SPRING 2014 CUBA VOL 4

TRINIDAD ARCHITECTURE

Trying to download all my Cuba data to the blog before I totally loose focus on the who, what, where and why.  As an American, to whom Cuba is virtually inaccessible, it is a little difficult to get your head around the fact, when speaking with  an Englishman about Cuba, it all about the sunshine, beaches and tropical drinks.  It is not like we didn’t experience any sunshine, or beaches or chances to swim.  We did a little people to fishes time (as opposed to people to people) in the Bay of Pigs (in Cuban Playa Giron.)  And I am here to tell you there is absolutely nothing wrong with Cuban rum except that it isn’t available in in the US.   I did however find it here in the UK.  One wonders would it be legal to import it that way, along with a Cuban cigar or two  which are readily available in London.  Probably not worth the hassle, wouldn’t want to be accused of “trading with the enemy.” I’m already subject to extra scrutiny when entering the UK, and no they did not forget what happened in 2012 when I came over . . . computers have long memories.  Big brother is definitely watching, particularly when it comes to international air travel.  My passport has been scanned, my picture taken, loads of forms submitted, I have no doubt our government and many others as well, could find me no matter where I went.  And then there is a trail of credit card charges.  Ah well, guess that is the world we live in nowadays. 
 

Yes, Cuban rum, is quite delightful.  We spent a lovely evening on the roof of a club in Cienfuegos drinking straight rum and smoking cigars with a couple from Texas.  It made me think of a light brandy or cognac.  Late evenings were one of the few times we had the opportunity to relax and/or explore.  We had mini concerts by a childrens’ choir and an adult choir.  We visited the Benny More School of

SINGING WITH A HAVANA CHILDREN'S CHOIR

the Arts and saw a wonderful modern dance number choreographed by a boy and girl aged 13 and 14 respectively.  It was incredibly sophisticated and technically demanding for such young people.  Guess this might be a time to discuss educational system.  In the area of Arts in particular, gifted students are identified early and are groomed to that vocation.  It makes me think of what we understand of the Russian or Chinese system of preparing young people for competition in athletics, only being applied to the Arts and other skilled professions.  Until very recently, remuneration was not as issue when choosing a career.  There may have been some minor differentiation

BENNY MORE SCHOOL

in salary between professionals, manual labourers or artisans but it was not a significant difference.  This gave those in the population who expressed a specific interest or skill  the opportunity to pursue the vocation that most appealed or fitted them with no particular concern about pay.  As a result of this historical perspective toward education and the arts people are encouraged to study and perform and the population is encouraged to attend what we would term cultural events.  Everyone can afford a ticket to a concert or performance.  Local residents, will pay ticket prices in Pesos while tourists will pay in CUCs.  The pricing will be the same, say 20 . . . CUCs or Pesos but it takes about 20 Pesos to make one CUC.  So us foreigners, who are only allowed to have CUCs, pay 10 times as much, which is still a pittance, never mind a great bargain.  

Other visits included an English Language bookstore where we had the opportunity to speak with local professionals with an excellent command of the English language.  Conversations ranged across many topics from philosophy to technology with education and entrepreneurship thrown in for good measure.  A solidly middle class family spoke with us about their life/lifestyle in Cuba 2014.  The wife reminisced  about how her sister had fled Cuba in

ADULT CHOIR IN CIENFUEGOS

the Mariel Boatlift of 1980.  They have not seen each other since, although she is hoping to obtain a visa from the US Interests Section (aka embassy or consulate).  A visit to a group of nuns who care for people with skin diseases and a look at the shop where you exchange your ration book for goods.  The local farmers market (indoors) and a CUC shop where “luxury” goods like shampoo, coke and rice cookers are available.  We met with a group of young adults, and their teacher who work with underprivileged children in a small village.  They provide tutoring to the children and help others with their English language skills in the hope that this will provide more job opportunities. 

FARMERS MARKET CIENFUEGOS

LADY AND SCALE CIENFUEGOS

FARMERS MARKET MEAT COUNTER

CHE, CIENFUEGOS FARMER'S MARKET

FRESH BREAD

Most of our people to people visits have been informative and heart wrenching but our visit in Trinidad with a couple who operate a Casa Particular was quite delightful.   A Casa Particular is a government sanctioned Bed and Breakfast.  The couple we met had effectively traded their home for an 18th century "row house" with two bedrooms and internal courtyard and delightful spacious, communal area, located in the tourist city of Trinidad.  It was once a large sugar growing region.  The Central Plaza is essentially a museum of Spanish colonial architecture. Only a few square blocks in size, the historic plaza area has cobblestone streets, pastel coloured houses with wrought iron grill work and two colonial era churches.
 

