CUBAN TRANSITIONS

As a student of history, I have leaned about many different revolutions. Few have been truly successful, with success being defined as long-lasting and without extreme violence being necessary post-revolution in order to keep the new government in power. Most modern revolutions have ended in massive bloodshed, often on the level of genocide. I would never say that the socialist revolution in Cuba has been perfect or that it is without doubt what is best for the Cuban people but watching ¡Cuba Va! and going through the readings on Cuba’s post-revolutionary development, I can say one thing for sure: the Cuban revolution is fully their revolution. That is something that cannot be said about the other countries that ideologically fell in line with the Soviet Union during the twentieth century.

It is true that the growth of communism in Eastern European countries that ended up under Soviet control, such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, was primarily driven by ideologues who believed that communism offered the best chance at equality for all people in addition to being the political system with the best chance at preventing fascism from ever returning. However, whatever autonomy these countries had was extremely short lived. The will of the Soviet Union was enough to turn idealists into cynics as the Stalinist trials swept through Eastern Europe. Thousands of innocent people were thrown into jail for supposedly going against the party and remained in jail for years. Many were sentenced to death or were treated so badly that they died shortly after being released. No one could be in a leadership position without the approval from Moscow. Communism that wasn’t Stalinism was simply unacceptable.

Stalin's Statue in Prague

Despite Cuba’s almost total economic dependence on the Soviet Union for the first thirty years of the revolution, Cuban socialism is certainly not Russian communism. This is partially due to Castro’s initial reluctance to officially join the communist party in Cuba – he believed it was antiquated and corrupt like most other established parties – and due even more, in my opinion, to the fiercely independent Cuban political spirit. He was only incited to officially declare himself and therefore the Cuban government as socialist when it became clear that the Unites States was blatantly trying to destroy the revolution.

What set the Cuban revolution apart then and what continues to set it apart now – other than the fact that it survives, unlike communism in Europe – is widespread support from the people. This is due in no small part to the ability of the people to debate, discuss and take part in the development of their country. Obviously, there is massive censorship in Cuba; speech is by no means free. Yet the images we sawing ¡Cuba Va! of young people engaging in vigorous debate in the middle of the street shows not only a lack of terror of the government but a commitment to the success and development of the revolution.

Youth arguing in Cuba from the film ¡Cuba Va!

After all, the need to debate or argue goes away if one no longer cares or believes in the success of the nation. Cuban passion for the revolution comes from the beautiful nature of the ideals of equality in communism which is in line with the ideals of Cuban hero Jose Martí. Furthermore, the unlikely nature of the revolution’s success goes a long way to cultivate pride in the people.

It was a revolution led by a few who should not have been successful against anyone, much less against an American-backed dictator. Victory against the epitome of a capitalist society is extremely important to the Cuban peoples’ view of their own history and in the Periodo Especial, it has helped sustain the people in a time of great flux with many lingering questions about the future of the country.

Cuban loyalty to the ideals of these two men has helped sustain the revolution through it's hardest times.

The faith and passion among the youth has waned to a certain degree. Many authors and scholars have commented on the strange reality of young people who are living with the unkept promises of the revolution, especially as tourism grows making some people wealthier than others, especially those who are lighter skinned, particularly problematic in a theoretically raceless society. Yet despite their doubts and frustrations, they are still joining the party, still marching in parades and declaring their commitment to “el socialismo o muerte.”

It is not perfect in Cuba. Many people are angry and disillusioned. The government violates basic rights such as free speech regularly and it has a history of imprisoning supposed political prisoners. Yet there is something really beautiful and admirable about what they have tried to achieve: an equal society where all the people have enough and everyone works for the well-being of everyone else, not just their own. No one can know if the socialist revolution will continue in Cuba or what shape it will take in the coming years. If it does survive, it will be because the people choose to protect it and stand by it, because they believe in it and take pride in it. Raul and Fidel and the memory of Che will not be enough.

The front entrance to the Hemingway home, also called Finca Vigía, in San Francisco de Paula, just outside of Havana.

It is impossible not to notice Cuba’s reverence for famed U.S. American author, Ernest Hemingway. He is claimed almost as if he were Cuban himself by tour guides and friendly Cubans alike who proudly point out La Floridita and Hotel Ambos Mundos while wandering Old Havana. Many of Hemingway’s haunts were close to our hotel, just a short walk down Calle Obispo.

This sign for La Floridita, the bar Hemingway frequented for his daiquiris, probably looks familiar to many in our group.

Hemingway’s time spent in this room in Hotel Ambos Mundos is memorialized with a plaque; the room has been unchanged since his stay.

His home, however, was not as nearby, and the cab ride to Finca Vigía was a long one. The house is tucked away in San Francisco de Paula, a suburb of Havana situated about nine miles from the city center, and the traffic in the provinces through which we passed seemed even busier than in the areas we visited as a whole tour group. Abound were rhythms of the street I didn’t often see: the gritty, the chaotic, the real.

