“When the U.S. left Cuba in the 1960s, it took most of the Cuba’s engineers with it. In their absence, Fidel Castro encouraged citizens to learn how to make their own stuff. So, they did. And, in the 70s, a culture of garage innovation was born from the revolutionaries, scientists, mechanics, and ordinary folk who formed the National Association of Innovators and Rationalizers (ANIR).”
See and read more. Thanks to Edwin Gardner.
On the picture: a home-made electric plug (Cuba), found at Architecture of Necessity.
Update: The book “Con nuestros propios esfuerzos” (“With our own effort”), released in 1991 by Verde Olivo, the publishing house of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, is available as a PDF. This 300-page long compendium describes and illustrates in technical detail a vast array of artificats, recipes, and survival strategies collected from all over the island by local authorities. Read more about it here (starting at page 4). Thanks to Michele.
Related: Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts.
