Between the pristine windswept beaches surrounding this tropical paradise, it is evident the golden age has slid into oblivion. What was once the new kid on the Soviet bloc, protected by its powerful Russian big brother, is orphaned into a world with few friendships. The never-ending revolutionary rhetoric spearheaded by the bearded, eloquent, Cohiba-smoking Father of the people has lost its momentum. It has been sidelined like a long-time cigarette-smoking track star. The cancerous lungs are shot. The political elite remains but the socialist propaganda machine has faded much like roadway signs that once enamoured the islanders. Yes, there are co-called allies to the cause, such as Venezuela’s self-dubbed new Castro, but this South American puppy love does not compare to the intense love affair with the USSR. The name is Russia now and she kicked her Latin lover to the curb, leaving him only with the sickle and hammer as a memento. Love does not pay the bills in the capitalist system. Uncle Sam has tumbled into a state of amnesia, forgetting the existence of the Helms-Burton law due to his ailment. More pressing matters dominate his agenda in DC and, occasionally, minimal humanitarian aid is allowed to slip past the Keys toward the banana shaped island it once exploited.
Cuba has had to assert itself and find a new place in the global community while its bureaucracy struggles to maintain any sort of legitimacy. There appears to be a certain shyness to rejoin the rest of the international club, turning down oblique offers to return to the OAS. It is difficult to imagine that the present state of the island was what Fidel and his Barbudos risked their lives to achieve. Would Che Guevara continue to support the Revolution, were he still among us? The Cuban compañeros are cut off from the outside, totally disconnected from easy Internet access, inexpensive cell phone services and virtually any other means of communication the rest of the planet takes for granted. The young are still encouraged to attend school and go to university where all the bills are taken care of by the state. The problem is that they face prospects similar to the rest of the world’s youth upon completion. The employment market is extremely competitive, and no matter what, they must struggle to put food on the table. People are starving for change. You must be in the top echelons of the political hierarchy, or the next step down, the tourism industry or biomedicine field in order to enjoy a decent standard of living. I am certain the fathers of the revolution never dreamed of welcoming with open arms, legions of international tourists coming to sample their rum, smoke their fine cigars and throw out left over food others are not aloud to eat or have never had a chance to try.
What is most outstanding is the resiliency of the Cubans who carry on regardless of their government’s inability to provide. The worker’s tropical paradise – if it ever existed – left like a thief in the night leaving no trace behind. It packed its bags and moved to Miami, favouring Elvis rather than the Russian Red Army choir. The following three subsections are based on three special people from different backgrounds I met while exploring Cuba. Consider it a type of spotlight of a behind the scenes in the ongoing Revolution. To protect the identity of these contributors – it continues to be a totalitarian state, so I do not wish to see these kind souls disappear off the map into another dimension – the names used are fictional. You will notice that each of these individuals earn a living in very different ways, breaking away from the classical sense of equality established in communist states. It’s the law of the jungle out there and, on average, people earn about 20 CUCs (about $20 US Dollars) a month. Whatever I can say about each of these great individuals will only scratch the surface. They are the voices of Cuba.
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| A classic Cuban taxi |
José – The Old Guard
José spends his day driving tourists in his classic yank tank. These antique American gas-guzzlers are a true national treasure and it is illegal for anyone to export these. He is not an ordinary cab driver. He holds a PhD from a prestigious university but resigned from his stable teaching job during the Special Period, opting for a private tour gig - when the iron curtain fell, Cuba descended into the Stone Age, leaving people without power, food, transportation, building material, etc. He now drives foreigners anywhere they want to go and is licensed to do so by the government. The bureaucracy takes its own generous cut of the profits so, as for any service in the country, tips go a long way. He does in fact make a decent living in comparison to most of his compatriots. Some of the cheaper day trips he can take you on start at 130 CUCs. You will soon realize the price is more than appropriate for a quasi-private and personalized tour. He is knowledgeable about his country and enjoys taking time to explain everything properly to his clients.
You will get a chance to see behind a somewhat tough exterior and realize he is a proud and dedicated professional. He provides for his family: a loving wife who, unlike many of her female peers, has the luxury of being a homemaker, a daughter who works in fashion and their adorable first grandchild. He is extremely disciplined and regardless of his workload, sets some time aside to workout at a private gym, which he can easily afford. He eats three healthy meals a day. He enjoys drinking responsibly and is always concerned about being in shape and smoke-free. On our day together he mentioned: “The only thing Cubans care about is food on the table and health for their families.” It was a privilege to travel with him an entire day. We began talking about the outside world and, for a person who had little contact outside Cuba, he knew his stuff about the state of world affairs. After he shared some opinions as we travelled along the open road, I carefully gauged, through carefully-posed questions, his overall state of well-being on the island, to which he replied: “Nothing is going to get me to leave my country. This place is not only my home, it’s in my blood.” He said this with the utmost conviction.