An audio slideshow about Hemingway’s Cuba home was recently published in The Guardian. Journalist Conor Clarke echoes the above description of San Francisco de Paula: “When [Cubans] think about Hemingway, they like to remember that he didn’t move to one of the ritzy, touristy areas in Havana; He moved to this little tiny town that’s sort of populated by a lot of the same kinds of characters that occupy his novels” (Bell Tolls).

While the area did buzz with Hemingway pride, just like in Old Havana, the actual property is separated from its neighborhood by a wall. Lisa and Gordon mentioned that they had once (maybe twice) tried to visit the Finca Vigía on previous trips to Cuba, but the home was closed during the Special Period. They were unable to see much even by peeking through the front gate. The home is even further removed, accessible only down a long tree-lined avenue once one finally made it through the gate (where employees now ask for the 3 CUC entrance fee). Hidden by palm trees which buffer it from the sounds of a bustling neighborhood, the house didn’t immediately come into view.

Path

Tourists are not allowed inside, but a veranda surrounds the one-story home. All windows and doors are wide open (only flimsy ribbons blocking them), and tourists circle the perimeter. While it would have been a treat to mosey around inside, it was still easy to see Hemingway’s treasures and read many of the titles of his thousands of books.

My lovely model Jordan steals a glance of Hemingway’s office.

A small portion of the avid hunter’s book collection

The shelves next to the toilet. Legend has it that one of his cats killed the lizard on the bottom right, but he preserved it because he thought “it put up a good fight.”

The property also includes a swimming pool, a guest house, and a tower from which he and his wife would use a telescope to look at the stars and the skyline of Havana in the distance. The former was under construction. I had the opportunity to talk with two of the workers about the project: they were restoring the walkway between a pair of dressing rooms behind the pool, using all original tiling and beams. Our conversation drifted to other subjects: low wages, the depressed economy and the family of one of the workers’ now in New Jersey. We all agreed that a parent’s separation from his children was unnatural, and I told him I hoped he would be able to visit them soon.

The swimming pool and one of the dressing rooms under construction.

The last stop on my tour of Finca Vigía was to see Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, which he used to fish and to travel between his two homes, one in Cuba and one in Key West. I thought of how easy, how fluid it once was before the embargo to navigate between the two countries. Hemingway slipped across 90 mere miles from one to the other. Now, travel groups from the U.S., such as our own, wait months for government approval, then hours in airports for a half an hour flight. Travel for Cubans to the United States is almost never approved. Families are separated.

Pilar, surrounded by scaffolding in preparation for a preservation/restoration project.

When I reflect on my visit to this home, I am reminded of our discussions of heritage tourism, of Cuba’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites. Nine recognitions, for an island so small, is an impressive feat, but I’m inclined to believe that Cuba has many other places that are treasured by foreigners as well. And what an example, here in Cuba, the Finca Vigía: as much a gem of U.S. history and literature as Cuban.

Still, the embargo prohibit this type of exchange between our two nations. A recent U.S. attempt to restore the boat was squashed by the tightened policies of the Bush administration, but there exists a movement within the U.S. that is demanding government backing to restore this object of our history from termite damage and the improper “workmanlike [watercraft preservation] job” that the low budget afforded to Finca Vigía by the Cuban state could afford (Swanson).

Hemingway’s home has the potential to be a seed of friendship between the U.S. and Cuba. The
Hemingway Preservation Foundation along with the National Trust for Historic Preservation continues to lobby for the thorough restoration of Pilar and other parts of Finca Vigía. They accept tax-deductible contributions. Specific information can be found in Peter Swanson’s article in Yachting Magazine.

For more information about Hemingway in Cuba and the history of Finca Vigía, refer to the wonderful blog post that Laci published below. (The home definitely excited our inner English majors!)

Hemingway's typewriter.

Hemingway and Fidel Castro (Salas)

Sources:

Bell Tolls for Hemingway’s Treasures as Cuban House Caught in Sanctions Trap. Perf. Conor Clarke. The Guardian, 17 July 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/slideshow/page/0,,2128316,00.html>.

Salas, Osvaldo. Fidel y Hemingway. 1960. Photograph. Havana. Miradas Reveladoras. Institut Valencià D’art Modern, 2009. 33. Print.

Swanson, Peter. “Saving Pilar and Hemingway.” Yachting Magazine 3 Oct. 2007. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/cruising-chartering/yachting-life/saving-pilar-and-hemingway>.

On one of our last nights in Havana, Lauren and I explored the area on the other side of the Avenue Prado, a neighborhood with less tourist traffic, except perhaps the beeline to La Casa de la música. We window-shopped in a studio-gallery and admired an old church, and somewhere between the two sites, I spied an innocuous building with a little sign hanging overhead: Editorial de la mujer, or Women’s Publishing House.

