Juana la Cubana | Solo Una Noche

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Preface Bernard Hazell, born in 1956 in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, is the creator of stage and screen personality Juana la Cubana.

One of four children he recalls a happy childhood in Venezuela, but soon realized it was not a country that would ultimately give anyone freedom for their sexual orientation. It was in his 30’s that aer completing theatre and stage lighting studies in New York, he decided to relocate to Trinidad. is was at a time when the Aids crisis was causing havoc in many communities and he found himself shocked and saddened by so many of his friends lost to the disease, especially when so little was known about the virus: ‘the gay cancer’.

One of the reasons to move to Trinidad was also to rediscover his roots, his parents being originally from the Caribbean. Once based there, Bernard co-founded with artist Ricardo Nanton the Immortelle eatre company, working with various upcoming artists and actors.

In the mid nineties, his producer friend Eric Maitrejean was staging a French comedy but was finding it difficult to cast an actor who was willing to play the part of a transvestite. So Bernard jumped at the opportunity to take on this challenge to play the role of Juana la Cubana. Due to this play, Juana became quite a local sensation and her popularity grew.

A local reporter, Nazma Muller, approached Bernard and she decided that Juana la Cubana should be Trinidad's version of what RuPaul had become in the States. Juana soon graced the front cover of the local TV guide magazine, which for a Catholic country was quite a big thing.

Juana became so popular and with the combination of ‘her’ Latin roots and salsa, she got very involved in events such as hen nights and private functions. is became quite a lucrative business and it made money, which theatre really didn’t at the time. As time passed Juana also became quite the feminist. She stood strong for women’s rights in her act, always promoting safe sex and the use of condoms "... because men are like dogs, they will fuck anything!" and protested against domestic abuse with tips on dealing with abusive partners "... just wait till he falls asleep, boil some water and pour it on his cock.

He will never hit you again, or fuck you for that matter, but who needs that?!". ese were major issues in that part of the world at the time. She also worked closely with a few charities supporting this cause.

Bernard became the Artistic Director and co-creator of a ground-breaking cabaret venue, Cafe des Artistes, where every night offered a different branch of the arts: theatre, poetry, open mike nights and cabaret. Hazell spearheaded the first ever Ladies’ Only night on the island. ese evenings had a very decadent tone and involved an array of gorgeous male stripers hosted by the Juana la Cubana. It was the most outrageous thing to happen in Trinidad at the time, thanks to Bernard's theatrical ingenuity and in spite of the island's very religious society, it became very popular and clandestine meeting place, a weekly escape for women.

Bernard also gained much fame by creating the first ever local soap opera for television, and for performing in it, not as Juana, but in the lead baddie male role. Not many people were aware that Juana and Bernard were even linked.

London was the first stop on a scheduled European holiday Bernard went on and he was smitten with the city and what it had to offer. He fell in love with the freedom he found there, so he gave up on the tour and stayed in London for the duration. One day In passing Madame Jojo's, in Soho, he thought of Juana and also thought that perhaps she could again become the breadwinner but this time in a fabulous metropolis. Aer a great audition at this very famous drag cabaret venue, he decided to return to Trinidad to shoot the third and his final series of the soap.

So aer this brief trip back to Trinidad to pack up all his belongings and having learnt drag from the best, the fabulous Kitty Caress, how to dress, how to create the illusion, Bernard returned to London ready for show business.

His friend Mark Davies hired an extravagant gown and bought him a pair of high heels in preparation for the auditions at Madame Jojo's and later on at Heaven Club. Needless to say Juana passed the interviews with great ease and got both jobs! Bernard started a two year stint from 1999 working at Madame Jojo’s as an entertainer, being Juana at night.

Aer a while Bernard found it quite tough, working this character night aer night. Juana was previously a character for stage and Bernard lived a much different life while off stage.

It all came to a point where together with long late nights, booze and drugs readily available, it became a very draining lifestyle to uphold. He became tired of the night aer night stint of hen nights and over excited women saying, “Can I touch your boob?”. He started feeling tired, alone and much older than the other drag queens, but yet wiser.

“ings happen when they happen and it was just time to hang up the heels. ere's no love out there for a drag queen honey, they love to laugh at them, but there's rarely anything substantial. It was time to think about building a future again”.

Luckily at that precise time, Bernard fell in love with a wonderful man, Michael O'Meara.

I met Bernard in 2002 and ever since then Juana has been myth to me, never got to see her and she was alive purely in photos and on a clip of a movie she starred in: Portion of a Lady. is documentary/film opened the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in London in 2001.

