While he might look like the average modern hipster, Ché Alejandro actually thinks of himself as a “neo-hippie communist”. In Cuba, there are currently 201 types of private businesses permitted by the government and tattoo shops are not one of them, making Ché’s small parlour in Havana still currently illegal.
Despite constantly dodging government closures of his clandestine shop by paying small bribes “fines” and depending on the outside world for supplies, Ché still has a desire to hold on to the old Cuba and its strong sense of community, where prices stay affordable and his clientele remains intimate.
As an entrepreneur at the forefront of a new generation who’s just starting to use Wifi for the first time in Havana’s history, the skateboarding tattoo artist is taking advantage of the looming transition in Cuba, but you can see he’s also conflicted about an American-style capitalism changing the things he loves most about his island.
Filmmakers Bryan Chang and Alex Mallis meets “the new Ché of Havana”. Personally, I’d like this guy to take me around town…