Editorial de la mujer housed on Calle Galiano, Havana, Cuba.

As someone interested in a career in bilingual publishing and writing, I can’t say I wasn’t curious. Peeking in, face to glass, I saw a simple looking lobby, save for its walls covered in a montage of magazine covers. Each issue bore one of two titles—Mujeres or Muchacha—and each cover featured a different woman, a sampling that seemed as colorful as José Martí’s vision.

I had a hunch that these two magazines plastered on the walls were institutions of the revolution: probably to create a literary space for women and promote awareness about local and global women’s issues. Still, I came back the next morning hoping to hear about the magazines from a primary source, not just speculation. The secretary seemed a little surprised at my walk-in, but she was excited to put me in touch with two assistant editors, Raquel and Selma (I’m not sure about the name of the latter. It’s a little botched in my notes). As I waited for them to come down, the secretary told me that the headquarters for the magazine there on Calle Galiano was almost entirely self-sufficient; everything was done in that building, except for the printing which was outsourced to the same printer that produces Granma. During the brief explanation, Raquel and Selma came down from their offices and let me give interviews.

Mujeres is a government-operated magazine—a new issue appearing quarterly—produced with women in mind, but “does not exclude men either” (Raquel; translation mine). The magazine is one of the most palpable results of the efforts of the FMC, the Federación de Mujeres Cubanas, or in English, The Federation of Cuban Women. In fact, according to information on its website, the magazine is the self-proclaimed  “heart of the FMC” (“¿Quiénes Somos?”). Mostly subsidized by the government, each issue is sold at two national pesos in kiosks, bookstores and newsstands all across the island.

According to the women with whom I met, the magazine circulates 60,000 print copies, but these assistant editors estimate the readership of Mujeres at 130,000. I learned that there are ten staff writers, of which one is male, but it is not unheard of for the magazine to accept a few articles from freelancers or other governmental organizations. I was interested in Raquel and Selma’s roles at the magazine. They do much of the administrative work. Both women arrived at the magazine through internships set up in conjunction with the University of Havana.

A scanned table of contents (2010, No.4).

Currently, each publication of the magazine fills 96 pages with articles falling under one of many sections. Glancing at a table of contents, it is obvious that the publication covers topics as diverse as News, Domestic Duties, Health, Sports, Literature, Let’s Be Honest (Sexual Health), Women in the World, History, Reflections (as translated from the image above) and many more. Within each of these categories, there are anywhere from one to seven articles.

Examples of recent articles all appearing within the same issue (2010, No. 4).

The history of this magazine is an interesting one. Began in 1961, Mujeres celebrated its 50th anniversary last year with four special issues, each featuring a little history of the magazine as detailed by the Editor-in-Chief, Isabel Moya Richard. She writes in the fourth issue in this series that the past fifty years have allowed for the magazine to become a forum for Cuban women and that the magazine has attempted to diversify its readership over the course of the years (2011, No.4).

During my interviews, I dug a little deeper into this past. The magazine grew from its beginning as Vanidades, which first featured as its cover photo a headshot of an Afro-Cuban woman. Though we may consider this a liberal choice, the content of the magazine was more conservative than it is today. Raquel mentioned that it was originally aimed at a family woman, in other words, a housewife. Its articles focused on romance, fashion, and the woman as the nucleus for the family.

Vanidades cover from 1959 (Vanidades Cover).

The magazine still discusses romance, fashion and domestic life, but those are just components to a well-rounded whole (2010, No.3).

Over the years, the magazine made the decision to cater to the shifting role of the revolutionary woman and to focus on a wider audience. Selma said that with sections as different as Sports and Beauty, it might encourage women interested in many non-traditional fields to pick up a copy.

The other fact I found interesting about the history of Mujeres was its hiatus during the Special Period when the government had no money to supply to the publication. The assistant editors did not remember for how long it was closed (probably seven to ten years, they guessed), but they said it reopened in April 2001. Shortly after came the development of Muchacha, which has an estimated readership of 100,000. The magazine is similar to its parent in that it covers a variety of topics, but it is aimed at girls 10-15. I am reminded of magazines like Seventeen and Teen Vogue.

The cover of the 2011 No. 4 edition of Muchacha magazine. Its cover story about skateboarding examines a hobby traditionally thought of as feminine.

Teen Vogue, a U.S. American magazine targeted towards girls of a similar age (Teen Vogue Cover).

Still, Muchacha caters to more girls than the niche market interested in fashion and traditionally feminine subjects. It contains book reviews, information about different careers and articles about well-known Cubana role models. It is also interesting to note its tagline, which recalls what Raquel said earlier in the interview: “Revista para muchachas, que no excluye a los muchachos.” It aims to make itself accessible to many children, boys included.

