CUBA EXPERIENCE #3

Write-up by Amara Nickerson

Cuba lies only 90 miles away from the United States, off the coast of Florida, yet due to stringent travel restrictions very few United States citizens visit the country each year. This past January I had the privilege of being one of those visitors. Along with twenty other students from Tufts University I spent two weeks learning about the society, culture, politics, and daily life of Cubans. Before taking this trip my knowledge of Cuba was negligible. When I thought Cuba, I thought Fidel Castro. I was entirely overwhelmed upon visiting Cuba by how much there was for me to learn. One of the saddest side effects of the strict travel restrictions is that people from the United States rarely have the opportunity to meet and interact with Cubans, to hear their stories and learn about their lives. I offer to you a brief introduction to the vibrant personalities with whom I interacted, those people who made Cuba come alive for me. My hope is that in doing this Cuba will begin to come alive for you too.

Maria Ducas and Community
Maria is a beautiful and energetic woman who welcomes us with open arms as we step off the bus at la escuela 28 de enero, a middle school located on the outskirts of Havana. She proudly introduces us to the students and orchestrates a carefully planned presentation, which includes singing and poetry recitation. Later in the week she gives us a tour of a community called Cruz de iedra. At the very end of the trip, I have the opportunity to visit her house and walk with her around the neighborhood where she lives. Maria is a politician of sorts. She has been part of the Municipal Assembly, a regional governing body of elected representatives. She also served as a member of the National Assembly of Peoples Power, the Cuban equivalent of the United States Congress. However, Maria has never run a campaign. She has never held political fundraising events or been accused of consorting with moneyed interest groups. In Cuba campaigning is not allowed. Instead, a resume, biography, and picture of each candidate are posted throughout the community. Maria is elected not because of political prowess or friends in high places, but rather because of her demonstrated involvement in the community. Currently, Maria is working on coordinating two community projects, both sponsored by the government. When we visit Cruz de Piedra, one of her projects, Maria explains to us that the local bus stop has been dismantled repeatedly by people stealing parts of it to use as building material. The government is growing tired of repairing the stop only to have it destroyed again. Maria proudly introduces us to a group of young boys living in the community who play baseball together. Their team, with the help of Maria and other adults, have taken on the project of beautifying the area around the bus stop by pulling up the weeds, disposing of the trash, and planting new shrubbery. Maria hopes that, seeing how dedicated these boys are to improving their community, whoever was dismantling the bus stop will stop. The plan is working as some of the stolen materials have been returned.

Franco and farms
Franco is 68 years old and has been a farmer for 46 years. His blue eyes illuminate his leathered face as he proudly invites us into his house. He and his wife were not warned that a group of twenty students would be descending on them on this particular afternoon, and yet they graciously usher all of us into their small living room and his wife starts making coffee for all. Franco tells us a little bit about his life in Pinar del Rio, a rural area about 3 hours away from Havana. He tells us proudly about his children and grandchildren. He expresses his desire for them to get an education and become professionals; he himself left school after 6th grade to work on the farm. Now it is possible for all of them to receive a doctoral education at no expense; even the highest level of university education is public in Cuba. Franco is a tobacco farmer, one of many in the area. However, he no longer smokes cigars because some years ago he decided that they were making him sick. He shows off some of his livestock, most notably a pig weighing over 300lbs. He explains to us that he owns his farm because his family owned and worked it before the revolution. Private ownership is rare in Cuba; most farmers live on and farm state-owned land. Even though Franco owns his land, he sells his tobacco to the state and is not permitted to hire anyone outside of his family to work in his fields; if he needs more labor the state will provide it. There is very little private enterprise in Cuba. At the end of our visit Franco took out his guitar. He improvised a song for us about the blessings of friendship; it was beautiful.

The children and the rumba
I have never been to a rumba before, and I am told that this is less formal than others, but certainly as fun. The focus of the night is Afro-Cuban dance and cuisine. We arrive and make our way into the seats of the makeshift theatre. I sit near the back, directly in front of a group of animated and jubilant children. They first smile shyly at me when I ask their names, but soon I cannot keep up with their enthusiastic chatter. I pull out my camera and they eagerly pose for picture after picture. They clamor to look at it and touch it. As the show begins they all scurry to the front to sit on the floor. Not willing to be left behind, I follow and settle myself against the wall next to them. They show me acrobatic stunts and one of them braids my hair. I let them try taking pictures with my camera, which they enjoy. The dancing begins and they smile with delight at the antics of the performers. When the dancers move into the audience pouring rum in people’s mouths the children squeal with laughter. When one dancer masked as a skeleton falls to the floor directly in front of us they all huddle up next to me, pulling their feet in close to their bodies. At the end of the performance everyone in the audience is invited to get up and dance. The children jump up and start shaking their hips and jumping around, full of energy and infused with the rhythm beat out by the drums. I take their hands and we join the adults, dancing in a large circle around the room. We take more pictures and say good-bye to the joyful faces that lit up the night. Cuba, although economically struggling, is a country rich with history, culture, and politics. But more than anything, Cuba is rich with people. These individuals who I had the opportunity to encounter made a lasting impression on me through the joy, hope, and love that they conveyed to all of us during our brief visit. And it is these people who now represent Cuba for me.