In 2012, shortly after my grandfather Eberhard passed away, my grandmother handed me over an old box of photographs. Hundreds of well-preserved colour positives. My grandmother told me he took them on Cuba in 1962. Never before have I heard the story of him living in Havana for half a year five centuries back. Along with the photographs, my grandmother passed along 15 letters he wrote to her from Cuba. My grandfather was a chemistry professor at Leipzig University, and as it turned out he was the first East German to be sent to Cuba to help develop the chemical branch at Havana University. Back then, going to Cuba from East Germany was a long and unique travel. Consequently he took 251 colour photographs during his stay to tell his family and friends far back home what Cuban life was really like.

CUMAYO - Cuba, mi abuelo & yo

Curious and electrified by the treasure I decided to go to Cuba myself. I knew a few things about the infamous Caribbean island, but wanted to dig deeper into the place my grandfather lived when he was 30, nearly same age I first sat foot on Cuban ground. Ever since my producer Benjamin Kim and I are visiting Cuba regularly for longer term stays to work on a documentary film, book and exhibition for this project.