Author Archives: ssmundo06@yahoo.com.au

The Rolling Stones and a Havana moon

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“Rolling! Rolling! Rolling!….” The Cuban crowd chanted, happily and louder as they grew impatient. The tension was building, the anticipation almost unbearable. We had been waiting on the grass for nearly three hours, to be sure of a good position, as the crowd grew around us, and now it was time. Actually ten minutes late, 8.40pm, under a full moon. The lights on the stage and screens, suddenly went out. Half a million people were in a total blackout. The chanting and cheering grew louder, and louder, people squeezing together and moving forward in the darkness…when in a sudden blinding blaze of bright light the Rolling Stones appeared on stage on the giant screens – and without more delay – we were overcome by the adrenalin-charged pounding beat of “I’m Jumping Jack Flash, it´s a gas, gas, gas!”

(view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvloJZdNUs)

The build up to this moment began hours before, when good friends Robinson and Juan Carlos and I got ready in Vedado, for the concert of a life-time. We caught a bus and then walked the last kilometre to the Ciudad Deportiva – with hundreds of thousands of Cubans. We converged on the vast, open air space, outside the spaceship-like stadium, where a huge temporary stage had been erected with sound towers and giant screens. This was Good Friday, 25th March, 2016.

The concert was underway, the music was exhilarating and the atmosphere was off the Richter scale. Close-ups of the faces of the four original band members appeared on the huge screens, and they were having a ball…. beaming with pleasure and full of energy… and all in their 70s (except Ronnie Wood who was 69). When there was an opportunity, Mick Jagger welcomed the vast happy Cuban crowd:

“Buenas noches! At last the times are changing and we are so happy to be here. Our music was banned in Cuba for many years, but we are here tonight with our music for you.”

He joked with the audience and his bandmates during the performance, calling the original members

“The Revolutionary Ronnie Wood…Charlie Ché Watts….Compadre Keith Richards”

This wonderful event was the culmination of an historic week in Havana. It began on the Monday, when USA1 landed at José Martí Airport, Havana, bringing the President Barack Obama and his family, including his mother in law, to Cuba for the first time. His arrival was broadcast live on national TV, and each of his meetings and speeches over the next few days were also broadcast live. Most knowledgeable Cubans knew that nothing was going to change in their lives straight away, but most agreed that this was a step in the right direction. The arrival of the black US President with his family was hugely symbolic – showing that he felt safe enough in Cuba to bring his wife and children with him, and showing the world what Cubans are really like – warm, generous, funny, educated people.

Full credit is due to the legendary Rolling Stones and their sexy front man, Mick Jagger. They brought all of their equipment, vast stage and screens, and technical team, with their backing vocalists and musicians to give the Cuban people a free, unforgettable concert that lasted two hours – as if to mark a new beginning. They enjoyed themselves; Mick Jagger enchanted the audience with his colloquial Cuban Spanish, shouting at the fans “Ustedes están en talla!” (you are looking great!); and the screaming, dancing fans had a night none of us will ever forget.

The whole experience was beautiful, but one little scene beside me in the audience, epitomised the night. A mature Cuban lady next to me was waving something in the air, like a cardboard sign, which I could not see well at first. Then, I saw that it was a 1960s Rolling Stones album cover for her much-loved, contraband, vinyl LP record. She had secretly enjoyed their music for fifty years, and here she was, watching them perform live with half a million country folk in Havana. What a moment! (I asked her permission and she was happy for me to take her photo).

After playing for an hour and a half, Jagger finished a song, said “Gracias, buenas noches”… and promptly walked off the stage, accompanied by the whole band, and the lights were dimmed. The audience were left a little stunned… was that it? They applauded, and some began to move towards the exit. I was confident that there would be an encore… but in Cuba, when a show finishes, people generally leave promptly to catch a bus or taxi home….For an uncomfortably long period of time, the audience were confused, but then began to chant again “Rolling, Rolling…” and “Otra, Otra”…and then to my great relief, a Cuban choir paraded onto the stage and sang:

“You can´t always get what you want….but if you try sometimes, well you just might find, you get what you need!”

And then the full band joined them, led by the irrepressible Mick Jagger, strutting the vast stage in his tight trousers and bright red jacket. He could feel the love and returned it in spades. And then the real finale: “Satisfaction”. Wow, what a way to end a concert – the audience was jumping and screaming, and the band was ‘going off’. Finally, after two unforgettable, incomparable hours, the Rolling Stones, nearing exhaustion, waved fondly and left the stage….the lights lit up the vast audience, and the grateful, satisfied, throng turned for the exits.

As half a million people calmly left through the venue, and flowed down the adjacent streets, no motor traffic was possible. From the open grassy sports fields outside the Ciudad Deportiva (Sport City), in the outskirts of Havana, the main road to central Havana passes by a forest… and thousands of men, and probably women too, sprinted into the darkness to urinate, and relieve themselves after showing great restraint for hours. The crowd continued on and occupied the entire main road leading to the Plaza de la Revolucion, and there we passed the illuminated image of Ché Guevara, beaming down like another full moon. With my friends Robinson and Juan Carlos, we happily walked for kilometres, all the way home to Vedado,  arrived back at the apartment at midnight, enjoyed a delicious Cuban coffee and hot milk and then to sleep at 1 am.

Postscript: The DVD and CD of the concert are available, entitled: “The Rolling Stones – Havana Moon”, 25 March 2016, Havana, Cuba

Humboldt – the second discoverer of Cuba

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Walking along the narrow cobbled streets of Old Havana in March this year, the day was hot and humid and I was sweaty and in need of a shady refuge. Making my way along calle Oficios towards the Plaza de Armas, I came across a shady little park with some bench seats (in Cuban Spanish: un parquecito). Finding myself in a shady seat and looking about, I saw a tall plinth in the centre of the park, with the bust of a handsome young man mounted on top, square-jawed, with an unruly but attractive forelock tumbling over his high forehead. The inscription read “Alexander von Humboldt, 1769 – 1859”.

avonhhavanaavonhparquecito

I knew the name – because he was a German (in fact a Prussian) naturalist explorer after whom the Humboldt Current was named, the nutrient rich ocean current which flows up the west coast of South America from Antarctica; and because the account of his travels through the Spanish colonies of the New World was Charles Darwin´s favourite bedtime reading on “The Beagle”!

 

oficiosymuralla

As I looked across narrow calle Oficios, opposite the park, on the corner with calle Muralla, stood a large, elegant colonial building, with a plaque stating that the brilliant scientist had lived here during his first stay in Cuba from 19 December 1800 until 15 March 1801. The house is now the Humboldt Museum, however it has been closed for restoration for a few years.

avhmurallayoficios

humboldtmuseointerior

A second plaque on the building had a quote from a distinguished Cuban anthropologist and expert on Afro-Cuban culture, Fernando Ortiz, which referred to Humboldt and stated:

avhplaque2

 

“He discovered in the darkness with which slavery enveloped Cuba, the lights with which to illuminate the awareness of the nation”

 

Wanting to know more about the homage that Cuba was paying to this European visitor from the early 19th century, I made enquiries from Cuban friends. What I found was that Alexander von Humbolt, is well known to all Cuban school children as “the second discoverer of Cuba” (after Christopher Columbus – who is credited as being the first).

Carrying a rare passport issued to him by the King of Spain, Alexander von Humboldt (Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt) visited various Spanish American colonies, including Cuba, during a self-funded voyage of scientific discovery from 1799 to 1804. He made two short visits to Cuba and used his time well. The Royal Passport ensured that he was well received by the noblest of Cuban families and had access to Government records of the business of the colony – including sugar, coffee and tobacco production and export, trade with other Spanish colonies, and slavery.

Twenty two years after returning to Europe, Humboldt published his detailed notes on Cuba in a book in Spanish, entitled “Political Essay on the Island of Cuba”.  Apart from providing a detailed snapshot of the state of the colony in the early part of the 19th century, the book gave details of the climate and geography, the fauna, flora and geology, economy, the population and racial mix… and most sensationally a fierce condemnation of the treatment of slaves and their use in all plantation-based economies, including Jamaica and the southern states of the USA. The book was banned in colonial Cuba. Humboldt was furious when, in 1855, an English translation was released in the USA by Mr J. S. Thrasher, who as well as including an open call for annexation of Cuba by the USA, omitted the chapter on slavery!

Before he died in his 90th year in 1859, Humboldt had become arguably the most famous and respected scientist in the world. Charles Darwin, who carried Humboldt´s publications with him on the voyage of the Beagle, described him as “the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived”; and the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV said Humboldt was “the greatest man since the deluge”.

bustavhhavana

 

According to US poet Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Humboldt was one of those wonders of the worlds…who appear from time to time to as if to show us the possibilities of the human mind, the force and range of the faculties – a universal man.”

 

 

 

Excellent publications about Alexander von Humboldt in recent times include:

ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT – A METABIOGRAPHY, by Nicolaas Rupke (2008); University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

TRANSATLANTIC ECHOES – ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT IN WORLD LITERATURE, edited by Rex Clark and Oliver Lubrich (2012); Berghahn Books, New York and Oxford

THE INVENTION OF NATURE by Andrea Wulf (2015); John Murray Publishers, London.

What has changed in Cuba?

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Since that handshake between President Obama and President Castro in November 2014, changes have happened in Cuba. There are more tourists wanting to spend more money. There are more modern coaches carrying groups from tourist destination to tourist destination. There are more visits from US sporting and cultural groups. The biggest change for Cubans has been easier access to the internet. Most things, however,  for most Cubans are unchanged.

What do Cubans think of the changes taking place? It depends who you ask. Some are suspicious, about the US’ motivations, some are wary of renewed US exploitation. Many are hopeful for improvements in their living conditions and an end to the economic blockade, bu most realise that Obama cannot remove the Congress-imposed trade embargo.

Since the historic meeting between the presidents in November 2014, change has been in the air. Since then, working groups from both countries have met quietly to work to normalise the relationship that has been testy since Cuba rid itself of the US backed dictator Fulgencia Batista in 1959.

The US flag flew prominently around Havana when President Obama paid a visit in March 2016

The US flag flew prominently around Havana when President Obama paid a visit in March 2016

Viewed from Australia, the changes seem momentous i.e. the fact that the two nations were meeting and working together. Embassies have been opened in each country, one in Havana and the other in Washington. President Obama has relaxed the restrictions on Americans sending money to help their families in Cuba, and on Americans visiting Cuba. And most recently, he and his family visited Cuba – arriving on 21st March 2016 .

Cuban flag on the Malecon

Cuban flag on the Malecon, looking towards the USA across the Florida Straits

So, what has changed in Cuba?

After visiting Cuba many times since 2002, and travelling extensively through the island, I returned in February this year to see first hand what was going on – excited by the prospect of positive changes for the patient, long-suffering and beautiful people.

After visiting Havana, Santa Clara, Matanzas, Varadero, Trinidad, Guantanamo and Baracoa, and speaking with Cuban friends and families that I have known for 10 or more years – sadly,   daily life is unchanged and just as much of a struggle as before – for 99% of Cubans.

The most obvious positive and significant change since I was last here in May 2015 is that access to WiFi is now available in public places around the country. Hundreds of people, their faces lit by the glow from their smart phones, tablets and laptops, can be seen sitting by day and night on steps and on park benches in places where WiFi reception is strongest – usually outside large international hotels and central plazas.

WiFi is available throughout Cuba, from Havana to Guantanamo

Cubans absorbed in using WiFi in the central park of Guantanamo City

Everywhere young, computer-literate people are selling cards for $US3 to give access to the internet for one hour. One example, Fernando, who I met one evening outside Hotel Habana Libre, helped me download Facebook onto my smart phone. He is 22 and studied information science at Pre-University College before doing his compulsory two year military service. He told me that when he finished “I just wanted to earn some money, and so decided not to go back to study at University”.

Cuban using WiFi to connect to the World

Cubans use the WiFi outside the Hotel Habana Libre, to use their mobile phones, tablets and laptops

Access to the world wide web is a huge change in a country where previously only tourists could afford $US10 per hour to use the computers available in big hotels. Even so, $US3 is a week´s wage for most Cubans. But this technological change is a heartening sign that more things may follow to ease the burden on Cubans in general, for many of whom life continues to be a struggle – la lucha sigue!

Chinese-made modern air conditioned buses await the tourists

Tourist buses line up waiting for groups of tourists

The other obvious changes are that tourism from the USA is booming and there are many more groups of “yumas” (as white Anglo-Saxons are called here) on the streets of Old Havana. Most of these tourist groups stay in government owned hotels in Old Havana and Vedado, and travel in organized groups in air-conditioned buses (“Yutongs” bought by Cuba from China). They visit the national monuments, like the Museum of the Revolution (formerly the Presidential Palace), the National Museum of Cuban Art, Ernest Hemingway´s home, the Revolution Square, El Morro – the World Heritage listed Spanish colonial fortification that dominates Old Havana, and the plazas of Old Havana, including Plaza Vieja, Plaza de Armas and Plaza del Catedral. Rows of restored luxury US cars from the 1940s and 50s still wait outside these tourist attractions, now joined by rows of Yutong buses.

Cadillac beside Central Park, Havana

Cadillacs, Dodges, Plymouths, Oldsmobiles… luxury US limousines from another era take tourists around the sites of Havana

As well as the authorised groups in hotels, many people are making their own way from the US, via Mexico or Canada, and staying in private bed and breakfast Cuban homes – by far the best way to meet Cubans and be well cared for. AirBnB now operates in Cuba and is a great way to find a place to stay and get to know a Cuban family.

So, the visible changes initiated by that meeting of Obama and Castro are few. A lot of extra tourist dollars are flowing into hotels – which benefits the Cuban government and economy in general. The Cubans who benefit privately are those who own restaurants – and the number of good quality restaurants is soaring, bed and breakfast businesses (casas particulares), old American cars… and the callejeros, who make their living on the streets among the tourists, encouraging them to go to this bar or that restaurant, or buy black market Cuban cigars etc.

For most of my Cuban friends, life only gets tougher. Aunt Maria needs to find a boarder to help make ends meet because her son has married a New Zealander and left for a better life abroad; Rafael has got 3 days of back-breaking laboring work for $US10 – but has to pay $US60 per month for his tiny bedsit in a “solar” in Havana; José is a skilled tiler-builder in Guantanamo, where there is no paid work, so he works for meals alone.

So, “Welcome President Obama – thanks for what you are doing (and please try to do more)”. What do Cubans think of it all? Their hopes for positive change have been raised and dashed many times over the past 50 odd years. Cubans are not sceptical – but realistic, and patient. Nothing much will change for them in the short term. They continue to hope and pray to their God, saints and Orishas, that, step by step, little by little, their lot in life will become easier.

Arriving in Cuba

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Tomorrow I arrive in Cuba, at Terminal 3 of the José Martí International Airport in Havana. It´s the eighth time, and each time I´m filled with a mixture of nervous anticipation, fear that something unexpected will go wrong and excitement. It´s another world!

Usually, flying from Australia I pass through US Customs in Los Angeles, and change flights for Mexico City, and from there to Havana. This time, for something different, I am in Panama City, and leave from here at 9.15 in the morning.

I first came to Cuba in 2002, not so long after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the worst of the “Special Period” that followed, when Cuba´s economy collapsed without Soviet support, and oil became desperately short. One of the reasons for going then, was a fear that this little Caribbean Island that had resisted bullying and terrorism from its northern neighbour for so long, would inevitably succumb, and become another Coca Cola colony of the USA, like Puerto Rico. While it would gain the benefits of capitalism, it would be at risk of losing some of the unique and precious things that distinguish it from other latin countries, including its vibrant culture and its public health and education systems.

I have seen many changes since 2002, while many things have stayed the same. With the thawing of relationships with the USA, there are big challenges for the Cuban government. Within months of the meeting of Presidents Obama and Raul Castro in December 2014, the numbers of US tourists to Cuba soared, bringing much needed money into the economy.

When nobody had anything much and there was an identifiable external threat, the Cuban people put up with their plight, banded together and put the country first. If the influx of tourists and money, means that some Cubans get relatively rich, while most others continue to struggle, the situation may change.

I will report on the changes that are occurring, from the perspective of a “yuma” (white western foreigner) and from the perspectives of Cuban friends while I spend the next two months in Cuba.

