A tale of two Guantanamos

A tale of two Guantanamos

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On the eastern edge of Cuba, lies the tale of two cities, Guantanamo the city and Guantanamo the U.S. naval base. Both are testament to the gulf between the two countries and their cultures.

On the base, the uniforms are camouflage. In the city, they are for school or sports. Magazines and books fill the spare time of those at the base, while in the city, cafes, parades and dominoes play that role.

. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
An unidentified detainee walks along a cellblock of a prison at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

The base is more than a century old, but the Cuban government that came to power with the 1959 revolution has considered it illegal under international law. The U.S. decision in 2002 to send foreign terrorism suspects to a newly constructed detention camp on the base heightened tensions.

. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A woman rides a train in the city of Guantanamo (top) and an exit door where released detainees are turned over to the countries that have agreed to accept them at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base.

Now U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered this week that the center remain open after his predecessor, Barack Obama, unsuccessfully attempted to close the widely condemned prison. Its inmate population stands at 41.

Just 18 miles (29 km) apart, the base on the bay with 5,500 personnel and the inland city of 217,000 people do not mix. Their radio stations chronicle their separate and distinct lives.

. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A boy walks along train rails in the outskirts of the city of Guantanamo (top) and a road near a prison at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

Radio Reloj, a Cuban government-run station, promotes the culture of Cuba under the island's communist leadership. It extols the virtues of a 20-year-old swimmer who qualifies for the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest as well as the booming potato exports to Latin America. The sound of a ticking clock - a "reloj" in Spanish - hums beneath the announcements.

. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A boy runs with a ball during a soccer game in the city of Guantanamo (top) and soccer balls inside a cellblock at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

At the U.S. naval base, however, Radio Gitmo caters to an expat community, offering tips on the optimal amount of alcohol to consume after dinner and warning of the negative effects of feeding the bay's iguana population.

. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A sugar cane field near the city of Guantanamo (top) and a buoy near the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

The two Guantanamos capture the stark contrasts of the neighbouring populations with hardly any communication between them. Still, small strands of similarity could be found. At the base, a U.S. soldier patrols the area, while a portrait of Cuban revolutionary hero Che Guevara adorns a wall in the city.

. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria
Local residents play dominoes outside their homes in the city of Guantanamo (top) and a sample cell is displayed within Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Camp VI at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

An austere, windowless cell for detainees contrasts with locals playing dominoes outside their homes at dusk. A lone prisoner walks along a dark cellblock, while a group of passengers ride the local bus.

Guantanamo is a stark mix of military order or spontaneous joy, bunkers or bright blue doors, Caribbean sea or sugar cane fields.

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Slideshow

Images of late Cuban revolutionary heroes Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos hang on a wall of a school in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Images of late Cuban revolutionary heroes Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos hang on a wall of a school in the city of Guantanamo.

An unidentified member of the U.S. Army walks by an empty prison camp at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

An unidentified member of the U.S. Army walks by an empty prison camp at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

A house door in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A house door in the city of Guantanamo.

An entrance to a bunker at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

An entrance to a bunker at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

Empty tables and chairs inside a children's play area in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Empty tables and chairs inside a children's play area in the city of Guantanamo.

Public telephones outside a shopping mall at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Public telephones outside a shopping mall at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

A girl takes a break during a soccer game under heavy rain in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A girl takes a break during a soccer game under heavy rain in the city of Guantanamo.

A member of the U.S. Army stands by an empty cell inside a prison at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A member of the U.S. Army stands by an empty cell inside a prison at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

Globes and books inside a local school in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Globes and books inside a local school in the city of Guantanamo.

Clocks showing time in different capitals of the world hang at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Clocks showing time in different capitals of the world hang at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

A house window in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo Town, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A house window in the city of Guantanamo.

A fence at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A fence at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

A man sits outside a house waiting to join a parade during a local holiday in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A man sits outside a house waiting to join a parade during a local holiday in the city of Guantanamo.

Magazines at a coffee shop at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Magazines at a coffee shop at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.

Local residents wait in line to buy bread in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Local residents wait in line to buy bread in the city of Guantanamo.

A table at a restaurant used by U.S. military personnel at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A table at a restaurant used by U.S. military personnel at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base.

Food is displayed on shelves at a market in the city of Guantanamo.
. Guantanamo, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Food is displayed on shelves at a market in the city of Guantanamo.

Books inside a sample cell displayed within Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Camp VI at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.
. Guantanamo Bay, CUBA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Books inside a sample cell displayed within Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Camp VI at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay.