(Observation of Communism in practice in one of the last bastion of communism. Pictures and poem” Eulogy to the little white shoes” at the end of article)

Our visit to Cuba was different as compared to our visits to other countries-it was very cerebral and filled with discussions among the members of the visiting group as well as with Cuban people, Artists and scholars. It was one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and satisfying trip.

We still has embargo on Cuba. Travels to Cuba are prohibited except annual visits by immediate family members, but Obama Administration has recently allowed cultural and people to people interaction visits to Cuba. Our Visit was arranged by a travel agency who has a USA government license to arrange such visits. The visitors on such trip are required to keep a written daily log of all activities and safe keep such notes for five years for inspection by the US Department of Treasury.

Our group had 27 members which included teachers, school manager, engineer, business- man, physicians, professional photographer, Security Expert and City manager. We flew on a chartered flight from Miami to Cienfuegos; a beautiful southern city of Cuba. We visited nearby city of Trinidad, famous for its beautiful cobblestone streets. After spending about three days in this area we drove to Havana and spent four days in Havana before heading back to Miami.

Our guide was a young lady who was very knowledgeable and fluent in English. She gave historic perspective and elaborated on Castro Revolution, economy, education, health system, rationing, Art, music, culture, housing and government’s role in people’s lives. She was frank in discussion, answering all questions, but still somewhat hedging and vehemently supporting Castro and the Revolution. We visited a clinic where a doctor explained and answered all our questions on Cuban health system. We took a tour of Nursing Home, a closed sugar mill, a Cigar Factory, a Theater, a mall, Liberty square, Art Museum, Art Gallery, artist’s home, Bay of Pigs Museum and Ernest Hemingway’s estate. We visited a music school and Literacy Museum. The Director of the Museum, a teacher and a scholar herself, explained and answered questions on Cuban Education system. We attended a dance studio, took Salsa dance lesson, and attended Choral and Cubic Music performances. Everywhere we went , we were allowed to interact with Cubans and ask any question. In the cigar factory, a worker asked us how much money we make in a day and how you can afford to travel abroad. She was surprised by our answer. In Cuba a physician is the highest paid profession, and earns about $ 60.00/month. The physician frequently has to walk or ride a bicycle to make house calls.

 In Havana we were placed in National Hotel, a beautiful hotel where most of the dignitaries stay. In the beautiful backyard of the hotel, there are still old Gun and war trenches of Spanish-Cuban-American War. On the last day of the visit a Cuban scholar and ex-diplomat, held a lecture and Q/A session with our group on US-Cuba relations. 

Cuba is a beautiful Island where Ernest Hemingway spent part of his life because of its beauty and bluish green beaches and rivers. Unfortunately it does not possess many natural resources except sugar cane harvest and sugar mills which are gradually dwindling. Cuba depended heavily on subsidiaries from Soviet Union and discounted price oil from Venezuela. Despite limited resources, its communist system provides free health, free housing and free education to all citizens. Every community has a clinic which provides health care to local residents including house calls by doctors. The clinics are staffed by primary care and specialist doctors. Care is free including cosmetic plastic surgery. Cuban doctors practice in many Latin American countries and are source of foreign exchange.  Everyone has a ration book and receives monthly ration. As per our guide, about 80 % of all businesses are owned by the State. Private business requires government approval, is difficult to start and is usually limited to small items. All the hotels and restaurants we visited were owned by the State. The internet is very slow and one gets the impression that the country is isolated from the rest of the world and technologically decades backward. The Island has not kept up technologically even its agriculture sector- its main source of income. We saw harvest being cut by hands by machetes.

The communist system has done a great job of providing daily necessities to all citizens at basic survival level, but there is no social upward mobility incentive or avenue. It has great free health care and free education system with very low illiteracy rate-1.5%, as per our guide. But this low illiteracy rate has not translated into either individual or national prosperity. The State does not guarantee a job to everyone, but State is the only major employer which pays meagerly to everyone. Anyone seen with extra wealth has to answer to the local Communist committee to explain source of income. The neighbors keep an eye on each other. The Island has beautiful, mostly Spanish Colonial Era, buildings but they have not been kept up and many are crumbling. It will require millions of dollars to rehabilitate them. The housing is provided by the Government and the buildings are supposed to be maintained by the State, but many are breaking down with missing windows and doors. Recently government allowed the people to maintain their houses and some can even sell and buy the houses/apartments. Many Cuban Americans in Florida are trying to take advantage of this provision, and are buying property through their relatives in Cuba, but Cuban government is considering banning this practice.

The hot topic repeatedly discussed was the impact of US embargo on travel and commerce with Cuba. The American visitors are treated with lot of care, and are repeatedly requested to write to their representatives to lift the embargo. One gets the feeling that Cubans blame embargo as the main source of their problems. It seems partly true because many companies are reluctant to do business with Cuba because they are afraid to run afoul of any American law. If idea of embargo was to force Cuba towards open and democratic society, it has not worked and actually has the opposite effect. In fact, lifting embargo will force Cuba to become more open society and change its ways.

“Is Cuba ready for the day when embargo is lifted and infusion starts of capitalist signs of McDonald, Starbucks, KFC, Wall Mart and Casinos?” asked one of the participants in final discussion session. The speaker, Camilo Garcia Lopez, ex- Cuban diplomat and scholar, took a moment of silence for reflection and said (paraphrasing) “The Cuban society has made a great social progress by providing free health, education and housing to all its citizens, and we are apprehensive and afraid to lose it”. Then he added “we will try to bring changes slowly on our own terms”.

One of our group member wondered, what will happen environmentally to this pristine and unmolested island when the embargo is lifted?. It will be interesting to visit the island few years after the embargo is lifted. 

Some pictures and a poem ” Eulogy to the white little shoes”.            

The poem has a propaganda flavor , but still beautiful and worth reading. It was frame posted in Bay of Pigs Museum.

 

Eulogy To The Little White Shoes

 

I came from the swamp

that has been redeemed

with a story of

the past that seemed

drenched in blood and

tears. If you choose,

hear my sad tale

of the little white shoes.

 

Nemesia a charcoal

makers’s child

grew up barefoot

in the wild

she dreamed of having

 little white shoes.

 

She knew it was

an impossible dream,

distant as the blue light

that, a celestial bud,

shields us at night

from pain and mud.

One day, something new

…..unexpected—came

to the swamp,

bringing light. Its name;

Revolution,

Fidel Castro’s Sun,

and, with it, changes were begun.

 

The charcoal makers

and fishermen

founded co-ops

which brought them

unimagined wealth, a dawn of letters, numbers—-everything.

Nemesia began to sing.

 

No longer barefoot

now she wore

little white shoes

she ‘d hungered for.

On Sunday she was pretty, neat,

with her shoes upon her feet.

 

But Monday she woke

to the thunder of fear

Furious birds—-

 vultures —- flew near

startling and inflicting pain mercenary U.S. planes

 

Nemesia saw

her mom fall dead;

her little brothers,

wounded, bled.

The hurricane of shots, they say, also blew her shoes away,

 

She cried in grief,

“ The planes must lose!

They have killed my family

—-and my shoes!”

The monster thought,

“ My bombs will scare

the mothers from raising

brave children there.

Also, why shouldn’t

their feet be bare?”

 

Now Nemesia has dried her tears;

militiamen have stopped the bombs

that traitors brought

to kill her mom.