Despite the easing of tensions with the USA, the US economic blockade (embargo) remains in place – and could only be removed with the support of the Republican controlled US Congress. For 23 years, the United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to end the blockade, with 188 nations including Australia and Britain, now demanding that it be removed, and only the USA and Israel supporting the crippling sanctions.

Cuba claims that the blockade has cost it more than $1,000 billion, while the USA disingenuously alleges that Cuba´s economic problems are due its own mismanagement. Despite the opening of embassies in each other´s country this year, the blockade has been tightened in recent years, and is unchanged. Severe penalties prevent industries in countries that oppose the blockade doing business with Cuba, such as Australian banks. (https://www.facebook.com/UnfairANZSanctionsHurtCubans/).

The author, in the Plaza de Armas, Old Havana (photo: Benjamin D´Emden)

The author, in the Plaza de Armas, Old Havana (photo: Benjamin D´Emden)

Tomorrow, as I join the throng of “yumas” on their way to Cuba, I can reflect on others who have been drawn to the island before me. In recent times, famous personalities like Beyoncé, Ry Cooder, Wynton Marsalis, Juanes,  Jack Nicholson, Kevin Spacey, Naomi Campbell, Jodie Foster, the queen of Spain, and Spanish actor Javier Bardem, have been. In 1987, Australian group Air Supply gave a massive concert, and are still remembered fondly. Perhaps the most famous Cuba-phile was Ernest Hemingway, who lived there from 1939 to 1960, and his home, Finca Vigia, is a Hemingway Museum (also, there are so many places in Old Havana that claim that “Hemingway drank here”, that one great little restaurant, El Chanchullero, has a sign saying that “Hemingway never came here”).  Long before them, a gay Prussian aristocratic scientist, the father of geography, left a lasting impression. Baron Alexander von Humbolt visited Cuba in 1800 and again in 1804, and has been called the second discoverer of Cuba for his geographical studies. He is remembered by a street in Vedado, curiously where a smart, modern gay venue has opened “Humboldt 54”, and his statue and a museum are to be found in Old Havana. I´m keen to visit them.

So you´re off to Cuba (travel)

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Most tourists to Cuba fly directly from European airports or from Canada. From Australia, it is easy with various options. The cheapest route from Melbourne or Sydney is usually direct to Los Angeles (or Houston), then change for a flight to Mexico City, and then from there to Havana. It is also possible to fly from Australia via New Zealand to Santiago de Chile, and then change for a flight to Havana; or fly to Vancouver and Toronto in Canada, then direct to Cuba. You can book on line yourself, looking for the best available fair on sites such as www.webjet.com.au/flights/; www.farecompare.com/‎; www.cheapflights.com.au and many others. I recommend getting an idea of what you might need to pay for a return flight, and then go to a travel agent like Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com.au/) and see their best offer.

Travel insurance is necessary to enter Cuba and most travel agents will organise that for you if you want. It is worth considering what your maximum excess payment will be… as having a higher excess reduces the cost of insurance dramatically. Platinum VISA card holders are now offered free travel insurance.

Visas are needed to pass through the USA and Mexico. If you are Australian, you can apply on-line for a “visa waiver” at the US government ESTA site https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. The visa waiver costs only $US14 and lasts two years and covers Canada, USA and Mexico. Beware however, there are scams in operation that look like the official site, but charge you $US87 for processing your application.

Your visa to enter Cuba can be obtained from the Cuban consulate in Canberra for $60 in person or $110 by mail, http://www.cubadiplomatica.cu, but it is easier to just buy a visa at the airport in Mexico City en route to Havana ($US50). It is quick, easy and reliable.

Next consider your health! It may be quickest and easiest to see a specialist “travel doctor” and make sure you have the necessary vaccinations. Cuba is a healthy destination, but it is good to use roll-on insect repellent against mosquito born infections, like dengue fever (especially in eastern Cuba). Vaccination is recommended against hepatitis A and B, typhoid, diphtheria and tetanus – measles and influenza while you are at it! You can find what you need to know in the Australian Government “Immunization Handbook”, health.gov.au.

The flight from Australia is long. Wear comfortable clothing. To avoid deep vein thrombosis, flex your feet and leg muscles while sitting for long periods, and every hour or so, get up and walk around the cabin and drink water. Water is provided and can be found at the rear of the aircraft, usually with fruit and nibbles.

So you´re off to Cuba? (money)

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If you are planning to go to Cuba, and I recommend it, what sorts of things do you need to think about? The situation changes continually but this advice is current and appropriate early in 2016.

US dollars and US credit cards cannot be used in Cuba, but those from other countries are welcome. It is useful to have a range of options for accessing money including some cash, a debit card and credit card from your bank,  and a travel card (another form of debit card). The latter cannot be used in Cuba (as it does not have the owner´s name on it) but can be useful elsewhere, like in Mexico or Panama on the way. I suggest having the cash in euros, as these are easily changed throughout Cuba, but put US dollars on the travel card – because this will only be useful in Mexico or other Latin American countries. You can change some cash or use your debit card on arrival at the airport, and receive CUCs (“divisa”, Cuban convertible currency, pegged to the US dollar). If withdrawing from a bank, you need to present your passport with your debit or credit card (note: there are less charges to pay at home if you use your debit card). However, there are many ATMs around Havana and other main cities where you just use your card and your PIN number. You may also decide to have another backup by carrying some traveller´s cheques in euros… but I have stopped doing that, as it has never been necessary. Where you see the sign “CADECA” you can change you CUCs into moneda nacional. One CUC (=one US dollar) equals 25 Cuban pesos moneda nacional. I recommend keeping both currencies on you – because you can use the moneda nacional to go to a movie (2 pesos mn) or catch a “maquina” , old US car acting as a taxi-bus (for 10 pesos mn); and fresh bread rolls (10 for 10 pesos mn).

In many, or most situations, you will have to use CUCs. For example a coffee or mojito at the Hotel Nacional will cost you about 3 or 4 CUC, and a can of beer from the supermarket will cost 1 CUC. A nice bottle of Havana Club rum from the liquor store will cost about 7 CUC, while a bottle of Spanish red wine will cost about 10 CUC. Entry to the new FAC (Cuban Art Factory) will cost 2 CUC. The taxi from the airport to Havana costs 25 CUC.

Increasingly the government is trying to bring the two currencies together and at many supermarkets you can pay in either “divisa” or “moneda nacional”.

One last warning for the unsuspecting – a peso refers to moneda nacional, but Cubans also call one CUC, a peso. So when you ask for a beer and are told “one peso” , you have to know that is too cheap to be in moneda nacional, it means one CUC. And while on beer, there are two main brands of Cuban beer, Cristal and Bucanero, both excellent and costing the same. There are also other brands of lesser quality beer, but quite good to drink which cost less and are found in local Cuban bars rather than upmarket tourist bars – such as Mayabe and Hatuey. You will also find imported beers such as Corona and Heinekens.

 

The Challenge of Cuba

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Cuba is a complex, exciting place and contrary to some observers, Cubans are eager to express their opinions about Cuba and the Cuban situation – with trusted friends. English language information is available on the government site (www.havanatimes.org/) and the famous “dissident” journalist Yoani Sanchez writes her blog called Generation Y for a wide audience (generacionyen.wordpress.com ). The Havana Times describes itself as “open-minded writing from Cuba” and gives its own version of Cuban reality (http://www.havanatimes.org/). Coming to understand Cuba better demands some knowledge of the diverse perspectives within Cuba, let alone outside. For starters, here is what Osmel Ramirez Alvarez wrote last week in Havana Times (www.havanatimes.org/?p=116024 ):

The Challenge of Understanding Cuba

Osmel Ramirez Alvarez

HAVANA TIMES — Speaking about Cuba can stir up controversy. It is a truly unique country, surrounded by many myths and filled with antagonistic ideologies, natural beauty, overwhelming cultures and unparalleled contradictions. It is a country that is at once highly nationalistic and divided, where we come across extreme poverty and invaluable resources, revolutionaries who flee from their revolution, badly-paid talent and values lost in the daily struggle for survival.

This is a country like no other. Not even we Cubans understand Cuba so, how could we expect a foreigner to quickly grasp our situation? It would be a veritable feat to do so. However, despite all this, we are an interesting people with a beautiful country.

Our country faces two major challenges: first, consolidating a social model that is genuinely fair, democratic and inclusive, and, second, defining an economic development strategy that will afford us the social wellbeing we need. All other needs or national aspirations are subordinate or dependent on these two things.

The revolution came to power 56 years ago, and it did so, precisely, to overcome these problems. It’s clear it hasn’t accomplished it. The Cold War and ideological extremism imposed certain rigid formulas on us, the ones that have brought us to this point: an economically devastated country and the indefinite rule of a revolutionary government that isn’t steered by the people’s votes.

We’ve grown stagnant and, in Cuba, everyone repeats the same phrases again and again: “No one can fix this, no one can topple this.”

Why so much pessimism? The answer is both simple and complicated, so it’s best to try and illustrate it: imagine an elderly person whose boss treats them like a child. This boss doesn’t let this person make any decisions and forced them to wear an uncomfortable, out-of-style suit that does not fit them. Worse still, this boss won’t let the person quit his/her job, because, in the past, having earned their trust, they had to sign a document that gave the boss such power, disguised as good intentions. Our people are that poor fellow and the leadership of the revolution is their capricious supervisor. The tight-fitting suit is orthodox socialism and the fateful document the Constitution of 1976.

Milk for children. Photo: Juan Suarez

Faced with this state of affairs, we have only two options: to resign ourselves to it or try and fix it. Let us start with a very basic analysis of the situation. We consider that it is both unjust and illegal to violate a person’s human rights, so, how serious is the offense when an entire people is involved? A person’s born rights can be trampled on, but not usurped, not even through their consent. They cannot be transferred to others. This is a very old battle and humanity had already won it through its bourgeois revolutions. How is it that socialists, who seek to move beyond capitalism, should end up trampling on such basic rights?

In our country, the people constitute the sovereign only by natural and nominal right, because the constitution says so. But the laws that are practically applied in the country transfer this sovereignty to the Communist Party. The people do not choose anyone with real power, nor do they advance their own candidates – they merely approve the only options given them by commissions controlled by the Party, electing deputies who also only approve the sole options given them.

Everything has been designed so that there’s no true margin of choice and a small group will continue to make decisions. Only the neighborhood representative is directly elected by the people. “Incidentally,” it is the lowest position, and such representatives have no real power to decide or utilize any resources whatsoever. The further removed from the popular vote that Cuban politicians are, the more power they have and the more resources they control – a sign, as I see it, of how disrespectful towards the people this system is.

The Cuban Communist Party has proclaimed itself the eternal mentor of the Cuban people, but this is an illicit title, even if it is backed by existing laws, as this encroaches upon a natural right: the sovereignty of the people. The most a party can legally and morally aspire to is to be a “representative” of the people. To be anything more than that is a human rights violation.

Putting out the wash to dry. Photo: Juan Suarez

There is no one conception of socialism out there. There are different forms of socialism and only radical socialists deny the people the right to representative democracy. Who could deny that socialism seeks social justice? I believe most Cubans on the island, be it because of habit or wisdom, feel more comfortable with the idea of continuing to espouse a form of socialism than to return to a form of bourgeois-styled representative democracy.

Here, radical socialism manages to hold on to power thanks to the strict social control afforded by the old Soviet model, and it benefits no other class other than the political class that wields power. The rest of the people are stifled by it. Popular wisdom has baptized this situation as the “internal blockade”, which is ten times worse than the US blockade and Obama can do nothing to lift it.

A moderate form of socialism, respectful of all human rights, espousing a democratic political formula, protective of the rights of social majorities, promoting non-predatory forms of capitalist development, allowing for national reconciliation and opening the doors of the nation to Cubans abroad, would, however, be more than welcome. I am not talking about utopia, but about something objective. Anything else would be dangerously violent.

We can’t continue to move down a road beset by tension and extremism. It doesn’t matter if one is a liberal, a centrist or socialist, we need only respect one another and live in peace. Many Cubans probably have more than enough reasons to be wary of the word “socialism.” Others are afraid to even think about a multi-party system and free enterprise. But the country belongs to everyone, it needs to find a new way and the will of the majority must be respected. The new Cuba must be “for everyone and for everyone’s benefit.” That is precisely what Cuba needs.

 

Slang not in the guidebook

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It is great that you have studied Spanish before arriving in Cuba – it will help you to understand what´s going on, and to connect with the locals…. but, it´s not enough! You will find much common vocabulary which is not in your Latin American phrasebook…it is Cuban slang.

Remember that Cubans believe that everyone in Cuba has African blood in them, “Si no tienes del Congo, tienes de Karabali” i.e. If you´re not from the Congo, you are from Karabali (another area in west Africa from which slaves were taken). So it´s no surprise to find lots of Cuban slang with African roots, and given the long domination by the USA, there are also many words adapted from English. Here are some that came from English:

  • Béisbol : baseball (from English)
  • Bisne, Bisnero : business (from English), businessman
  • Blumer : knickers (from English “bloomers”)
  • Carro : car (from the English “car”)
  • Chebi : collective taxi  ( from Chevrolet, Chevvie)
  • Chopin or shopin : shopping ( tourist shop “shopping”)
  • Clóset: closet, cupboard
  • Jonrón : home run
  • Kiosko : little shop
  • Moni : money
  • Nylon: plastic bag
  • Pulover : T-shirt (from “pullover”)
  • Queik : cake
  • Short : shorts
  • Show: performance, spectacular, show
  • Sidicá : Sidecar, motorbike and passenger
  • Suéter : sweater
  • Tenis : sneakers, training shoes, sports shoes
  • Yin : (blue) jeans (from the English “jeans”)
  • Yuma : white foreigner (“3.10 to Yuma” cowboy film)

…and here are a few from African languages

  • acere: friend, mate
  • bembé: drumming ceremony, Santería
  • Babaloa: Santería priest
  • Cambute: herbal grass
  • Changó: god or Afro-Cuban saint of masculinity
  • Elegguá: god or Afro-Cuban saint of opening the way
  • Orisha: Santería saint, or god or goddess
  • qué bolá hacere: greeting in western Cuba
  • qué bolá compay: greeting in eastern Cuba
  • Yemayá: goddess or Afro-Cuban saint of the sea

Five great days in Havana

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An Australian friend, travelling with a small group, recently asked me how to spend five great days in Havana! There are infinite posibilities, but I put together the following itinerary and advice.

Firstly, try to ensure that you have a full weekend in Havana, as there are more things happening then. I would always advise staying in private houses (casas particulares) rather than hotels, but for a group of more than 4, a hotel makes sense. While not the best in the world, customer service is looking up, especially in some of the classier hotels, such as the Hotel Nacional in Vedado on avenida 21 and calle O) – a national historic monument; Hotel Presidente, on Avenida Presidentes (also known as Avenida G) which is only a block or so from the Malecon, the waterfront boulevard that connects all Havana; Hotel Habana Libre in the heart of Vedado, on Avenida 23 and calle L; Hotel Mercure Sevilla in Old Havana, on El Paseo de Martí (or Paseo del Prado) and Trocadero; and Iberostar Parque Central in Old Havana on Neptuno and El Paseo de Martí.

The reason for normally recommending casas particulares ahead of hotels is that the families who take you in, have a personal interest is ensuring that you have a great time, are safe and well cared for, so that you will recommend them to others, and maybe come back again… or just because they are Cubans and Cubans are warm, hospitable and want you to enjoy their country.

Day 1

After getting a taxi from the airport to your hotel ($US25), and checking in, you could go for a stroll along the Malecon on your first evening and get your bearings. Whether you are staying in Old Havana, Central Havana or Vedado, nowhere is far from the Malecon. For most of the week, especially the weekends, the Malecon is a lot of fun. If you reach the Hotel Nacional, pop in for a beer, mojito or coffee. It is a peaceful oasis in the frenetic, hot bustle of Havana.

You may be able to book for dinner at Porto Habana, a nice place to eat on the 11th floor of a pre-revolution apartment block, overlooking the city and the sea. (on the corner of calle E and Linea i.e. ‪Calle E No 158B piso 11 entre Calzada y 9, Vedado (phone: 78331425). You may need to book a few days in advance as it has become popular.  An alternative for a good meal, is La Roca, on the corner of 21 and M in Vedado – just about 400 metres from the entrance to the Hotel Nacional.

