This past week the celebration of May 1st occurred. In Cuba that is the celebration of workers and essentially the celebration consist of workers (ie, almost the whole city) marching in Plaza de la Revolution. Naturally we attended the event. I had expected this great gathering of people who all would be incredibly into the march, but instead found a large gathering of people who seemed indifferent about the event. It is true that there were people who chanted and proudly marched but there were others and I would say most that seemed to be there because they were expected to. After waiting over an hour for the event to start, we slowly marched in a large circle for what appeared to be no reason. It was interesting that this is considered one of the largest celebrations in Cuba and yet people seemed to nonchalantly attend it.
As I am only in Havana for 10 days more I will not be posting again unless something profound happens (unlikely). So what is Cuba, besides this small island in the shadow of the United States? Cuba is in my opinion as far away from the U.S. as one can get and still be on Earth. Although it is only 90 miles away, and American cars line most streets, the people and culture are inherently Latin and African, yet don’t fully fit into either category. Cuban culture is a mix of every influence but is distinct from all of them at the same time. The Cuban people in the last 50 years have prevailed through some of the harshest conditions and yet live today in relative happiness, they are resilient and face challenges both internal and externally with determination. Cuba is this seemingly far away place that lacks the typical globalization of Western culture and business that is seen worldwide and lives in this calculated isolation. Its policies look to have idealism prevails and internationally hope that one day the world will live with the same social ideals and programs Cuba has. Cuba has been able to essentially survive against all odds in today’s globalized world. Foreign businesses have not taken over and the Cuban government has been able to remarkably keep the people happy without giving into external pressures. Cuba is a country where on every street corner national heroes are honored and where people have a strong identity of what being Cuban is. Patriotism is part of revolution, and Revolution is inherently patriotic.
Having now been to Cuba I feel that it is safe for me to say that most of the perspectives that Americans have on Cuba are in some ways false. I think this comes from the lack of travel to Cuba and the lack of person to person communication. Although a large number of Cuban Americans visit Cuba every year, they already have a notion of Cuba and do little to help others understand what Cuba is. Americans are fed information their whole lives which basically teach us that Cuba is in some ways a bad place where people are miserable and need to be rescued (by the US of course) we are taught that the blockade is not only legal but also justified by the acts of the Cuban government. Having now been in Cuba for four months, I can say that this close minded view of Cuba is false and that Cuba is not inherently bad for being socialist and that Cuban people do not feel that they need to be rescued or saved by the US or anyone. American perspectives on Cuba are counter the real Cuba and when presented with the facts, I think most people would learn that Cuba has been able to survive against all odds and progress rapidly in the last 50 years. Americans could learn that Cuban people are strong and don’t fear their government in the way they are portrayed. Cuba is one of the most interesting places I have visited and at the same time one of the hardest places (not only by regulations) I have visited.
See you all in a week and a half!
