Starting in January 2027, I will spend four months in Cuba working on a journalistic documentary exploring the consequences of the 1959 Revolution. My investigation will focus on two questions: how a political upheaval permanently separated thousands of families — including my own — and how Cuba is now experiencing its worst economic and social crisis since the 1990s.

Why does this project matter? Because Cuba is not a relic of the Cold War. It is a laboratory where memory, exile, authoritarianism, economic sanctions, migration, and international rivalries intersect. As relations between Havana and Washington may be approaching a new turning point, understanding Cuba today means understanding issues that extend far beyond the island's borders. It also means understanding the evolving geopolitical attitudes of the United States.

My name is Juliette. I am 24 years old, French-American-Cuban, and training to become a journalist. 

This project is as much an investigation as it is a journey back to my roots.

For at least three months, I will live in Cuba to produce a documentary exploring two deeply intertwined stories: that of the families torn apart by the 1959 Revolution, and that of contemporary Cuba, grappling with an economic and social crisis unprecedented since the 1990s.

I will meet those who stayed, those who dream of leaving, families divided by exile, historians, journalists, artists, and anyone willing to share their story. Through these encounters, I hope to understand how the political decisions of yesterday continue to shape everyday life today.

This journey is deeply personal. It will finally allow me to discover the country my grandparents were forced to leave and to understand the roots of a family history shaped by exile.

But it is also a journalistic commitment.

At a time when newsrooms have fewer and fewer resources to fund long-term reporting, and when we live amid a  constant stream of information, opinions, and misinformation, on-the-ground journalism is more essential than ever — and yet increasingly difficult to sustain.

By supporting this project, you are not simply funding my trip.

You are choosing to support an independent investigation built on time, human connection, and in the field. You are choosing to defend a particular vision of journalism: one that means going outinto the world, listening, verifying, and telling stories.

The goal of this fundraiser is to raise €1,800 to cover part of the costs of transportation, accommodation, food, and travel within Cuba during these four months of reporting.

Part of these funds will also go directly toward supporting the Cubans who will make this work possible. Staying in casas particulares (privately owned guesthouses), hiring independent drivers, eating at privately run restaurants, and paying local fixers are also ways of injecting resources into an economy where earning a living has become a daily struggle for many. I want this project to benefit the people who share their stories just as much as it benefits the documentary itself.

Every contribution, however small, is a way to stand up for independent journalism and help ensure these stories are told.

Because some borders do more than separate countries.

They separate families.

Help me fund this project: https://www.leetchi.com/fr/c/p...