You might as well start the trip with a bang – get a taxi from your hotel to the FAC (Fabrica del Arte Cubana, calle 26, Vedado, Havana). Entry is $2 after about 8.30 and it stays open till 2, 3 or 4 am. There is a cafe and snack bar, and drinks, and live music – jazz, pop, salsa, reggaeton etc.). It is a great place to see the groovy folk of Havana having a good time.

Day 2

If the weather looks good, you could organise at the Hotel to get a car or cars to take you to the beach – Playas del Este, viz. Playa Santa Maria del Mar near the Hotel Tropicoco. It is always fun, and is where Cubans love to go. You can buy drinks and rum there, and hire beach beds and sun umbrellas. Not expensive (maybe $US3 for the day each). The car/taxi should be about $12-15 each way i.e. $US30 return, but shared between the passengers, normally 5 passengers in an American 1950s Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge or Cadillac!

You could return to Havana in time to walk around the old walled city, Havana Vieja – heaps to see there and at 7.30 pm get a car to take you to the historic Spanish fort, “La Cabaña” which overlooks Havana. You can watch the sunset over the city, and at 9 pm every night is the Cañonazo (firing of a cannon to tell the good citizens to close the gates of the walled city – a tradition dating from the 1700s). The soldiers that enact this ritual every night are dressed in period uniforms… it´s a good show.

From there you could wander the streets of Old Havana again—always lots of bars and live music in Obispo, the pedestrian shopping mall in the heart of the city.

Day 3

Time to really explore Old Havana (Habana Vieja). Get a car from the hotel to take you to Parque Central (Central Park) – the entry point to Old Havana. From there you can head in any direction. Opposite you is the Gran Teatro (Grand Theatre) which may now have re-opened after years of renovations. – a great place to see live music and dance and orchestras etc. Check it out to see if there is a live program on. While it has been closed for renovations, the centre for the arts has been Teatro Nacional  – alongside the Plaza de la Revolucion, near the huge monument for José Martí.

In Old Havana, I recommend having a look at the Museum of the Revolution in the former President´s Palace, and behind that is my favourite attraction, the National Art Museum (for Cuban art – which is spectacular). Not far away is the elegant Hotel Seville and a newly re-opened and renovated bar “Sloppy Joe´s Bar ” (Agramonte, La Habana, Cuba) which was popular with American sailors before 1959.

There are 5 great plazas, squares, in Old Havana – make sure you see them all: Plaza  de la Catedral (and the nearby best restaurant in Havana, Doña Eutimia); Plaza de Armas (book markets and street theatre and the former Spanish Governor´s residence); Plaza San Francisco, near the docks, (often great live music in the adjacent Basilica San Francisco, and nearby the Jardin del Oriente – a good value eatery); Plaza Vieja (the most beautiful, with Café El Escorial on one corner opposite a microbrewery with great beer); and Plaza del Cristo (was being renovated last year… and on one side is a great Uni student hangout, the bohemian El Chanchullero).

Any night, but especially Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, check out the live music scene – at any of the Casas de La Musica (big bands), or Salon Rosado Benny Morey – home of black Cuban music, or many of the bars along Obispo, the pedestrian mall in Old Havana. There are also several excellent jazz venues in Vedado, such as Jazz Café, at the corner of Paseo and Avenida 3, Vedado), and La Zorra y el Cuervo, on La Rampa, Avenida 23, Vedado.

Day 4

It may be time to relax and recuperate, spending the day alongside and in one of the many hotel swimming pools available. For example, you could go to the pools at Hotel Nacional, Hotel Habana Libre or Hotel Sevilla – or go to my favourite, Hotel Riviera, corner of Paseo and Avenida 3. You pay $US10 entry for the day, and that includes $8 credit at the bar-restaurant. So you can consume $8 worth of food and drink, and your day at the art deco 1950s pool costs you just $2.

Alternatively, you may feel like an outing for the day in an air-conditioned bus to Viñales  – about 2 hours to the west of Havana. The karst scenery of the best tobacco growing area of Cuba is spectacular. Another option could see you could go by bus for the day to the most famous Cuban beach resort at Varadero. It is popular with tourists, but you won´t see many Cubans there.

In the evening, check out some more live music – the quality is amazingly good – or go to any dance shows, such as the famous Tropicana Club cabaret show ( 72 A, La Habana, Cuba; phone 7 2671717).

Day 5

Perhaps time for a walking expedition with a sun-hat, drink and cut lunch, leaving early to beat the midday heat. Havana is a great city to walk around, being fairly flat, not very big and very safe. There are heaps to see and do in Old Havana, Central Havana, Vedado and Miramar, not to mention numerous other suburbs. For example, you can get a ferry (la lancha or lancheta) to take you from Old Havana, across the port to Regla, and the beautiful, historic maritime church built as a sanctuary to house the black Virgin of Regla – a Roman Catholic saint who is simultaneously revered as Yemaya, one of the most powerful of the Afro-Cuban orishas (saints or gods). Another outing, perhaps by car, can take you to the old “barrio” of Guanabacoa – a part of Old Havana first settled by freed slaves, and site of an interesting Museum of Slavery and Afro-Cuban Religions.

For those Ernest Hemingway devotees, half of the bars in Havana claim that “Hemingway frequented this establishment”, especially the famous Bodeguito del Medio, at Empedrado and San Ignacio in Old Havana. Well worth the effort is getting a car to take you to Hemingway´s house, Finca Vigia, on the outskirts of southeastern Havana.

I hope that is a start to your great 5 days in Cuba. You will get lots more suggestions from the people you meet along the way. It is worth being open and friendly to Cubans – sure, many are on the make, but not dangerous – and they have little access to money, except from tourists – so a friendly smile, a sense of humour, and “gracias” (which means “NO”) goes a long way.

