We get many messages to help push out videos, but often from the well-traversed corners: New York City itself, the midwest, Europe, Japan. This was the first edit from Cuba that ever got pitched our way. Much of what we know about the Cuban skate scene comes from American pros visiting the island — some with Cuban backgrounds themselves. There are no skateshops in Cuba, so the hard goods that make it to the island come in the form of donations from those visiting teams.
Toda Fuerza is a company that began in 2016, with products manufactured in the U.S., and a mission to donate one deck to the Cuban skate community for every deck it sells elsewhere. When asked to describe the scene, Steven Andrew Garcia, the brand’s Cuban-American founder, tells us, “Lack of supplies, decaying architecture, electric outages, intense heat, and a strict government still won’t stop Cuban skateboarding.” Despite those odds, the island is clearly developing some incredible talent.
“Cuba’s Finest” is an all-locals edit by Toda Fuerza, filmed last month by videographer Robin Wilson, with 16mm film by Steven Andrew Garcia and help from Havana videographer Alejandro Otero. Features Camilo Fajardo, Candy, Carlito Lopez, Harold Lopez, Abraham Gonzalez, Ale, Abel Batista, Reinier Reyes, and Eliel Rodriguez.