OWNERS OF THE B&B

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STREET SWEEPER

Things I have learned:

1. The island is totally surrounded by an American highspeed cable network but Internet access is limited, is accomplished via satellite via Venezuela and is extremely expensive
2. Operation Peter Pan  is the codename for a 1960 era CIA project meant to destabilise the Castro regime that resulted 14,000 Cuban Children being airlifted out of Cuba and placed with Cuban/American families in the US
3. The US obtained it's lease of Guantanamo Bay as the result of the Spanish American War and the Platt Amendment at which time it was a Naval Base . . . long and short of it, it's all about Manifest Destiny which I vaguely remember from High School Civics
4. Cuba is not a particularly religious nation and 55% of their clerics, including the nuns at the skin hospital, are foreign nationals.  
5. There are enormous oil reserves off the coast of Cuba.  Because of the embargo the US has no leases, they belong to the likes of China, Brazil, India, Norway, Spain and Venezuela
 

BENNY MORE SCHOOL

CHE GUEVARA MEMORIAL

 

 

RICE IN THE RATION STORE

    

DANCING WITH THE ABUELAS AT THE SENIOR CENTER

THIS WAS A SEARS STORE IN CIENFUEGOS

I quit, if you all haven't had enough of Cuba you will have to ask me when we get home.  For now I will share a few more pictures and begin thinking about what I want to share of our sojourn in England

SPRING 2014 CUBA VOL 3

OLD TOWN HAVANA

It is time to get back to sharing our experiences in Cuba with you.  Most days began with lectures.  The first was Miguel Coyula, an architect, urban planner and professor at the University of Havana.  His charge was to present an overview of Havana now and then.  We heard several times, and from various presenters, that historically Cuba was considered the access point to the Caribbean.   It was also the last stop on the eastward voyage, for the wealth coming out of Central and South America headed for Spain.  That meant ships and pirates and all the other problems associated with a transient population,

For the longest while it was a Spanish colony. In 1762 there was a British occupation which lasted a short while, until it was traded for Florida.  That is what my notes say, though at this remove I honestly don’t remember.  Perhaps I should confirm what really happened but I need internet access to do that.  But that is not happening since we are currently sitting at a standstill on a British Rail (Southern Line) train, because of a signal failure.  Methinks our scheduled 40 minute train ride to Victoria Station will be considerably longer.

The long and short of it, old Havana has a lot of Spanish Colonial buildings dating from the

18TH CENTURY HOTEL

1600s.  The government has designated the entire area a historical district and is involved in restoring the exterior of the buildings.  At times this means the buildings are completely gutted and only the exterior shell is retained but the resulting ambiance is historically accurate even if the original occupancies bear no relationship with todays.  If you are in the old town it is quaint and appealing but you only need go a few blocks before you are surround by dilapidated buildings and holes or piles of rubble where building once stood.  This may get renovated or redeveloped at some future date but currently it is home to many families who have no other options in terms of housing.

Thanks to government subsidies, home ownership in Havana is extremely high — about 87 percent.  However, because the average house is 75 years old or more and the people do not have the money for maintenance many homes are in great disrepair, with a significant portion of the population living in squalor.  I gathered from our lecture that for many working people — even doctors, professionals and academics home repairs are simply too costly.

HAVANA SKYLINE

For example, a sack of cement can take as much as 55% of a months’ salary, while a window can be as much as 10 months income.  So much has to be imported and skilled construction workers are in short supply.  This means you must decide whether to eat or to paint. 

 

The problem is exacerbated by huge income disparities, often the result of remittances from the United States and other countries. Also the entrepreneurship fostered by Raul Castro has meant those who have the means to own their own business have a greater access to cash both peso and CUC.  According to Coyula, it’s not uncommon for “poverty and privilege to exist side by side” in Havana neighborhoods or even within single buildings.  How do you manage to begin to maintain apartments or condos where the tenants are not on an equal financial footing.  

HAVANA TAXIS

Okay this has become way too serious but there are those among you who have inquired the cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs and generally the why of the American embargo.  So I shall intersperse images but try to explain what I understand of the politics. 

Okay, trying to confirm what I think I know/understand about the embargo I came across a 2005 speech on the Cato Institute website.  http://www.cato.org/publications/speeches/four-decades-failure-us-embargo-against-cuba about the effects of the embargo.  I may not agree with all of his analysis or conclusions but if you choose to read it I believe you will find it enlightening.  If that is not enough and you want to get a grip why on what happened in the first place, try this one from Time http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1891359,00.html.  I think these two articles will do a far better job than I could ever do and they are more likely to get it right.  

 We were supposed to visit Hemingway's finca (farm) on the outskirts of Havana but it was being renovated so all we got was a ride out to the small community where it was located.  These shots were taken there and this building is actually still being used by some element of th military. 

 The next selection of pictures are people in Havana.  

STREET SWEEPERS ARE EVERWHERE

LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR IN THE CITY CENTER

I

In the past I have collected images of mailboxes in the UK.  This one is in Havana, don't remember when it dates from let's just go with old. 

I think it must be time to finish with Cuba.  I have a few more pictures to share and will write a little about some of our "people to people" adventures and then it is on to England.