Sergio Leyva Seiglie, Motherland (Doco/Photojournalism (2018))
Born in 80’s communist Cuba into an anti-Castro family always contemplating leaving, I grew up feeling rootless. Caught between state indoctrination and family canon, my self-identity was confused. My deepening conviction was that I would find belonging elsewhere. Beyond leaving, initially the ‘outside world’ was cryptic and bewildering, not the panacea painted by many who opposed Castro. But as I embraced my new home I reflected on my older one. My perceptions of Cuba changed through separation and time, giving way to a more nuanced understanding. When I eventually returned to Cuba to visit, familiarity waned into the realization that the place I had left no longer existed. It, and I, had changed. This is a visual journey of my reconciliation with my lost motherland.






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