I did not ask Raquel or Selma where they see the magazine heading in the future, but as I have continued to research Mujeres, I have found significant evidence that the magazine hopes to orient itself to the Digital Age. In the last issue of the 2011 series, the Editor in Chief writes:

“We would like to expand the readership of Mujeres, but at this time, paper is scarce and expensive. We want to broadcast ourselves with new forms of communication to spread our message. When the magazine was founded, we were still using engravings as a technology; today, everything is digital. But more important than keeping uptodate, we aim to always be here for you. As Fito Páez once said, “Even if satellites fail, I’ll be there to offer my heart” (2011, No.4; translation mine).

Happy belated International Women’s Day everyone!

Sources:

Muchacha [Federación de la Mujer Cubana] Nov.-Dec. 2011, No.4. Print.

Mujeres [Federación de la Mujer Cubana] Aug.-Sept. 2010, No.3. Print.
–Nov.-Dec. 2010, No.4. Print.
–May-June 2011, No.2. Print.
–Nov.-Dec. 2011, No.4. Print.

“¿Quiénes Somos?” Revista Mujeres. Federación De La Mujer Cubana. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://www.mujeres.co.cu/revista.asp>.

Raquel, Selma. “Editorial De La Mujer.” Personal interview. 16 Mar. 2012.

Teen Vogue Cover May 2012. Digital image. Teen Vogue. Vogue, May 2012. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://www.teenvogue.com/magazine/covers#slide=1>.

Vanidades Cover November 1959. Digital image. Cuba Collectibles. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://www.cubacollectibles.com/cuba-V-59-11-01-Vanidades.html>.

In the Revolution’s early years, the government employed a rationing system in order to ensure Cuban families with equal access to scarce food items. Beginning in 1962, each family was supplied with a Libreta de Abastecimiento (“Supplies booklet”), a food rationing card which gave them access to a basket of basic foods such as rice, beans, eggs, sugar, cooking oil, poultry, and occasionally meat. At one point, the basic food basket also included industrial products such as light bulbs and fuels but stopped selling them when Soviet imports ceased.  The contents of the basic goods basket has fluctuated throughout the years depending on Cuba’s trade relations with the U.S. and the Soviet Union (obviously until its collapse, which severely impacted Cuba’s foodstuffs). All products sold at state stores are sold at subsidized prices which have remained fairly stable since their inception. Though prices are low, each family is only given one libreta per year. This may or may not be enough depending of the number of family members and their ages, as rationed foods differ according to age.

A Ration Booklet

Salt and Powdered Milk

We made an effort to enter a few of these rationing supermarkets during our stay in Havana, though we stood out significantly as we were often the only non-Cubans there. Surprisingly, there were a few American brands on the shelves such as Pringles, Coca-Cola, and Red Bull which must have been imported from either Europe or Mexico. There are shelves stocked with canned foods, crackers, and biscuit/cookie-type snacks we frequently saw around Cuba. One of the stores had a meat section, where a woman told us she could purchase chicken for two CUC’s.

Canned Foods and Oil

Goods Sold at Ration Store

Ultimately, these stores are limited. There is a limited supply, limited options from which to choose, and the foods – the majority of which are in canned, powdered, or packaged – are limited in their nutritional value. In traditional Cuban fashion, the state stores supply an overwhelming amount of alcohol. When I told a woman we met that I thought it strange to have so much alcohol and so little food, she laughed. Still, I couldn’t help being frustrated at seeing an entire wall stocked with Havana Club rum while the rest of the store’s shelves seemed somewhat deficient.

Alcohol Shelf (Somewhat Blurry)

The food in rationing stores is not sufficient to satisfy the nutritional needs of a Cuban household and citizens must supplement the food they receive from their libretas with fresh produce sold outside in agromercados and other street vendors. Though there are many Cubans who buy solely from the state stores, people have had to integrate produce from both private and state owned markets out of necessity for a larger quantity and improved nutritional value in their food. Some people we talked to spoke of the state distribution stores as a thing of the past, a government subsidy that is nice to have but falls short of adequacy. Raul Castro’s proposal to abolish the libreta has already been shut down, but the possibility of food rationing becoming subsidized based on individual cases is highly likely considering the increasingly capitalist economic reforms.

On March 26^th, history was made in Cuba with the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI. In total, this visit marked only the second time in history that a Pope has come to visit the nation and the first trip for Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II, visited Cuba back in 1998.

Historically speaking, the Catholic Church has not had the smoothest of relations with Cuban government. After the revolution of 1959, Cuba’s growing relationship with the Soviet Union resulted in the adoption of various Marxist policies. More specifically, this included an official state-endorsement of atheism. Consequently, many clergymen and religious figures were forced to flee the island as a result of harsh laws and widespread discrimination. According to “Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know”, revolutionary opposition to religion was fueled not only by an anticlerical ideology, but moreover reflected the “constant suspicion that independent organizations or organizing of any kind could challenge the hegemony of the state.” [i] As a result, the Catholic Church and its followers remained underground until after the fall of the Soviet Union and a change to the constitution in 1992.

