Cuba: On a different wavelength

Pico Iyer, a seasoned travel writer with his multicultural upbringing and known for his extraordinary insight and compassion,wrote in his novel Cuba and the Night:'The great thing about being in Cuba was that you could just screen out the rest of the world, forget everything you knew, and take a break from America. The hardest thing about being there was that when you left it, the whole place disappeared from view, and it was almost as if you'd dreamed it. Hundred percent blackout.'

In the story, the narrator Richard, a cynical American photojournalist who went there to document Fidel Castro, met a girl named Lula in central Havana. She asked him, 'What is it like in America?'

'Same as here, pretty much. Lots of problems. Lots of sadness. Only a different kind of problems from here.'

'But the people there have dreams, right? Money, houses, cars?'

'Sometimes.'

'And they are free to say anything? Free to visit other countries? Free to eat drugs?'

'Drugs, no. But free yes.'

'It is not like this prison, then.'

This is Cuban people's general perception about USA. They in contrast live an isolated life in the 'Island of Freedom' (its official title for the outside world) with no food, no clothes, no freedom, and no job.

Iyer's book gave a vivid description of Havana in the blazing morning sun, the lazy sweltering afternoons and the dark sultry nights. Everything is old and rundown with a 'smell of rotten food.'One has to walk through the fallen buildings and while walking you might hear the tinkling of a piano where someone is playing a melody of a salsa or timba or someone playing a tumbadora (drum) that is coming out from a broken house.

At a first glance, to a newcomer or to a tourist, Cuba would seem like 'a place where the cleaning lady didn't show up for thirty years!'

Everyone is suspicious of the other, where whispering to one another's ear seems to be a habit. Undercover plainclothesmen mingle with the crowd to keep watch all the time.

The streets in Havana are not paved well, puddles everywhere. Every wall, every door has a picture of its El Líder and a slogan that says Viva Fidel. Every other pillar has 'Socialism or Death' posted on it with a picture of the Bolivian revolutionary Che.

There are many young boys roaming the streets without any particular aim. The women look down from their windows or sit on the terraces of their paint-peeled apartment buildings.

A common sight in Havana is – people are always outside standing in front of a bar or a restaurant, sitting on steps or leaning against walls and 'looking into the distance.' To a stranger, Havana breathes an unusual air – everyone there is waiting for something, it seems. Sadly, they don't know what that might be.

Except for Fidel Castro, most of the boys from the Revolution time are dead. The Cubans do not know the outside world because they are not allowed to go anywhere. For over fifty years they were made to believe, 'You are too young to think for yourself. You must wait. You must wait.' They have been brainwashed into believing America and Cuba need each other in order to exist, to feed off each other's existence- mostly based on distrust and hate.

So they sit around in waiting, drinking, and getting drunk and making music. A character in the book named José said, 'For thirty-years, we are children of the Revolution, children of a father who says that children must be quiet and must sleep without food and must be told what to do every minutes of our lives. For thirty years he's telling us not to pray before our meals, and not to go to other countries.'

But in secret they keep the statue of Jesus in their homes. I learned that even Fidel at one point was a Jesuit. Cubans in general are passionate, generous and sincere people. But they are repressed and are forced to live a solitary life. They crave to have contact with the outside world.

When the tourists or the journalists come to Cuba, it is not easy to socialize with a Cubana. The spies and the guards are everywhere. On rare occasions, one can make a foreign national's acquaintance by bribing a bouncer of a night club with USD. As long as one can come up with dollars, nightlife becomes more accessible. That is how the two characters in Iyer's novel, Richard and Lula had met.

There is nothing lasting that comes out of a few secret meetings by eluding the government agents and the taxi drivers. In the end, the outsider leaves the woman (who is looking for a ticket to get out of Cuba) to her silence in some empty and dark street, promising to write her every week.In a few weeks' time she becomes nothing more than a Caribbean souvenir.

The Cuban collective ideal dream is to get away from its dilapidated cities and move ninety-miles away to Miami, Florida, and live the American Dream. Miami is an enclave for the Cuban Americans in the US. Everyone in Cuba has someone they know who is living there.

For many years since Castro took power, the Cubans feared that the Americans are going to try to invade Cuba again. Most people do not know what to do to get out of the current predicament except to wait. Other than what the Revolution had taught them, they do not know much else.

A government based on communist ideology has ignored the country's problems since it came into power. Most Cubans live on a meager monthly income of USD 17, and depend on handouts from the government. People simply do not have any incentive to take low-wage jobs.