So, to my greatest delight, the famous Juana la Cubana agreed to meet me secretly at a central London location on a cold dark winter's evening in 2011. It gives me great pleasure to share my photographs of this encounter and in her own words – her story...

Marcel Baumhauer da Silva HAUS of SILVA

Solo Una Noche Dedicated to my mother

Hola! Good evening, my chi-chis.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Juana la Cubana, which roughly translated from Spanish means: Jane, the Cuban Whore.

But don’t let the name mislead you I’m not Cuban!

I’m actually from Venezuela - Caracas.

Has anyone been out there?… Neither have I. I was just born there but, as soon as I could walk I was out of there…

In my case that took a little while.

I don’t know, I was always comfortable on my hands and knees…

I still am.

The truth is, I have lived most of my life in the Caribbean.

After all, I was Fidel Castro’s mistress.

Yes! I am Cuba’s second revolution, the one the History books don’t tell you about.

You see, when I left Venezuela I went first to Trinidad.

I went there because I wanted a simple life, you know – Sun, Sea, Sand and sssooo much fucking money that I could shit diamonds if I needed them.

But it wasn’t that easy.

I was an outsider, a foreigner, and they wouldn’t give me a chance.

So, I turned to what I do best …

Dance!

I am a trained dancer. Didn’t you notice?

I’m trained in ballet, jazz, tap and lap.

And I’m very good at it.

In fact, I finally became famous for my legwork.

I can get my leg over parts other legs can’t reach.

And that’s when it all happened, my chi-chis.

That’s when the great man himself sent his luxury jet to bring the famous Juana to Cuba.

I remember looking at that plane and knowing that my life was going to change forever…

Actually, it was a banana boat in the harbour.

But, I did have my own cabin and I swear to God by the time I got to Cuba I understood how good a banana is for you.

Almost as good as Fidel‌

Ay Fidel, my Fidelito I laugh like a little girl when I think of him.

Ay Fidel, papi‌

THAT FUCKER!

Evita Peron went down in history…

I just went down – anywhere and everywhere!

Believe me, Monica Lewinsky knows nothing about cigars, unless she’s sucked on a real Cuban.

I tell you, I’ve done from cigarette to peace pipe.

And we could have made it, you know!

I could have loved that man forever‌ but the beard.

The beard!

He kept it for the revolution.

There certainly was a revolution every time he put his face in my crotch.

Trying to get him out of my pubes was like pulling Velcro apart.

Ay no! Too much for a Latin lady!

It was hard to walk away from his love, but I had to leave…

I couldn’t survive one more pull!

Of course he blocked the roads and the airport to keep me.

But I’m not stupid!

Meh get on the first banana boat leaving for England.

I tell you banana is the only way to travel.

The only thing to beat it are the white cliffs of Dover, what a sight!

Well, I didn’t see them really. I was locked in a container with 40 other Cubanos, but everyone says they’re nice.

What I did see was the white side of a police van and an army of sniffer dogs. I couldn’t believe it; I still can’t… a police escort - for me!

I didn’t realise you knew about me all along.

That’s what makes this country great.

You are so polite, the way you lift a lady down by the shoulders; so kind to give me a little cell to freshen up, and lock the door so no one can steal in.

I was in a daze… until this security man used the ‘r’ word.

I was shocked Refugee? Me? I said ‘Darling, other people might refuse but I never do.’

It was hell from then on. Then the questions!

Papers? What papers? Those we had in the boat were 3 weeks old and we didn’t use them for reading.

And the looks he gave me all over my body and it went on for an eternity.

I said to the officer ‘Look, in or out?

What’s it going to be?’

He smiled, a knowing smile.

I’d finally found humanity here in Britain.

He had just one more question.

He looked me up and down and asked ‘Where do you put it?’

I replied, ‘Baby, for 50 pounds and a Visa I’ll put it anywhere you want me to.’

He drove me to the Home Office himself after breakfast the next day.

So now I’m here, in the wonderful city of London.

I managed to get a job in Madame Jojo’s and in Heaven club.

When they were still fabulous places to drag, a different era.

Soon after, I met a wonderful man, that was more than a decade ago now.

He proposed, and made a decent woman out of me!

I then retired from the stage, and together we are raising a child.

It is on special occasions that I venture out onto the stage these days and tonight is one of those momentous evenings: Solo una noche ‌

Juana see me again?

With special thanks to

Christopher Rodriguez for giving Juana her words

www.hausofsilva.com

The End

Photographed, designed & produced by H A U S o f S I LVA C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 1 3 b y H A U S o f S I LVA United Kingdom – All Rights Reserved