La Politi K: Area for self-employed workers

Raquel Revuelta Cultural Complex.
Havana, Cuba, October, 2012.

During 2011 and 2012 I worked as an assistant in a hairdresser’s shop of a friend who was part of that group called «self-employed» (private business). During those years I spoke and wrote little theater, but I learned a lot about haircuts, hair coloring and keratin.

With the arrival of the new century, the possibility of creating small businesses in Cuba became a reality. This was assumed as a first step towards a future economic opening that would bring to society not only a higher monetary remuneration, but also new motivations and interests in relation to the symbolic value of work.

La Politi K: Area for self-employed workers, performance that was born from the project La Política. Five theatrical documents, we intervened a non-theatrical space to turn it into a «beauty salon» where a new type of hair dye was promoted.

Under the slogan: «Change so that everything stays the same», POLI hair dyes were made available to spectators and volunteers, while the advantages of this new product were promoted.

CREDITS

Performers
Yordanka Airosa
Jarlys Rafael Ramírez
Michel Batista
Alessandra Santiesteban

Texts/direction
Alessandra Santiesteban

Production
Dianelis Diéguez La O

Graphic design
Idania del Río

Photographic Documentation
Amaya Oria

Collaboration
Raquel Revuelta Cultural Complex, Havana, Cuba
National Council of Performing Arts, Cuba

Funding
Office of Goethe Institute, Havana, Cuba
Call for proposals to support cultural projects, Germany Embassy in Cuba