The charcoal men of Cuba – a photo essay

Over the years, the traditional way of making charcoal in Cuba has been largely abandoned, but now the government is seeking to bring it back. Photographer Adalberto Roque reports from Matanzas province. Written by Katell Abiven

In a remote swamp in central Cuba, men hew wood and build large pyres that smoulder for days as they keep vigil.

They are the coalmen of Cienaga de Zapata, reviving an old tradition of making charcoal, not in industrial furnaces, but on open-air fires.