Cuban Complexities

            Only in Cuba will one be able to have a conversation with a taxi driver about Freudian theory. Only in Cuba will you share a bottle of rum with random locals on the beach who explain why at 12 pm on a Wednesday they are not at work. Only in Cuba will your tour bus driver have a law degree and speak 3 different languages. Only in Cuba will a mother of three work over time seven days per week and still see the same pay check of 250 pesos per week (= 10 CUC, ~ $10 US dollars).  Only in Cuba does hand soap cost ¼ of a person’s monthly salary yet a huge bowl of ice cream costs about 4 cents. Only in Cuba do people wash plastic bags, re-use plastic bottles for days, cautiously close refrigerator doors, gently press elevator buttons, carefully and consciously make sure to safeguard plates, knives and forks. This is a country where virtually everyone is educated (at least until 12^th grade), literate, extremely proud, nationalistic, yet simultaneously critical of the government, social problems and standards of living. There is a widening gap between the old and new generation- those who lived to see what life was like under Batista are more forgiving of Fidel’s policies while the younger generation born well into the revolution are constantly challenging the status quo and questioning the idosyncrecies of Cuban life. Why is there so many police everywhere? Why do they tend to stop Afro-Cubans (yes, ladies and gentlemen, racism is unfortunately alive and well in Cuba), why is it that in the parliament there is 98% white Cubans of Spanish descent and  98% of people in prison are Afro-Cubans. Why is it illegal to fraternize with tourists? Why was it that until 2 years ago, local Cubans were prohibited from entering hotels? 

            This is a country where even though people have so little material possessions, they will give you the shirt off their back and the money in their pockets if you are in need. I will go out with my Cuban friends and whatever they have they will pay for the bus rides, street snacks- they refuse to let me pay even though the elephant in the room is that I am here to visit and I have SO much more in my pockets and in my bank back home than they ever will. That elephant is large and I think about it everyday. Whenever I ask why they wont let me pay it seems it’s a matter of pride, hospitality, a gesture of friendship and humanity. Because the vast majority of people are in the same difficult economic boat, there is a sense of solidarity, of community and an instinctual compulsion to SHARE whatever they may have.  

            Only in Cuba can you walk the Malecón on a hot Sunday afternoon and see fisherman throwing blown-up condoms connected to their fishing rods to drive the bait further into the sea in order to catch bigger fish. Only in Cuba will a couple strattle each other in mid-day light and cup-cake like they are alone even though they are in the middle of a bustling, crowded street. Only in Cuba will you ride a bus that is blaring reggaeton that makes every passenger jiggle, girate and jive- even the middle-aged and older passengers!

             What boggles my mind is how Cuba is supposed to be a “third world country,” yet will you never see a street child or a homeless person. Only in Cuba is everyone garauntee housing, food and healthcare- the quality, space, quantity and capacity of these public goods are all to be disputed and critically analyzed.

            As I was sitting on the railway of a mall entrance eating dulce de leche ice cream, I began to converse frankly with a man who guards this small 1-story Puma department store from 7pm-7am every night. He went to a technical school called “politecnicas” and got his degree in electrical engineering. “No es facil,” he tells me as he fixes his security badge. “Look at me, I’m guarding a building that doesn’t need to be guarded. It has an alarm system. The police could easily come within 2 minutes if something were to happen, yet im here when I have a degree in electrical engineering. There is little value in my job, however it’s the best pay I can get right now.” He told me that even with his “better” salary, when he adds up all of his expenses versus the salary, sometimes he doesn’t even know how he gets through the month.

            In Cuba there is access to basic fundamental human rights- education, health care, housing, food. Can we say the same about the US for every citizen? Of course it may be unfair to compare- different political structures, an island nation versus a vast, extremely multi-cultural nation of 50 States interacting with a capitalistic democratic federal government. No political system is perfect. Is there a lesser of two evils? Which system is better for the environment? We know what US consumerism is doing to our planet. Look at the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico! In terms of environmental footprint we know we have to make some changes- will our system allow us to make those changes?

             Is government regulation in any political form striving to squash human nature? Is human nature truly greed? Perhaps- however human nature is also to give, to share, to help one another. It seems as though we are more able to share and to give as a society when we have less. When there is a high amount of wealth and material goods it tends to become more and more concentrated in society. Why is that? Humans have the potential to do so much bad as well as to do so much good. Coming from the US to Cuba has made me realize that sacrifices are always made no matter what society, under what political structure we live in. Yet even as social problems and phenomenon will always remain to exist, we can always strive to better ourselves. 

            Whatever political system we are under- be it socialism, capitalism, etc., we must always question, be critical and strive towards equity, sustainability and peace. Cubans will work under the context of the revolution that has its incredible fundamental values and of course it’s deep flaws. The younger generation has become restless and will continue to question and ultimately change aspects of Cuban society that limit their individual and collective freedoms. US citizens must question how we let racism, sexism, xenophobia, consumerism and big business control our politics and destroy our environment. Under our system we have the power of voting, of grass-roots movements, of free speech and the power to make real political change. Let’s use what we’ve got and not forget that we have a long way to go!