Remember, an up to date promotion of what´s on when you are there is available at www.cubaabsolutely.com/ and LaHabana.com – Cuba’s digital destination  (What´s on in Havana)

Discover Cuban food

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Not so long ago, less than 10 years in fact, Cuban food and cuisine were considered something of a joke, a bad joke. Considering the variety of spicy Mexican dishes, such as burritos and tacos, or exciting Peruvian specialties like ceviche, tourists to Cuba were confronted with little choice and bland, unappetising food, presented in Government-run restaurants notable for appalling customer service. There was also a lack of available fresh fruit and vegetables.

There were a few private restaurants called “paladars”, operating from suburban homes. To get to them usually involved being approached on the street by a hustler who, with little English, could lead you there. He was rewarded by the business, while the tourist was furtively offered lobster, which at that time was illegal, or shrimps, or beef – all things unavailable to the average Cuban. These meals while better than Government restaurants, were ridiculously expensive and not as good as meals in private homes.

The best food to be had was in a private house, or casa particular (Government-registered bed and breakfast accommodation). Here, home-cooking at its best would result in a delicious traditional Cuban meal, of a mixed salad, white rice, boiled root vegetables, black beans and a choice of either fresh fish, pork or chicken. Beef (“carne de res”), mysteriously, was not available to either Cubans and tourists.

Yuca con mojo - a national dish

Yuca con mojo is one of Cuba´s national dishes, here presented with fish, brown beans, fried sweet banana and a great salad (and somewhere there would be white rice)

The local markets generally offered little choice of fresh fruit and vegetables, and what was available was of poor quality and poorly presented. Most tourists to Cuba would have gone away with a dismal impression of Cuban food, cuisine and service. But, how things have changed!

A salad with love

The decoration of the fresh salads that accompany the rice, root vegetables and meat (fish here), can be a feature of the meal.. here we have a salad with love!

Since elevation of the younger brother of Fidel Castro to the top job in Cuba in 2008, there have been many many changes to enable Cubans to operate their own businesses, including farm cooperatives, markets, cafeterías and restaurants. There are now both government and private markets and the diversity of available food is much greater, being sourced from both Government and private farms. Also, different markets stock different ítems. For example you can buy fresh ginger and chillies in the market on the corner of B and 19 in Vedado, while the Agropecuario market on 17 and K is the best place to look for spices – it is also usually a good place to find rice and eggs, and a wide range of fruit and vegetables in season. For fresh meat including beef steak and mince, chicken and pork, go to the butchery on the corner of Galiano and San Miguel in Central Havana, or the shopping centre on the corner of Neptuno and Consulado on the edge of Old Havana.

There are also western-style supermarkets around Havana. Some of the bigger supermarkets are under the FOCSA building on the corner of 17 and N in Vedado; in Plaza Carlos III on Avenida Carlos III in Central Havana; at La Puntilla in Miramar; and at the corner of 70 and Avenida 3rd  in Miramar. While the situation has improved, the supply chain is not reliable, and at times you still need to ask around, and walk around, to find basic ítems like rice and eggs.

Arroz con gris, cerdo, aquacate y boniato frito

Arroz con gris (rice and black beans), pork, avocado and fried sweet potato (boniato)

But why cook for yourself at home, when there are now great and diverse eateries and cafés around the city? Havana now has an impressive range of both. One of the best, called Doña Eutimia, is in a lane off the Cathedral Plaza in Old Havana. It provides excellent service and a great menu. For a spectacular view of Havana from the 11th floor of a glamorous, pre-revolutionary high-rise in Vedado, Porto Habana also has excellent food, friendly service and unsurpassed views. A great place to watch the sunset over the Florida Straits is from a table on the balcony. The restaurant occupies part of the spacious apartment of a charming, gay couple, Jonathon and Diego, both Cuban nationals.

Porto Habana Restaurant

A great place to watch the sunset over the Florida Straits, and Vedado, while enjoying a tasty meal.

In Vedado, a Government-operated restaurant called La Roca is a hospitality training institution and the service, food and value are usually outstanding. Decameron offers excellent food and service and is handily located near the corner of Linea (calle 9) and Paseo in Vedado; while Starbien offers good quality dining experiences in Vedado at number 278, calle 15, between J and I.

New, fun and different places are opening all the time. Opposite the Hotel Havana Libre, on the corner of 25 and L, is “Snack Restaurant Waooh!”, a classy, different gastronomic experience in Havana. A Canadian businessman and his Cuban wife have opened a retro Soviet-themed restaurant on the Malecon; and not faraway a popular restaurant occupies the apartment where the gay character “David” lived in the film “Fresa y Chocolate” (“Strawberry and Chocolate”).

In Old Havana, around the Plaza Vieja (Old Plaza) are a few places of interest – such as “El Escorial Café”, where you can eat snacks and great cakes and chose from the variety of coffee on the menu. Across the plaza is a famous micro-brewery that serves everything from hamburgers to full meals, with, of course, a range of tasty light and dark beers – all brewed on the premises. Not far away on Plaza del Cristo, and well worth the visit, is a little bohemian flavoured bar-restaurant called “El Chanchullero”, often packed with a younger, groovy crowd – and with a blackboard sign at the door that boasts “Ernest Hemingway never drank here”.

So, Cuba is no longer just a target for travellers who love music and dance and Afro-Cuban culture. Increasingly, and perhaps amazingly, it is a place worth visiting for the pleasure of experiencing the distinctive, tasty and healthy cuisine available, and to familiarise yourself with the regional differences as you travel around this wonderful, tropical island.