“The Invisible Color” documentary investigates the black Cuban experience in United State and Miami Dade County in particular, since the first wave of political refugees in the 1959 revolutionary aftermath to today, tracks its presence throughout the region, and highlights its contribution to Miami’s civic culture through testimonies and visual documentation.
“The Invisible Color” confronts the lack of a black Cuban presence, particularly in South Florida, which is said to have the largest populations of Cuban immigrants in the United States. Despite the fact that in Cuba, the evidence of African ancestry is undeniable, Cubans of African descent seem to be invisible. In this documentary, director Sergio Giral explores why there seems to be an astounding small percentage of black Cubans even according to the census. It also addresses racism and discrimination, something that is commonly overlooked or blatantly denied exists.
A very important contribution of black Cuban invisibility can be traced to the Cuba exile. The first wave of people who fled in the late ’50s were mostly white, upper-middle-class individuals with better privileges. The blacks that did leave arrived around the civil rights movement and because of racial issues like segregation, black Cubans were integrated into the African American community, thus making the face of the exile appear white.
Race plays a vital role in how Cubans identify themselves, contributing to what appears to be the non-existing black Cuban. Because they define race as color, unlike blacks who connect race with ancestry, if you look white, or is what blacks would call “white passing,” have a fair complexion or are of mixed race, you get categorized as white, completely disregarding the African origin. And because there is a stigma connected with being black such as poverty, many do not classify themselves with the group.
The erasure of black Cuban promotion also exists in the media and this is something I addressed to many while in Cuba recently. Everyone you see in the movies, commercials, and news, resemble Europeans. There is no face of black people, yet spend a day walking around Havana and you will see a huge amount of the population are dark complexion with kinky hair texture and Africanfeatures. You will never see these people in any films, not in Cuba or the United States unless they are the maid or domestic workers. You will never see them in advertisements or in the public eye, creating this false rhetoric that there are no black people in Cuba. Many are shocked when they visit the island and discover what they were conditioned to believe does not match what they see.
Racism still seems to be a quiet issue even though it is real and obvious. In Cuba, there is a constant reminder that there is no racism and because of this, anyone wanting to start an organization that brings awareness and change to the issue is denied on the terms that these organizations aren’t necessary because racism doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, around 90% of inmates are of black ancestry and blacks, in general, do not receive the same benefits and treatment as the whites.
I thought this was an amazing documentary that speaks about the unspoken and uncomfortable but necessary. I loved the personal interviews in the film that presented many views about being black in Cuba and issues on racism and discrimination. Interestingly enough, I’ve been having this exact same conversation with black Latinos including Cubans for many years. Not to my surprise, a great deal denies being discriminated against and sadly deny being of African ancestry. Educational and beautifully done!
“The Invisible Color” recently premiered at the 2019 African Diaspora International Film Festival
