Cigar Factory Reader a singular occupation that endures in Cuba скачать в хорошем качестве

Cigar Factory Reader a singular occupation that endures in Cuba

Cigar factory readers are practitioners of a unique age-old occupation that has been kept alive by Cuba’s modern-day cigar industry. Readers are men and women who three times a day present a welcome break for the workers who hand roll Cuba’s famed cigars, by reading from a variety of sources, including the day’s paper and works of literature. “The workers -- apart from the fact that it’s very monotonous work, manual work -- can use this time to listen, to learn about many diverse topics, culture, education, politics. In other words, they can raise their level of knowledge,” says Grisell Valdes, a cigar factory reader. Her audience is composed of the men and women who expertly hand roll cigars. “I feel that I’m useful, I can contribute to everyone’s education. It’s a job that doesn’t remain within the four walls of the factory. It’s a job that goes beyond the company gates. The neighbors and the workers’ children hear about it, because the workers discuss things with their families,” says Grisell. By tapping on their desks with a tobacco knife, the cigar rollers signal whether they are enjoying the selected readings or not. “The reader informs us above all about what’s going on in the world and brings us up to date, basically on international events, culture, and social problems such as the global crisis,” says cigar maker Francisco Franco. Today in Cuba there are 300 cigar factory readers, all of them state workers who must first pass a 30-day trial period and win over a demanding public. The unique occupation got its start in Cuba in December 1865, when a wealthy factory owner, Nicolas de Azcarate, proposed distracting workers during the tedious and endless task of hand rolling cigars, and in the process raising their awareness of progressive reforms and ideas. In 2009, Cuba proposed that the occupation be declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).