• Submitted by: admin
• Editorial Articles
• 07 / 18 / 2007

Frank Larrua, the best tattooist in the Havana suburb of Guanabacoa, is perhaps the «master». Thats the way area people and many of his «pupils» call him. He began this trade through some friends. With them he learned the basics and for some time devoted himself to making tattoos. Currently, he doesnt create them anymore; he prefers to concentrate on painting over other surfaces, which are not precisely the skin, and on developing a creative work that leads him along fascinating and less dangerous paths.

However, the prestige won by this young man of medium height and hasty speech "who entered in the world of tattoos using a needle attached to a tape recorder motor, and later with professional equipment" causes many people to still look for him and speak about his skills, despite his having quit the trade.

«Especially in the summer, many people come, mainly adolescents and youths. At this time of the year it is more difficult to maintain sanitary conditions or the final quality of the tattoo. Still, most people prefer it,» said the renowned ex-tattooist speaking to JR.

In a meeting in his house, which we were led to by his popularity, he recalled the days when people came to see him to have the most varied tattoos created on their shoulders, arms, backs, chests... And he spoke about the importance of sterilizing everything, from the needles to the water for cleaning the designs.

«Meeting the sanitary measures is essential for preventing mild infections and death-threatening diseases, such as the HIV. The materials used need to be disposable and, of course, one needs to use gloves, and it is ideal to wear a surgical mask to prevent the punctures from being infected.

«There arent professional tattooists in Cuba. They have experienced a boom since the 1990s, benefiting from reduced prejudice. India ink is the most used here. It is not the ideal, but it has organic components and the risk is less. Besides, thats the one they can find.

«The price ranges between $5 and $20, depending on the tattooist, the drawings size and the colors. The people who get tattoos the mostly between 15 and 30 years old, » said Frank, who graduated from painting at the San Alejandro School.

A PARADE OF COLORS AND SHAPES

In Regla, we found Felix Solano, considered to be one of Havanas greatest tattooists. «I love painting. One day, it occurred to me to devote myself to tattooing people and Ive been doing that ever since. What I know I learned from friends. The price ranges between $10 and $35 CUC. I have even made up to ten tattoos a day, but always with adults. If someone younger than 18 wants to have one done, he/she has to come with their parents,» he told JR.

Standing a few minutes at any corner of Casablanca (a bayside village across the harbor from Havana proper) one will see a parade of tattoos of different sizes, colors and shapes, and on different parts of the body " all made by Felix.

«I take all the necessary precautions. Things are going bad. There are a bunch of diseases everywhere and I dont want any of my clients to get infected. That way one also gains fame in this world; its worthless to make the best tattoos, if you dont take sanitary measures into account.

«The ink I use is made of vegetable pigment. Beginners usually use India ink, but it can be rejected by some human bodies. Most of the people who come here like tribal designs, on their backs and arms. They also ask me to paint abstract shapes, the name of someone they love, or mythological forms or demons on them. Women prefer to get tattoos on the lower part of their backs, almost on the butt, and on the legs, near the foot,» he said.

There are many «experts» who like Felix have opened their own business in municipalities such as Old Havana, Playa, Cerro and East Havana because tattoos have become a fashion, even in a country like this where there arent professionals authorized to create them.

Motivated by a trend that has won supporters in the Western world, adolescents and young people have the most varied drawings applied on their shoulders, hands, necks and ankles. Some of them do it to be in «fashion» or just to imitate others (models; movie, television and sports stars). Others do it to call other peoples attention or because they think it is an alternative life style, an act of independence and rebelliousness, a symbol of eroticism... Or just, a way to «experience something new».

Mayris selected a small moon to decorate her skin. «I wanted to be on fashion and I decided to go there with my mother. She had one made on her too; in fact, I accompanied her to have a tribal design applied on her to hide the scare left by an operation. We both witnessed the process of needle selection and piercing,» she said.

Alejandro, one of this 17-years-old girls friends, has two lions with intertwined tails on his back. «I know about the risk of having a tattoo performed on your skin, but I dared to do it because I really wanted it. First of all I tried to learn about the sanitary conditions.»

Differently form Mayris, who had her mothers approval, Alejandro and Olivia "a 19 years-old girl who has a rose on one shoulder because «it is in fashion»" didnt get the support of their parents, nor did she tell them beforehand. «They almost suffered a stroke, but as nothing can be done to fix it, they have gotten accustomed to it, » they said.

Ernesto Alejandro (24 years-old) wants to have a peace symbol tattooed on him as soon as possible, as a way to achieve internal harmony. «I will provide the needles myself; besides, I have the support of my family,» he said. And Ivan (15 years-old) is longing to have a Che image on his back, but he hasnt decided himself yet because he knows about the risks of using a poorly sterilized needle.

