What does the future hold for Cuba? The last two years have been a pivotal point in history for Cuba; President Obama has visited the country, the United States has decided to re-open the embassy in Havana after more than 54 years, and noises have been made about easing the long-standing trade embargo between the two countries. What’s more, slowly but surely the doors of Cuba are being opened to American tourists who now can fly straight to the island from American soil, with the weekly flight count predicted to reach more than 300 in the next few months. This is the work of Obama and Raul Castro, the latter of which maintains that The Revolution will hold firm.
Despite being retired, Fidel Castro has been notably vitriolic on the subject through an open letter published in the Cuban press:
“We don’t need the empire to give us any presents… No one should be under the illusion that the people of this noble and selfless country will renounce its glory and its rights, and the spiritual wealth that is has gained with the development of education, science and culture… We are capable of producing the food and material wealth that we need with the work and intelligence of our people.”
So, has Cuba really changed in the last year or so, or was it just the usual empty political demagogy? Here are our thoughts on the Cuban situation at present.
It is easy to fall into the trap of idealising or romanticising Cuba as it is the martyred country who is the David to the United States’ Goliath. Cuba is the one that the US couldn’t dominate and The Revolution of 1959 is now more than 60 years old. For better or for worse the island has managed to survive despite total opposition and almost six decades of a long and harsh trade embargo ruthlessly imposed by its titan neighbour.
The Revolution freed the people of Cuba from a brutal dictatorship and from economic exploitation by the US, and has brought many triumphs to Cuba including almost complete literacy, universal free education and healthcare and a more equitable system of wealth distribution. But now, more than ever with the advent of freer travel and relations with the US, and an aging leadership, the regime is under scrutiny.
With better Spanish that the first time that we visited in 2013, we tried to understand how ordinary Cubans felt about the future. All of the opinion and information that we gathered was freely given and resulted from informal conversations. If you ever visit Cuba you will certainly find that Cubans are warm and welcoming, and generally happy to talk about life in Cuba. And we loved to listen to their points of view!
Tourism
Tourism in Cuba has changed for the better. During the 1990s a hefty portion of visitors to the country were sex tourists from Spain and Italy, looking for dalliances with prostitutes. There has been a government-led shift away from this type of tourism to visitors (couples, families, young people) more interested in the culture, history and people of the nation. Cubans conceded that the government does a very good job at keeping the streets safe (in general), which means that tourists experience very few problems especially compared to other Caribbean countries. They also noted that Cuba does not suffer from problems that are prevalent in other countries like the current issues with terrorism in Europe and gang violence in Mexico or Central America.
At the time of writing (soon to change), there are very few American tourists because the embargo still stands and freedom of travel is not as free as it appeared to be when relations with the US started up again. Instead, Cuba is experiencing (or suffering from!) a massive influx of Europeans, like us, keen to see Cuba before all the Americans arrive!
Cubans welcome tourism and seem genuinely pleased to converse with you, not just as a chance to share their country and culture with the world but because our tourist dollars bring fluidity into the economy. Those who work in tourism are doing very well and are able to refurbish their houses, add extra space and fix up their classic cars, but this highlights one of the main issues with the Cuban system as detailed below.
State workers
People who work for the state in Cuba earn a fixed salary and this salary is very low. For example, a doctor can earn as little as 15CUC per month (about the same in USD). People get paid more to work in a supermarket or in the tourism sphere, so there is little motivation for professionals to enter state jobs. For good pay, career fluidity and salary progression many people choose to move to the US or the western world.
The Youth
Many young people have left Cuba or their families are in the process of saving money to help their children to leave. This is because of the lack of incentive and opportunity in state careers and the desire to earn money and be part of the modern world.
The Internet
There is no public internet in Cuba. These days it is possible to buy internet cards and use them in some public places, but these cards are expensive or even completely unaffordable for the average Cuban.
Cubans really want the internet so that they can have access to external sources of information, rather than just the opinion of the state (provided by 100% state-controlled press), and come to their own, better informed conclusions. Of course for us, the internet also means a glut of absolute drivel, but that is the price to pay for freedom.
Not having the internet also means that it is difficult for families with children or relatives abroad to communicate with each other and stay close as a family.
The Culture
Cubans are friendly and open as a culture. They tend to share the little that they have, give help freely and be there for one another. There is a very strong feeling of community and neighbourly love, something that we often struggle to maintain in the west, be it because we don’t have the time, or we are simply fearful of strangers. Cubans maintain that even other Latin American countries are not as close, outgoing and in possession of communities as strong as in Cuba. It seems to us that this is a product of Cuban culture in general, but that it has been enhanced by the comradeship and the concept of equality espoused by The Revolution.
This culture of closeness makes it all the more difficult for families that now have children abroad as they are missing out on those close bonds with their kin.
It presents an interesting paradox because, by not being able to be close to and communicate with their families, the very strong culture of the Cubans that allowed the values of The Revolution to prosper is being eroded. This presents a danger for The Revolution and it is a major factor driving discontent and affecting trust and loyalty in the regime.
The Future
The big question! Will things change? Cubans believe that things have to because the young are leaving, the nation is aging and the politicians of The Revolution are getting old. One could say that if things don’t change relatively quickly, there will be a popular uprising, a revolution against The Revolution! The problem for Cubans is that the rest of the world has changed, they are suffering from a brain-drain of the young and they feel that the strict government policies have left them irreparably behind. They are not asking to overthrow the government, which they speak of with pride and recognise has brought them many securities and benefits, but that they get to enjoy simple things like being able to Skype their grand children. If the strong family and community based culture cannot enjoy its own children, then what was the point of the sacrifice.
Cubans have a strong desire to better themselves and have many ideas of how to sustain their families with small businesses. These days things are getting easier as small businesses are permitted since Raul Castro took charge 2008, but there are still many and varied bureaucratic and logistical challenges involved for even the most simplest tasks like importing a washing machine.
As mentioned above, we had already visited Cuba in 2013 and some things have changed noticeably since then, at least in Havana. For example the old town “Havana Vieja” has had quite a makeover and at least some of it looks refurbished and pristine. Some glorious government buildings have also received some well-needed refurbishment and don’t look like they are going to crumble anymore. New vehicles like Kia Picantos now roam the streets (apart from the ever-present classic cars!) and the soviet era Ladas are almost completely gone.
However as soon as you leave the centre things remain in disrepair and it is clearly only the ingenuity of the people which keeps the buildings standing. As tourists we loved this contrast, but what about the Cubans?
What else have the Cuban’s missed out on that we take for granted? Don’t they also have the right to free elections and a free press? To the internet and to means to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world, and stay in touch with their loved ones?
The Revolution has freed the Cubans from the slavery of imperialism and has done a lot for its people, but it has also imprisoned them into a pseudo-utopic socialist dream and still has a lot of answering to do in relation to its alleged past and present human rights abuses.
Cuba has lived for decades under the paternal but uncompromising rule of its “Leader Maximo” Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro will resign in 2018. Momentously, his successor will be the first president who didn’t take part in The Revolution of 1959 and it remains to be seen how this new breed of politicians will act to revitalise the country without compromising the core values of independence and freedom won by The Revolution.
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