Untitled (from the series January Flowers)

Wilfredo and Zoila, a couple married for more than five decades, lived in Mena, a small rural settlement on the outskirts of Matanzas, under conditions marked by material scarcity and constant physical effort. Their life unfolded in a palm-board house, cooking with charcoal and drawing water from a well, sustained solely by a minimal pension and the solidarity of neighbors and acquaintances.

With no children or close relatives to assist them, they relied on informal support networks in the absence of effective social care. Wilfredo’s illness, diagnosed as advanced liver cancer, further exposed an already fragile situation and revealed the structural limitations faced by many elderly people in rural Cuba. His death left Zoila in an even deeper state of isolation.

This story is not presented as an isolated case, but as a reflection of a broader reality: lives shaped by hard labor, quiet dignity, and a generosity that persists even amid scarcity. January Flowers alludes to what manages to bloom under adverse conditions, and at the same time, to the loss of those fragile fruits within an environment marked by vulnerability and neglect.