Overall, Pope Benedict XVI spent only three days touring around the country. His journey began on March 26^th in Santiago de Cuba and he departed two days later from Havana. As reported by NPR, the Pope’s visit was motivated both by a desire to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the Virgin of Charity (Cuba’s patron saint) as well as a general wish to strengthen relations between the Vatican and the Cuban government. [ii]

During masses delivered in both Santiago and Havana, the Pope urged audiences to strive for ‘authentic freedom’ and promoted greater liberties for the Catholic Church and its Cuban practitioners. At the service held in Revolution Square, Benedict decreed, “Cuba and the world need change, but this will occur only if each one is in a position to seek the truth and chooses the way of love, sowing reconciliation and fraternity.”[iii] Benedict, who has publicly spoken out against Marxism and totalitarianism, walked a fine line between voicing his criticisms whilst still extolling the merits of the country and its citizens. The Pope also made a point to publicly denounce the US embargo, stating that Cubans should not be “hampered by limitations on ‘basic freedoms’ or  ‘a lack of material resources, a situation which is worsened when restrictive economic measures, imposed from outside the country, unfairly burden its people.’”[iv]

Though the Pope’s calls for political reform have not been answered, the papacy was successfully able to convince the government to establish Good Friday as a national holiday (this has not occurred since before the revolution). While  approximately only 10% of the current population are practicing Catholics, many more hoped that the Pope’s visit would foster greater dialogue and stimulate political changes. As one Cuban shared with a reporter, “Lets hope he brings us prosperity…that’s what we hope for. And friendship not just with America, but the whole world.” [v]

“So what’s life like with Facebook?”

The question popped up multiple times during my conversations with Cubans, particularly young Cubans of the so-called “Digital Generation.” Cubans have the lowest Internet access rate in the Americas: a mere 3% of the population can get online. Only select groups, such as University students and employees in the tourist industry, have permission to connect to the World Wide Web. The rest of the population relies on the Intranet, which allows them to send emails to other Cubans and to browse Cuban websites. This is quite expensive for most Cubans, and some choose to turn to the black market for broader Internet access. For those who do have access, the dial-up is frustratingly slow because Cuba uses satellite connection. Satellite connection limits bandwidth and buying bandwidth is incredibly costly to the government. Cuba’s Internet connection is thus the second slowest in the world, after Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. The Cuban government blames the U.S trade embargo for its slow and minimal access because the U.S controls the fiber-optic cable that runs along Cuba’s northern coast.

Cubans at an internet café in Cienfuegos

But is the lack of Internet connection solely due to technical inadequacies or is there an aspect of political censorship involved as well? In 2009 President Obama authorized American companies to provide Internet services to Cuba but Cuba rejected the offer. Instead, Cuba turned to Venezuela with a plan to bring high-speed connection to the island via an underwater cable by the summer of 2011. This plan fell through due to “corruption” on the part of the Cuban government. Further, a Cuban court charged American Alan Gross last year with participating in a “subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities.” He was arrested for trying to help Cuba’s Jewish community gain broader access to the Internet. Dissidents such as Yoani Sanchez, a cyber celebrity whose provocative blog “Generation Y” has gained her international recognition, believe that “authorities have always sought to control sources of information and free expression.” While limited technology may be partly to blame for the low percentage of Cubans getting online, there is evidence that the Cuban government is also wary of the counterrevolutionary discourse that could prevail through widespread Internet coverage.

Many Cubans feel that the Internet shortage has left them out of the rest of the world—a world that is quickly “flattening” through communication only made possible through digital connection. It is true that Cuban researchers, scientists, and professional scholars are easily excluded from international studies. Artists and musicians also have a hard time reaching an international audience. The hip-hop group Hermanazos told us during a conference in Havana that limited Internet access was “like not being in the world.” Yet despite the obvious benefits of having Internet connection, many Americans crave the opposite: freedom from constant text messages, emails, tweets, and Facebook notifications. When a dancer at Rosario Cárdenas in Havana asked us, “Is Facebook really as good as it seems?” we assured her that life with Facebook has its setbacks: too much connection, too much hiding behind a carefully constructed image of oneself, too little genuine human interaction. Many American kids complain about Facebook taking over their lives and they delete their profiles in a fury of rebellion. Phone companies now advertise their products by flaunting how little time a person must spend on the device. The Microsoft Windows Phone 7 is supposed to be a “phone that saves us from our phones…designed to get you in and out and back to life.” A 2010 television commercial pokes fun at the American obsession with digital connection:

From this perspective it is worth considering what benefits Cubans have reaped from lack of Internet access. As Yoél pointed out, lack of access in schools has made Cubans completely dependent on their brains for knowledge. In America, we have grown accustomed to quickly “Googling” information if we can’t remember it. “Google Translate” is a favorite website for students in foreign language classes. Cuban students have to strengthen their memories in ways that American students do not. A bookstore owner in Cienfuegos told us he relies on books and interactions with tourists in order to learn about other cultures. He is keen on establishing genuine relationships as an alternative to the Internet. Many Americans dream of this disconnected and “simpler” world where living encounters and paper books are the ultimate sources of knowledge and experience.

