Yara, a fictional Caribbean island that draws its inspiration from Cuba, is the setting for one of the biggest game releases of 2021—Far Cry 6. Helmed by an authoritarian dictatorship that has kept it isolated from the rest of the world for half a century, Yara is “an island that is almost frozen in time,” according to the game’s narrative director, Navid Khavari. In this way, Far Cry 6 offers a typical “tourist’s perception” of Cuba: a nostalgic wonderland where you can experience the past, 1950s cars and all!
This is not surprising, since this same wistful vision of Cuba has endured in the imagination of game developers and many others for decades. But this dangerous misconception ignores the reality of Cuban people in the 21st century.
Indeed, as historian Louis A. Pérez Jr. has argued, “it is not Cuba that is ‘stuck in time’ but rather American knowledge of Cuba that is ‘frozen in a bygone era.’” And this portrayal of a timeless Cuba is a common thread in popular culture circulated worldwide, from The Godfather: Part II to Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
Courtesy of Ubisoft
