Directions: The following are notes taken from a couple who traveled to Cuba to witness communism
in the 21st century. Please read and answer the following questions attached to this reading.
Some observations from our daily journals:
Underground capitalism: Throughout our visit, we've seen small flares of capitalism: the man selling
pizzas out of his basement; an elderly gentleman dressing three dachshunds in hats, coats and
sunglasses charging $1 per picture; the Cuban Coco cabs that charged $6 a trip; vendors in the crafts
shops selling carved ebony statues or colorful canvases.
Capitalism is alive, thriving actually, in the deep bowels of Cuban life. Capitalism may even be the dark
underbelly of successful communism. In a totalitarian state, the underground micro-economy keeps the
engine running and the populous content and fed.
Visual stimulus: No signs, no American-style advertising blaring 24-7. The Cuban landscape is deprived
of advertising and mass media messages. Yes, there is the occasional billboard of propaganda or the
rough sketch of hero Che Guevara, but it is almost a pleasant relief from the American media overload.
The greatest marketing idea I came across was an old tire on a pole in the middle of the street in the
dark slums of old Havana, pointing to the tire repair in the garage next door. The next day we noticed
the owner had added a bicycle tire, expanding his product line.
Cuban Baroque:
The non-disposable society: Cuba is a nation of usability — everything is precious, nothing is wasted.
Clothes are handed down for generations, and at the point of shreds, they become rags. Broom bristles
are sold at the stores but no handles are to be found. Our assistant, Larry, uses a needle and thread to
repair the soles of his ancient tennis shoes.
Cuba has learned to recycle, out of embargo necessity. And they have perfected the practice. A broken
mirror thrown in the trash by of one of our mission team is quickly retrieved and spread to a dozen
hands to shine once again.
Black market: Everyday life is pelted with the need for the basics. Outside or inside (we can't decide — it
is hard to tell which) of watchful eyes are the black markets. One such market is set up in an abandoned
shoe store. Inside is the hustle of vendors and shoppers peering in one glass case after another. The
contents are a mishmash of plumbing parts, glimmering gold earrings, square camera flash bulbs,
vintage 78 records and motorcycle parts. The air is abuzz, the prices are within reach. Markets like this
play a vital part in Cuban everyday existence.
The embargo: Our days passed and our opinion of the anti-Castro embargo has changed. It does not
hurt Castro or his oblivious government; it hurts the children, old men and women and everyone in
between.
Cubans have become adaptable, compliant and resilient. Everyone seems well fed but at the same time
starving for basic needs: toilet paper, toothpaste, medicine, clothes, light bulbs, meat and eggs. Despite
the great minds in Washington, Cubans will not rise up from within and overthrow Castro. They are too
beaten down, unknowing, too tired to overthrow anyone.
La Revolution: The museum of La Revolution paints an interesting portrait of American involvement in
Cuba. This sanitized vision of how things happened and why presents the Cubans and foreign visitors a
distinctive message: "La Revolution good, America terrible."
But it's the strong emphasis on current President Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, throughout the museum
that was the greatest surprise. While we in America see Fidel Castro as the linchpin leader, he has lost
his local luster and his image is almost invisible, being expunged in the government public propaganda.
Hero, Che's picture is painted everywhere, and when asking our guides the reason we are quietly told,
"Castro is considered a failure."
Grumpy old men: Today's Cuba is run by a small band of grumpy old men, distant and out of touch with
the modern world and modern civilizations. These men, victorious in their waltz (not fight) into Havana
on New Year's Eve 1959, continue to celebrate their victory 51 years later while the spoils (Cuba)
crumble around them.
Victorious yes; winners no! The past is past. Today's reality is underemployment for 11 million people,
living in huts, widespread poverty, rolling shortages and economic collapse. This Garden of Eden is
overgrown with tangled twisted jungle and the biggest jungles are in the tangled minds of grumpy old
men.
Independence will be difficult.
Is Cuba lost? Time has perhaps passed by Cuban independence; the generation that fled Cuba to
America is 50 years older, the passionate revolutionaries, future liberators of a communist Cuba, are
now dead.
Will their children have the same passion and drive to liberate, the desire to reclaim their country? Or
will they, as American citizens, see their heritage as just a sidebar to their lives in their adopted country?
Who will lead Cuba back to the promised land? Who will be passionate enough to liberate Cuba? And
bring it back into the 20th century, much less the 21st?
In the museum La Revolution, we saw a quote by a 1959 Castro that is a haunting message even for
today: "For the first time in the history of this country, the people and the government have left aside
the rich side and have joined the poor side."
Alas, poor Babylon.