Yet this may be groundless wishful thinking. After explaining to a teenage boy on the Malecón that the Internet in America cultivates shallow, “fake” relationships, he quickly assured us that façades and personality fronts are not unique to countries with Internet. He explained that the black market culture, along with extreme desires for material goods, spurs distrust and scheming among Cubans.

I believe that Cubans deserve the widespread Internet access that many Americans take for granted and I do not want to mitigate the clear advantages of online connection. However, given our over-dependence on the digital world, it is worth considering Cuba’s situation in an alternate, positive light. Neither world is as perfect as the other side makes it out to be. We Americans found liberation and comfort in one of the Cubans’ greatest frustrations, and one of our greatest frustrations is something many Cubans yearn for on a daily basis.

References:

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/14/143721874/in-cuba-dial-up-internet-is-a-luxury

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/opinion/release-alan-gross.html

http://www.economist.com/node/18285798

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12411845

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-cuba-internet-cutoff-050709,0,4376220.story

I  could not find a way to contain my excitement when I learned  that I would be visiting the home (Finca Vigia) of one of the greatest American writers of all time, Ernest Hemingway, one whom I have admired for quite some time. As the small group of us pulled up to his beautiful country house in San Francisco de Paula, I could feel the weight of the moment sinking in. This is where Hemingway wrote great classics like, The Old Man and the Sea, and where he went to escape the rest of his crazy hectic life to simply relax. However, visiting the gift shop on my way out of this writer’s paradise and spotting a photo of Hemingway and Fidel in a friendly embrace got me pondering Hemingway’s feelings towards the new regime and more curious about the history of Finca Vigia. What I learned through further investigation is that Hemingway moved to Vigia in 1939 and was pleased with Fidel’s overthrowing of Batista in 1959 and life in Cuba until in 1960 when Fidel wanted to nationalize the property owned by all Americans and foreigners. This major dispute tied with Hemingway’s ongoing struggle with depression signaled that it was time to move back to the states and so in 1960 Hemingway and his then wife Mary decided to relocate themselves to Idaho. Hemingway left behind numerous pieces of art and manuscripts in his home and due to the recent American embargo, he was not allowed to retrieve many of his personal belongings.

One of the various rooms in Finca Vigia covered with book shelves.

Hemingway would go on to take his life in 1961 to a brutal suicide, much like his father, with a single bullet to the mouth blowing out his brains. In the same year, after the Bay of Pigs invasion, Finca Vigia was expropiated by the Cuban government complete with Hemingway’s collection of four to six thousand books. Cuba has stated that Hemingway’s wife agreed to deed the home complete with furnishing and library to the Cuban government but Mary has stated that the Cuban government contacted her saying that they planned to just expropiate the house along with all real property in Cuba. Mary was able to negotiate the return of Hemingway’s manuscripts that were secured in a safe in the home, but the majority of the belongings were abandoned.

Over the last two decades there has been worry over Cuba’s ability to respectfully preserve Finca Vigia. The house has been listed as one of the 11 most endangered historic sites as well as a site on the list for the fund of biennial world monuments that are endangered. The most obvious reason behind these claims are Cuba’s  inefficiencies and lack of  resources that developed during the special period. In an article that was published in the New York Times in 2008, the Irish writer, Adrian Mckinty alleged that during a visit to the home, a Cuban policeman offered him any book in Hemingway’s library for only $200. The reality of this may seem frightening but people have not lost all hope. There are a couple of American based preservation groups that have been working with the Cuban government in equipping the staff of the museum on ways to effectively preserve. These groups have also help to strengthen US-Cuba relations on some levels. It is estimated that there are 9,000 books in Hemingway’ library, approximately 20% with writing in the margins. There are several thousand letter and telegrams, with more than 2,000 photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts, and galley proofs. Hemingway may be gone, but he left behind a lot for us to remember him by.

Playa Giron, located on the inlet where the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion took place, is famous for its long white sand beaches (Playa larga) and its location in one of the largest wetlands in the world. However, in the United States we only associate this area with our failed attempt to overthrow Castro’s newly formed socialist government in the early 1960s, an embarrassing blow to the United States’ fight against communism and one incident in a long line of interactions with the island that ultimately ended with the embargo that is now half a century old.

When our group visited Playa Giron and stayed there for the night, we got a bit of a different story. The Playa Giron museum was conveniently located right next to our resort, so we were able to visit it and get a first hand view of the Cuban interpretation of the Bay of Pigs invasion that happened in 1961.