In the book the narrator asked José, 'So, José, how come I never see you working? What about a job?'

He answered, 'A job! Five pesos a day! Forget it … Here, you work and you work and you don't get nothing … and I am living like a beggar.'

After more than half a century, it is no revelation that Fidel Castro chose communism to uphold a system that enabled him to stay in power until he became incapacitated by illness. In 2011, 79 year-old Raul Castro was formally named the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Raul's succession only affirmed the reshuffling of the leaders from the same generation. Raul now is 83-years-old.

Raul Castro told his people that socialism will be 'irreversible' but some changes will be made to show strength of socialism. With some cosmetic modifications Cuba continues to deny its citizens freedom and basic human rights -by imposing restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly. Instead of moving towards social and economic change, it favours political repression and brutality.

In the last fifty years, in the name of freedom, the Castro brothers have created a nation of lazy people instead of a nation of equals.

Two-thirds of the Cubans have only known Fidel Castro as their supreme leader since he led the Cuban revolution in 1959. Fidel was well loved in his prime by the Cubans. He spoke in a language that everyone including children understood. His diction and message to his people were very simple.

Though Raul lacks Fidel's charisma and spontaneity,he appears to be no less self-righteous in defending socialism and denouncing 'Western imperialism.'The Castros have held a strong grip on Cuba for nearly over five decades.

When Raul Castro became the leader he had called on the Cubans to have patience in regard to generational change. Basically, there will be no major political restructuring as long as the Castro brothers are alive.

Only noteworthy change was that Raul introduced two-terms limited to ten years for Cuban leaders including him.

When Raul took power some of the elected officials included women and Cubans of African descent. But this quota was merely symbolic.

Initially, the Cuban revolution brought agrarian reforms by redistributing land for the purpose of eradicating poverty.Rural poverty afflicted the nation for the first half of the 20th century. The Cuban system was strongly linked to the Soviet policies, specifically the soviet style agrarian revolution.

After the failure of 'high input farming, ecological degradation and deforestation, 'disaster followed Cuba. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, and with trade embargo by the US, Cuba remained steadfast upholding communist ideologies.

Raul had raised pseudo-hope for real change in Cuba. When he took office the Cuban Congress convened after 17 years, where he announced his economic model for Cuba, with some reform proposals for the next five years.

In the months that followed, there were massive layoffs from the government agencies. In his first year alone there were about 500,000 people who were let go from their jobs. Now the privatizations of jobs are being encouraged in Cuba for the first time, because the government is broke. The private sectors somehow have tried absorbing those people who are unemployed.

Raul Castro explained that Cuba is not ready to either apply or allow 'shock therapy,' while implementing economic reforms. Originally, he had promised that the necessary measures will be taken while reviewing the entire mandates laid out by reliable international economic agencies to bring major economic changes. Since then he hasn't done much, though he talks about it continuously.

Five years ago he said, 'either we change course, or we sink.' Raul's own proposal so far to embrace economic reforms has demonstrated that there are not going to be any substantial changes except cosmetic ones in modernizing Cuba. From the reports that I have read, it is not clear when the conceptual changes will materialize. His economic restructuring plan will take years to have positive result. Raul has been inching Cuba towards opening up its economy only domestically.

The idea that Cuba will transit into market economy is highly doubtful.

Next thing on the agenda for Raul was the discussion about his plan to drop Cuba's ration card system which was both welcomed and criticized. 'These rations are the inevitable result of Communism, and can be seen in the Old Soviet block, North Korea, Cuba and recently Venezuela.'The ration card booklet is supposed to guarantee all families to have supplies of minimum monthly requirement of food items at fair or subsidized prices.

This system was introduced to defend society's most vulnerable people and to prevent starvation in harsh economic times.

However, the allotted provisions are not sufficient to last a month. For example, today, with the supply booklet, a family of four is permitted to get 10 eggs, 4 ounces of coffee, 3 lb. of white sugar, 5 lb. of broken rice, 1 lb. of pasta, ½ pound cooking oil, ½ lb. chicken and a couple of loaves of bread. The rations are not adequate for the daily requirements of calories and nutrition.

Such monthly provision of food items do not last more than a week. Then they have to go to the hard currency stores where the prices are not regulated. The other choice is to buy items from the black market. In 2009, Raul ordered 2 pounds of potatoes and many non-food items to be removed from the booklet in an attempt as 'updating of socialism.' He thought potatoes were an excess in the welfare state.

