Between Faith and Nation

Suspended between the intimate and the public, the image reflects on belonging, transformation, and the enduring presence of ancestral beliefs in contemporary Cuban life.

On a street in Cuba, a woman dressed entirely in white walks past a Cuban flag painted on a wall. She is an iyabó, a devotee who has recently completed the initiation ceremony of the Afro-Cuban religion known as Santería. During this period of spiritual transformation, white symbolizes purity, protection, and rebirth.

Beyond its documentary value, the photograph explores the relationship between personal faith and national identity. The silent figure moving before the colors of the flag creates a dialogue between individual experience and collective memory, between a spiritual tradition rooted in Africa and a nation shaped by cultural blending.

Yander Zamora, 2019
Fine Art Photography
47.2 W x 36.8 H in
Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Numbered and signed by the artist
Certificate of Authenticity included