Cuban Billboards

One of the many peculiarities of Cuba's urban landscape which strikes the eye is, on the one hand, the nearly total absence of commercial billboards and, on the other, the abundance and variety of propaganda billboards. Though there's no shortage of these in rural towns, cities are doubtless where these signs are in most abundance: posted across avenues, on buildings, at squares and in parks. Generally large, most of these are devoted to political issues (such as the revolution, socialism, the principles which guide the struggle of the Cuban people, the embargo, etc.) and public awareness announcements (the protection of the environment, the saving of energy and non-renewable resources, the education of children and adolescents). Some of these billboards are veritable classics which have been in exhibition for years, while others are more ephemeral announcements which are posted on the occasion of specific campaigns or initiatives, such as elections or national celebrations (May 1st, July 26th) or New Year's. Though there are propaganda departments and offices responsible for the design of these billboards, one may also come across other signs created by university design majors, secondary and post-secondary school staff or local government bodies, as well as less professional productions of diverse authorship. Since the triumph of the revolution in 1959, political billboards have played an important role in the mobilization of the public sphere and many have become emblems of past decades. The unequivocal style of many of these billboards is a mix of Russian socialist realism (with its triumphalist overtones), US 1950s commercial advertisement (with its enthusiastic and simple persuasive statements) and illustrations and characters drawn from Cuba's local and tropical imaginary.