In place of the ration card system many Cubans want a regulated market. The state disputes that it guarantees a constant supply of food at a price commensurate with the individual's monthly wages.

More than 80 percent of the food the Cubans consume is imported. Hunger is escalating, and drastic measures need to be taken. The socialist government can no longer bear this burden. The new plan is only to aid the neediest.

This announcement had caused a heave of reactions in Cuba. According to a New York Timesarticle, a 36-year old engineer exclaimed, 'How will we afford food? They will have to lower food prices a lot, so people do not starve.'

With a socialist mindset – the Cubans really haven't learned to trust the free market. They have only seen the state to guarantee their basic needs. This is what socialism does to people – it takes away their confidence and power of self-reliance.

Among the changes, Raul told the Cubans that for the first time they will be allowed to buy and sell property. But strict conditions are attached to owning private property;no one can accumulate too much wealth. Cubans can own small businesses like a hair salon or a café. But they cannot franchise it, nor can they expand their businesses.

Cars manufactured before 1959 could be sold.

Raul is more pragmatic than Fidel, but he has always lived in his brother's shadow. From his last seven years, it is apparentthat he is going to model all his plans on Fidel's doctrine. Based on Marxism and Leninism, they have ruled Cuba by defeating internal challenges, and by withstanding all kinds of global pressure for change.

Now Raul is witnessing the regime changes around the world. Cuba's greatest ally, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is no longer there for him to give his unconditional support, holding steadily and resisting change. Chavez was a disciple of Fidel.

The two countries depend on one another. Venezuela supplies oil to Cuba, and in return Cuba dispatches its best doctors in the hemisphere to tend to the sick in Venezuela. The new president Nicholas Maduro is not as popular as Chavez. With the oil prices falling, Cuba's already 'dire economic situation' has intensified.

Given the grim situation in Cuba, Raul is now looking elsewhere. He is influenced by China and Vietnam,but not following their pattern of economic liberalization.

Theoretically, Raul Castro recognizes the need for change. In his declining years, he sees time itself as his greatest foe. But he continues to remain stubborn.

Castro regime stands as a testament of oppression and despair against liberty and progress. During Fidel's forty-six years of rule, Cuba became immune to modern innovation. Now Raul cannot deny or disguise the fact that the last five decades of communist rule has created a faulty social and economic system that is in dire need of change. The system in place today,has taken Cuba into the depths of hopelessness. Raul finally realizes that Cuba cannot hold on its own only with rhetoric, it badly needs US help.

After fifty-years President Barack Obama and Raul Castro met at the summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama on April 11, 2015. At that historic meeting, the two leaders talked for almost an hour to change things in terms of lifting the total freeze on embargo and establishing diplomatic ties.

The next morning, people in Cuba as usual woke up to a vivid sense of continuity of socialism and no individual freedom.

After the summit, people in the US and Cuba are cautiously optimistic about future US/Cuba relationship as Obama said nothing about removing Cuba's designation as a 'state sponsor of terror.' During the summit, everyone was holding their breath to hear about a decision about that.

Later, it was reported that Obama has informed the US Congress that he plans to lift Cuba's title.

Florida senator Marco Rubio (of Cuban descent) said, 'The White House has conceded everything and gained little … and we are getting no commitment on the freedom of speech, election, no binding commitment in opening up the internet … this entire policy shift is based on a lie.'

Obama reportedly told his fault-finders, 'I'm not expecting a transformation of the Cuban society overnight. But we can't keep doing the same thing for five decades and expect a different result … but engagement is better than isolation and nowhere is that more clear than Cuba.'

One Thursday night last month on the car radio, I heard that the very first flight between Havana and Baltimore (Maryland) took off that morning. The Obama administration has approved a ferry service shuttling between Florida and Havana. The US Treasury Department has given license to Beja Ferry and to a few others to operate. This service will enable a significant increase in millions of dollars in trade and travel for the hundreds of thousands of people between Florida and Havana.

Since then, last week on TV I saw Jeb Bush (Republican hopeful for 2016) on his campaign trail bashing Obama on his Cuba deal with Raul. Now there is a real possibility that Obama will visit Havana before the end of his term to normalize relation between two countries. If that happens, it will most certainly boost Obama's legacy and "a fitting closure to a Cold World chapter."

Perhaps the waiting for the people will soon be over, but for now, "Cuba is on a different wavelength from the rest of the planet."

Zeenat Khan is a freelance contributor to bdnews24.com.