What we found in the museum was different from the stories we’ve been spoon-fed about the invasion in the United States from a very young age. I was struck by this museum simply because it showed a perspective of this important conflict that I had never been exposed to before.

What we found in that museum was a tale of bravery, of national pride and unity, of the youthful ideals of revolution and independence triumphing over the evil imperialistic hand of a nation that overstepped its boundaries in an attempt to trample upon the sovereignty of the newly formed government on the island. To the Cubans, their triumph at the Bay of Pigs was due to military ingenuity, skilled leadership, and the brave men who gave their lives to support the revolution. Yes, the flaws and missteps of the United States’ invasion helped to thwart its success, but the real focus in this museum was on Cuba and its strength and unity during this time.

While in the US, the failed attempt to overthrow Castro with the Bay of Pigs invasion is a small blemish on the face of the anti-communist front of the post WWII era, in Cuba the incident is looked upon with much national pride. Victory for this small island nation meant victory for the revolution and a victory for small nations everywhere against the hand of imperialism.

Everywhere we went in Cuba, from the Giron Museum to the Museum of the Revolution in Havana, to Che Guevara’s memorial plaza and museum, this national sentiment and faith in the revolution was alive and well in the government-created exhibits. Whether these sentiments resonate with the Cuban people of today or not, I was struck by the differences I found, both positive and negative, when looking at the revolution not in a US history textbook, but through the eyes of Cubans.

Dolphins play and swim at Varadero's Delfinario

“Lets start a Dolphin Revolution!!” our class yelled as our bus left one of Varadero’s most popular tourist attractions- the dolphin park and show at Delfinario. Little did we know an international animal rights effort against Cuba’s involvement in Dolphin exportation began started in 1998 by a Swiss organization called “Working Group for the Protection of Marine Mammals” (ASMS). Although animal rights activists in the US have helped prohibit dolphin capture for sale in US waters since 1990, unfortunately protestors have had less success in Cuba and the nation remains today’s number one exporter of dolphins- mainly to the Caribbean for popular tourist shows and parks and to Europe for aquariums.

Interesting characters are involved in the Cuban dolphin debate. In 2002 the US Treasury Office launched an investigation into hundreds of thousands of dollars of dolphins purchased by American individuals from the Cuban government to supply dolphin attractions in the Caribbean- effectively violating an aspect of the US’s embargo policy against Cuba. Other players involved are international activists who hope to protect Cuban dolphins by reducing and eventually halting their exportation. Because animal vets have a powerful voice in animal rights campaigns, a group of activists have tried to engage Che Guevara’s daughter, Celia Guevara who is the chief marine mammal veterinarian at Cuba’s National Aquarium, in their struggle. Unfortunately Celia, the Aquarium and Ministry of Science- which licenses dolphin exports- do not seem interested in changing their policies or reducing Cuba’s lucrative dolphin exportation business (dolphins freshly captured can be sold for up to $70,000 each).

Another economic angle of the dolphin debate is that swimming with dolphins has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction in Caribbean destinations, including Cuba. Often advertised as a “life changing experience” and a way to “feel completely free and become one with nature,” many tourists think exactly this and flock to Dolphin parks such as Varadero’s Delfinario for entertainment and their own personal moment of magic.

The dolphin show at Delfinario

Although most of our group left the Delfinario park agitated about the inhumanity of taming and training wild animals, I stayed for the show and had an interesting experience. The show began with a row of loud speakers blasting the crowd with ambient music and messages in both Spanish and English about the ‘special dolphin experience’ and the ecological measures the park took to preserve dolphins’ habitats and health. Interestingly enough, these dolphins were held in semi-captivity, meaning that the fenced off mangrove pens we saw before us were actually open to the ocean and dolphins had freedom to move between the pens and their natural habitat. According to the park, they returned for training and shows because they enjoyed getting easy food.

Our group feeling disgruntled about dolphin rights and brewing a revolution

This raises an interesting question: what are the politics of semi-captivity? Our group as well as animal rights activists felt that semi-captivity is also inhumane. Clearly the park, dolphin show crowds, and tourists who paid high prices to swim with these animals thought that dolphins’ controlled access to the ocean was humane and morally permissible. Personally seeing the incredible tricks the dolphins performed for us during the show- dancing, jumping, basketball, balancing acts- further emphasized their tremendous intellect (dolphin’s brains are 1/3 larger than ours), beauty and power and hence their rightful place in their natural uninhibited environment.

Watch the Delfinario dolphin show on youtube here: 

So, long live the VC Cuban Dolphin Revolution! Be good on your island protests and actually defend these animals and further the Revolution by signing the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans at http://www.cetaceanrights.org/.

Produce sold in a local Havana neighborhood

One of the highlights of roaming Havana’s maze of busy downtown streets was the opportunity to stumble upon and sample the wide variety of food being sold on the street. The awesome array ranged from ready to go snacks and small meals sold at window ‘cafeterias,’ produce carts and farmers markets, shopping carts filled with sugared wonton chips and popcorn, and the most classic Cuban food on the go- personal pizzas. With all these easily accessible treats, a walk down any block in Old Havana was a mouthwatering experience.