On the other hand, Maria Carla (17 years-old) has never thought of having a tattoo. «Not even dead!», she said, interpreting the question as an insult. «I think theyre ugly. The people who have tattoos drawn on their skin are not happy with their beauty, and are looking for what they cannot find in themselves.»

Patricia (20 years-old) doesnt want to have one of these engravings on her body either. «People have tattoos performed on their skins because it is in fashion or just because they let others influence them.». And Talia (18) doesnt do it because she thinks that it could become a problem if she wants to take it off one day.

For one reason or the other, the truth is that tattoos have won supporters in modern societies. Even many of the people who show no interest in having them assure that they like them, but they dont dare to have one placed on their skin due to prejudices, because tattoos are still looked down upon in most Cuban homes.

TATTOO STATS

It seemed at first blush that this practice was experienced by the majority of people in Cuba; however, an investigation carried out by the Center of Youth Studies (CESJ) demonstrated that despite its acceptance "mainly by 14-19 year-old adolescents" the number of people getting tattoos has declined.

«This situation is conditioned mainly by the permanent character of the engravings, the risk that these represent to health, and the persistence of prejudices, stigmas and other external factors that limit their use,» explained Aramilka Jimenez, the author of the study that included 494 people between the 14 and 29 living in cities across the country.

The specialist asserts that even though 46.4 percent of those interviewed likes designs on bodies, only 25.9 had any on themselves. But this result could be influenced by the fact that some of the youths who are inclined to this are not allowed to do so, lack the money to pay for the «work», or simply that their pleasure comes from seeing the drawings on other peoples bodies.

«Co-existing social pressures should not be discounted, nor the influence of early tattoo-wearers in Cuba (who were often marginal individuals, prisoners, prostitutes and sailors), which created prejudices and stigmas that persist in society and probably impact some youth by preventing them from becoming tattooed,» noted Aramilka Jimenez.

Males are more likely to get tattooed (71.6 percent of those interviewed). «Villa Clara turned out to be the area where this practice is most liked (58.6 percent), while in Santiago de Cuba there is less of a preference for engravings in the skin (42.2) and a greater rejection of those drawings (56.6).

The investigation evidenced that only 21.4 percent of the people studied in Villa Clara Province wore a tattoo. This was followed by those from Camaguey, those from the capital, and lastly those from the eastern province of Santiago (10.1 percent).

It was also shown that the greater the age, the less the charm for the drawings in the skin, as well as the number of subjects with longings to be tattooed. The inquiry also demonstrated the existence of a basic knowledge of tattoos among Cuban youth.

TATOOING WITH CARE

It is obvious that the person who gets a tattoo runs the risk of getting an infection, because the skin is an organ that has, among its main functions, that of serving as a barrier of defense for our body, and a tattoo is a piercing wound.

«They are made by penetrating the skin with a needle and injecting ink. But not in the epidermis (the upper layer of the skin that we continue producing and which changes throughout all our life) but in the dermis, which is deeper,» explained Dr. Ada Belkis Castile, a general practitioner doctor from the Havana suburb of Regla.

«The pigment that is used acts like a foreign substance to the organism and can produce an allergic type reaction. And if you already suffer from a cutaneous condition, such as eczema, it is possible that breaking out will result. There also exists the possibility of contracting viral infections, such as hepatitis or HIV-AIDS, or severe irritation.»

«The parts of the body of greatest risk are basically the genital and surrounding areas, due to the characteristics of the skin in those places, the proximity to mucous and the possibility of acquiring an infection by contact with body fluids,» the doctor highlighted.

As for the long term dermatological consequences «if a tattoo doesnt heal appropriately, it creates scars, or can cause keloids (excessive growth of scar tissue in the area of the wound). This is not to mention that some people decide later on to remove their tattoo, which leaves a mark,» noted the specialist.

«Many tattoos are made without the minimum antiseptic norms. The utensils used should be totally sterile and this is only achieved with disposable materials "which are often not affordable by those who do this" or through the use of instruments sterilized in hot, high-pressure autoclave devices.

«It is important to make sure that the place selected for such work is sanitary and that all involved have been vaccinated, especially against hepatitis and tetanus. If the individual getting the tattoo has a health problem, like a coronary condition, cutaneous illnesses, allergies, diabetes, or is pregnant, they should ask their family doctor what precautions to take.

In coclusion, we are still left asking whether this is art in the skin that Cuban tattooists are making, or are they simply trying to profit from the drawings? These are questions for which a response is still pending.

Source: By Aracelys Bedevia, Cynthia Alvarez and Claudia Fonseca, Juventud Rebelde