After spending the entire day with this fine Cuban gentleman, I admired him for his accomplishments. Nothing was handed out to him. He lives in a tough place and has achieved a quality of life many of his countrymen dream of. As men, we all hope to be the primary breadwinner, something that is genetically coded in all males, and provide the best possible life for our family. It was evident that his journey out of the special period has been fruitful. Should he have continued working as a professor, he may not have been able to live the Cuban dream: provide food for the table and have a healthy family. Due to his magnificent tourist service and the pleasure of his company, I gave him a tip as appreciation that he gratefully accepted. I reached in to my shoulder bag, giving him a few beauty accessories for his wife and daughter and a Canadian maple leaf pin, which he received with great enthusiasm. He had a tear in his eye as a consequence of this gesture in friendship, which led him to reciprocate with a farewell hug. He wished me all the best and added he would be happy to take me anywhere else in the future as it had been a pleasure to meet an open-minded and friendly foreigner.
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| The women of the Cuban Revolution |
Maria – The Forgotten Revolutionary
Maria is an honest, hard-working woman. Her husband left her years ago to fend for herself and her young child who is still in elementary school. She knows she will never be in line for a promotion anytime soon as she works under a temporary contract. Her employer may choose at anytime not to renew her contract. She cleans after tourists who come to her place of work - a hotel that caters to everything the Revolution taught her to reject - to get drunk partying, make a mess, and complain about every single aspect of the resort. I can only imagine what she has to tolerate on a daily basis without the right to complain. She does her job with minimal fuss, putting up with the whims of the administration fat cats who earn something she envisions as a fortune. She swallows her pride. Her 6 days a week – with no vacation – start with an hour-long bus ride, subject to multiple break downs, and she gets dropped off with the rest of the staff at a rear entrance where guests do not see her arrive. Before coming in, every millimetre of her purse is searched for possible contraband at a routine checkpoint. Anything not work related is confiscated and she is guaranteed she will never see it again. At the end of the day, a similar routine is conducted on her way out and, if she takes anything from the establishment including any possible gift, she will be dismissed.
Since she is part of the staff, she is not permitted to enjoy any of the food served in the all-you-can-eat buffets. However, she is required to be there to clean up after the tourists where she can easily see what is on the menu. With her salary, she can barely afford groceries for herself, let alone her child. She knows the meaning of rationing. She defines it daily. She will overhear many of the international guests criticizing the quality of the food yet she can only dream about what each dish tastes like. Imagination is everything to her. The doors of the dinning room shut, notifying the tourists that the restaurant is closed until the next meal. She continues to work inside with other members of the cleaning staff, packing the leftovers to toss away in the dumpster. They are all following orders from the hotel establishment. These executives prefer that the food go to waste in a rotting pile of garbage instead of allowing the Cuban workers to take leftovers home to feed their needy families. If any of them is naughty enough to attempt to smuggle some out and gets caught, they are let go without pay and the police called to take them to prison, charged with theft. She explained her feelings in regards to this matter as such: “To let the Cuban workers starve by throwing out perfectly good food, is counter-revolutionary.”
She keeps her mouth shut, as she knows it would be impossible for her to find a job once she is fired. The Cuban state is the one who pays her, not the hotel. If she is at odds with her own government, her and her son will starve. She becomes unemployable. She owes it to her family, she says. She sees her child grow up with no chance to be spoiled and the child in turn is significantly aware of her mother’s efforts. If her mother says no, the child looks down in acknowledgement. Maria knows that the child’s innocence has been robbed, but she wants to be a good example to her kid. She knows that some days there will be food on the table and on others they have to make do. She cannot regularly afford basic cooking ingredients although she loves to cook. She remembers there was a time when there was sufficient food, a time when it was legal for Cubans to eat beef, and now, she is forced to use her imagination to create substitutes. She dreams of having her own restaurant. However she is will never generate enough savings to purchase a permit from the state. Her revolution ended a long time ago.
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| Elián González, proud supporter of the regime |
Omar – The New Generation
Omar represents the younger Cuban generation – those who have never witnessed the glory days. He knows what it’s like to grow up with nothing. He makes a living as part of the entertainment staff in a resort hotel, responsible for organizing shows and activities to ensure visitors are happy. His workdays run usually up to 14 hours a day or more. Like Maria, he is at the grind 6 days a week and has no right to vacation. He is expected to have a permanent smile on his face throughout his entire shift and run the same routine chores every single day under the blazing sun. Same dance routine, same sports games, same kids’ shows, etc. If the sand is hot enough to melt his feet, he must still stand in it with a smile and proceed with the established agenda. His employers consider him and his peers to be the face of the hotel, hoping their involvement guarantees return visitors every season. It is a competitive market out there for hotels and their employees. It is the most valuable component of the national economy, far surpassing what sugar used to rack in. However, his salary is barely sufficient for him to survive.
