A mother of two –a ten-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl– Ana Luisa Valenzuela is in charge of the tobacco leaf stringing process in the curing barns of the Tabacos del Sur company, in the San Juan province of southwestern Dominican Republic.*
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She was born in the countryside of La Garita, a sector within the Hato del Padre municipal district near San Juan de la Maguana, where she grew up and later married.
The need for work initially led her to the nation’s capital, Santo Domingo, where she dedicated herself to caring for elderly patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. However, she eventually returned to her family and found employment at a colmado (local grocery store), where she assisted the owner.
It was then that a friend –“the first woman from La Garita to come work in the tobacco fields”– brought her along to see how she liked it. “I left that previous job, and since I liked it here, I stayed.”
Her first contact with the tobacco industry –specifically the pre-industrial stage– was in 2021, during the company’s initial phase. “It has been very good because, for us women, it has been a great example and a significant help.”
And while one might assume these various tasks are a male domain, it is the women who perform them. “This is very good for me, a great experience, because we string the tobacco leaves, which are hung in pairs on cujes (long poles used during drying and curing).” While men also work in the curing barns, they are typically responsible for hauling and hoisting the cujes into the rafters.
As a supervisor, Ana Luisa is responsible for training the women who arrive to work, but she also coordinates the men: “I have had up to 44 women under my charge –as the number varies according to needs– but in general, it is increasing. I have also supervised about 28 men, because there are always fewer of them in the barns (ranchos) and more in the fields.”
“When I arrived, I knew nothing,” she continues. “I have learned quite a bit, but I still have a long way to go… We are working on it. I have dedicated myself mainly to the stringing of the tobacco. I date the batches, because that is what they (the engineers) evaluate: the day it was strung. They know how much time the process takes, whether it’s 20 days or a month, because they know the grade of their tobacco.”
She considers that her life has changed significantly: “When you are caring for the elderly, you almost never rest. There are times when you have to work overtime, and even when you think you’ll be free, it isn’t always possible. Now it is very different because it’s about completing your tasks within set schedules. It is very different…” Regarding her future, she says she loves her work and –with a laugh– sees herself continuing to climb the ranks.
(*) Interview conducted in April 2025.
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