Street food sold using 3 different methods- shopping cart, glass case, and wooden cart.

Shockingly, the abundance of street food I experienced is a relatively new phenomenon in Cuba. In fact, websites dated as recently as 2009 noted the scarcity of street food vendors and instead advertised government run restaurants as well as strictly controlled ‘casa particulares’ and ‘paladars’ as the main places for tourists to find reliable food. Clearly times have changed, and now small entrepreneurs- many in the food sector- have sprung up all over Cuba. This shift happened in 2010 when Raul Castro eased government economic control, granting over 75,000 entrepreneurial licenses to Cubans interested in joining the nations tiny private sector (which emerged during the Special Period in the 1990s). This economic reform increased Cuba’s self-employment rate by 50%, making it one of the Cuban economy’s most radical changes since Fidel Castro nationalized all Cuban business in 1968. By strengthening Cuba’s private sector Raul Castro hoped to resuscitate Cuba’s crippled economy and provide alternatives for the half a million government workers the Cuban labor federation projected would be laid off in the coming years in order to balance the national budget. These dramatic circumstances created the mouthwatering Cuban avenues crammed with food vendors and farmers markets we see today.

A woman sells her produce at an open air farmers market in Havana

When you walk around Havana’s streets there aren’t many material objects tempting your eyes or wallet- but now there is food- spilling out from every other window, living room, and horse cart you pass. In fact, the biggest local crowds were outside the snack shop windows- called ‘cafeterias’. A particularly impressive row of cafeterias lay directly across from the capital building.  Each of these shops consisted of a grungy window and counter- sometimes separated from the street by an iron grate- and a small glass case or plastic tray displaying the few items they sold. These little concession windows- complete with a small cardboard sign and crooked script- also peeped out of many residential windows I passed in the local Old Havana neighborhoods. From my wandering the most popular cafeteria items seemed to be thick cut ham sandwiches, cheese or guava empanadas, various fried dough concoctions and of course personal pizzas. It also appeared that each food sold on the street seemed to have its particular vehicle of distribution- pizzas, coffee, sandwiches and fried treats were always sold out of building/home windows. Popcorn and sugar chips were almost exclusively sold out of shopping carts, cane juice was sold out of rural stalls, and fresh produce was sold out of carts or in designated markets.

my favorite cafeteria, across from the capital building

many cafeterias have iron grates between the customer and the food- this makes grabbing your snack a bit tricky

Each city we went to seemed to have its own street food personality. For example I will always remember Cienfuegos as the mecca of personal pizzas. Granted we were walking around at lunchtime, but literally every other cafeteria was selling pizza and every other person was eating it. Known as a ‘peso pizza’ or ‘street pizza,’ Cuban pizza is a favorite with its own distinct character. Thick doughy crust, a thin layer of generously spiced tomato sauce and a sparse sprinkling of rubbery cheese on top- the only acceptable way to eat this pizza is by folding it in half -paper plate and all- and eating the whole thing like a semicircular burrito. What I took away form my bustling lunch time experience in Cienfuegos was that for lunch it seems like- at least here- most Cubans eat fast food (the places that served cooked full meals looked deserted and geared towards tourists). I also learned that mysterious Cuban ice cream flavors often remain a mystery even upon eating- although they are always creamy and delicious.

Folding a 'street' 'peso' pizza in half to eat it the proper way

Sadly in Trinidad we missed out on many of the roadside ‘cafeteria’ food shops because it was a Sunday and most local vendors were closed. Nonetheless Hannah, Spencer and I wandered outside the historic district to sample a pineapple ice cream, questionable hamburger and favorite pizza from the few cafeterias that were open. Determined to survive on street snacks alone, we also bought a bunch of 18 bananas from a nice old man with a horse and cart. Later we quenched our thirst and made a new friend, Oscar Borges Justiz, who pulled a coconut out of his wheelbarrow and cut off the top w his machete, offering the fresh juice inside to Hannah- complete with a straw.

Street food vendors are often very friendly

Our new friend Oscar Borges Justiz and his delicious coconuts

Food sold from street side cafeteria windows, alleyway farmers markets and on mobile carts is clearly a staple in Cuban’s daily lives.  From school children walking home with ice cream to older men sitting on their front steps with small coffee cups, Cubans in urban centers enjoying living and eating in public on the street.

A shopping cart selling popcorn & sugared wonton chips is the best kind

References:

http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/articles/feature/article_feature.php?landa=11

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/20/140501399/entrepreneurs-emerge-as-cuba-loosens-control

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/world/americas/04cuba.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/old-havana-in-cuba

http://www.cuba-made-easy.com/Eating-drinking-Cuba.html