He is a normal young adult. He yearns to see the world but he is not allowed to travel. His only way to get out is to follow the balserosor get married to a foreigner. Both options are highly unlikely. The danger of floating towards Florida has brought a high death toll and as far as getting married goes, he needs to get that special someone in 7 days or less – the average stay of a tourist in most resorts on the island. His understanding of other countries comes through the Latin American Film Festival in Havana – an event he never misses - controlled news broadcasts he barely has time to watch, and stories from guests he manages to befriend. Given the chance, he will tell you that he wants to leave. “Every young person wants more. We all want to leave.” There is nothing this land has to offer his generation anymore. He has no future or any intention of working for the Communist Party of Cuba. He avoids talking politics with his neighbourhood committee. When I asked him how he sees the political future of his country now that Fidel has stepped down he says: “That old man is still alive. His brother is from the same stalk so who knows how long he will live. We are stuck with these guys for the long haul.” I asked him if he foresees any opposition grassroots movement or mass protests like the Arab Spring to which he responds: “No one is willing to put their foot down. Maybe no one else steps forward and no one is willing to go on with a foot chopped off.” Treason is not tolerated.
Many would say that it sounds like a dream to work on the beach. Usually these people have only sat to sunbathe or swim in the ocean at their own leisure. However, all eyes are on him and his mates. There are cameras installed in various checkpoints throughout the hotel, both to ensure that neither tourists nor staff members get out of hand, although foreigners have slightly more leeway. The administration does not want guests polluting the minds of the worker. Should any of the visitors complain about his or his fellow staff member’s behaviour, they can be terminated on the spot. No questions asked. They have no chance to defend themselves. All employees in each hotel perform their duties in individual groups and look after each other as such. In a way, each and every group resents the entertainment staff because they have more of a chance for rapport-building with tourists, therefore, they are able to obtain more benefits through tips, gifts and even drinks or food as long as these are consumed on hotel property. They better not get caught on candid camera. Aside from an already heavy workload, he must watch his back constantly.
When In Cuba
Cuban people are some of the more hospitable I have ever met in my travels. Regardless of the weight on their backs, they carry themselves with pride and dignity, and maintain a jovial attitude. They leverage their energy from humour. When travelling there, it will be impossible to overlook this and, ultimately, to admire their spirit. You may even be found guilty of occasional salsa dancing. Keep in mind, especially in Havana, that strangers come up to you asking for things ranging from the favourite baseball cap you are currently wearing, to dirty clothes packed away in your suitcase. Even a small donation can go a long way. What may seem to you like nothing could make a big difference to people in desperate need. Pretty much any goods you take for granted in your daily life are unavailable or unaffordable there. When I left Canada, my suitcase was about 19 kg and upon my return, I was down to 14 kg. You soon realize that your material possessions are much less important than you initially thought and, although most of the world’s population is being squeezed, Canadians have a much more enjoyable and comfortable existence on this planet. After all, you were able to afford this trip.
When you board a plane leaving your country of origin, you immediately become an Ambassador. Remember this. This is the case whether you are going on vacation, foreign assignment or posting. The good or poor behaviour you decide to exhibit – even if this is your natural pattern - will reflect on your national flag. If you are expecting others to understand you, to behave like you and for things to be like back home, save your money. Stay home. Otherwise, dedicate some time to read a comprehensive book or watch a documentary about where you are going in order to have an idea about the people, culture and events that have shaped their lives. If you cannot do this, at least tune that mind, that powerful motor for building your own prejudices, and accept that things will be different. You may be surprised. When we travel, it should be for the cultural experience, even if all you are planning on doing is sunbathing and surfing the waves. You have to be aware of rules and values, or else not only will you give your compatriots a terrible reputation, but you could also offend the local population that is your host. You could also end up in jail if you are too careless. Don’t be an unwelcome guest. If you open yourself up to these experiences, you will benefit greatly from these unique opportunities, make new friends and add much cultural value to your own existence.
The political panorama of this island is changing extremely slowly. Most foresee Raul Castro hanging on as long as he possibly can, like his brother. His party knows any wide-scale reforms could cause the country to descend into chaos. However, during this new phase of the Castro reign, the regime has adopted a more progressive stance, gradually liberalizing the running of the economy. Many believe that Raul is adopting the Vietnamese or Chinese approach to building a “new communism” which allows a freer market economy, but few political freedoms – if that can still be defined as communism. There are more incentives and government initiatives than in the past. Foreigners are even allowed to purchase land and enter joint ventures, as long as the Cuban government can have a hand in one of the pockets. Small changes can continue to be expected but the odds are, we will not see a Cuban Spring or something similar to the Soviet transition to a questionable democratic federalism. The Bolivarian oil tycoon has not shown any sign of a cooling his ardour to maintain a special relationship with Cuba, which will continue to guarantee a steady supply of petroleum to the island and well trained Cuban doctors for Venezuela.
At least, Cubans are still able to bank on a good education system and free healthcare, something most Latin Americans struggle to access. The government’s approach to allow gradual economic opening, but restricted political freedoms, is also likely to be supported by the majority of Cubans. They don’t wish to see living conditions deteriorate any further – and widespread civil unrest or disobedience could have this effect - but have few alternative, viable political options available to them, and a strong state security apparatus to contend with, should they protest.
Photo credits:
Large Cuban Flag - National Geographic Travel Photos
Cuban Old Taxi Car - policymic
Women of the Cuban Revolution - The Spread of Dreams
Elian Gonzalez - The Guardian.uk
Cuban Propaganda: Government Dirt
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