicting visions between midwives and medical professionals about how to provide a safe and dignified childbirth experience to women. Many claim that midwives can play a central role in achieving these goals, if only their work could be formally recognized by Mexico’s medical establishment. For the book and film, Jarman follows the experiences of traditional and professional midwives who are trying to make a difference, and of some innovative health officials who are trying to reduce the antagonism between doctors and midwives.
Artist Bio
Janet Jarman is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker. Since 2003, she has been based in Mexico where she focuses on topics such as the country’s ongoing security issues, immigration, access to healthcare, and water resource challenges.
Jarman has worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GEO, Smithsonian Magazine, nationalgeographic.com, Stern, Der Spiegel, amongst others. She has also worked for numerous international foundations and NGOs. Her photographs have been featured at Visa Pour l’Image, Perpignan and have received awards in Pictures of the Year International, American Photography, PDN Photography Annual, POY Latam, Latin American Fotografia, Communication Arts, and Best of Photojournalism.
In addition to working on editorial assignments, Jarman has produced various long-term photo and multimedia projects, including Marisol and the American Dream, a two-decade story that chronicles the life of one Mexican immigrant girl; Aguas Negras, which analyzes Mexico’s many water related challenges; and Chaos and Corruption, which focuses on the burgeoning movements throughout Mexican society to force authorities to become more transparent. Jarman began her career in South Florida after graduating from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked as a staff photographer at The Miami Herald, and later obtained a master’s degree in environmental issues at the University of London.
