I have a love-hate relationship with Cuba.
It’s a big, beautiful country, overtly there’s a certain joie-de-vivre, they have come close but never succumbed to famine, there’s basic healthcare and education for all, it’s probably the safest country in the region (tiny, uber-rich enclaves aside), and it’s exceedingly rare – though not entirely unheard of – to encounter drunk, mentally ill or homeless people wandering the streets or passed out in doorways. People are incredibly resourceful: not only do they famously keep ancient cars running against all odds, they melt down beer cans to make kitchen implements, among many other examples of resourcefulness. Most people are genuinely nice.
But the joie-de-vivre is counterbalanced by a deep undercurrent of unhappiness, almost everyone has to engage in prohibited and sometimes shady or criminal hustles to live anywhere above bare subsistence, and the state controls huge swaths of the economy and everyday life.
Unrationed food seems reasonably plentiful at first glance, but it’s hideously expensive by Cuban standards, suggesting it isn’t really all that abundant. Most people’s diet is classic poverty fare: it’s dominated by carbs in the form of grains and sugar, so obesity is a problem. On the whole, ration stores are depressing and so are hard-currency stores. Non-ration farmer’s markets (agromercados) can be bright spots, with lots of beautiful produce for sale, but again it’s bloody expensive on a standard wage. Cleaning supplies, personal grooming/hygiene items, clothing, furniture…all very expensive, or possibly unavailable on any given day. (Some will blame the embargo for any and all economic woes, and I do think that’s part of it, but a lot of these issues are at least partly homegrown. There’s plenty of blame to go around.)
It’s allegedly a post-racial society, but you don’t have to scratch far below the surface to find race-based inequality, discrimination and overtly racist attitudes. No doubt it was worse in pre-revolutionary Cuba, but it’s insane to pretend that the Communists have stamped out racism. They haven’t, any more than they’ve stamped out gambling or prostitution. For a parallel, would you say American racists suddenly stopped being racist when the Civil Rights Act was passed?
There is not even the illusion of a free press, freedom of expression or freedom of assembly, with the minimal exception that these days the average person won’t get in deep shit for associating with foreigners. Under Raúl, the state has withdrawn a tentacle or two from the economy, but it’s still almost everywhere. And surely at the back of people’s minds is the fact that previous liberalization initiatives were rolled back or shut down outright, so people still need to take care not to appear to be “too successful.” Nevertheless, inequality is growing rapidly.
I don’t give a shit about the “hardships” faced by tourists – sub-par hotels, mediocre hotel food, scams/gouging, having to see beggars – because none of them come anywhere near the hardships of real Cuban life.
All that said, I do plan to have a look at this book. I’m sure it’s fascinating.
