What Life In Cuba Is Like, Explained In 5 Minutes

This past week there have been public demonstrations in Cuba for the first time in more than 60 years!! And why?  To protest against deteriorating living conditions and the lack of basic goods and services, including medical attention amid increasing numbers of coronavirus infections. Seems reasonable enough…..so why are the demonstrations such big news? Because the average Cuban has been living under CRUSHING economic conditions pretty much since Fidel Castro took over and made Cuba a Socialist dictatorship and never would have THOUGHT about protesting because THEY WEREN’T ALLOWED TO! Socialism sounds great on paper until you actually experience it…….which is where lots of liberal politicians would LOVE to see America go.

First a little history about Cuba. 1492 – Columbus claims Cuba for Spain. 1526 – slaves begin being imported. 1868-78 – Ten Years War of independence ends in a truce with Spain promising reforms and greater autonomy… promises that were mostly never met. 1886 – Slavery is abolished. 1895-98 – Jose Marti leads a second war of independence; US declares war on Spain, defeats Spain, which gives up all claims to Cuba and cedes it to the US. 1902 – Cuba becomes independent with Tomas Estrada Palma as its president; but the Platt Amendment keeps the island under US protection with the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. 1906-09 – Estrada resigns and the US occupies Cuba following a rebellion led by Jose Miguel Gomez. Do you see a pattern emerging here?? Through 1924 there are various revolts with the U.S. still always politically involved. In 1925  -The Socialist Party is founded, forming the basis of the Communist Party. Now you’ll start hearing some more familiar names. 1933 – Gerardo Machado is overthrown in a coup led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista. 1934 – The US abandons its right to intervene in Cuba’s internal affairs, revises Cuba’s sugar quota and changes tariffs to favor Cuba. 1944 – Batista retires but comes back into power in 1952 and presides over an oppressive and corrupt regime. 1953 – Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful revolt against the Batista regime and retreats to Mexico. 1956 – Castro lands in eastern Cuba from Mexico and hides in the Sierra Maestra mountains where, aided by Ernesto “Che” Guevara, he wages a guerrilla war. 1959 – Castro leads a 9,000-strong guerrilla army into Havana, forcing Batista to flee. Castro becomes prime minister, his brother, Raul, becomes his deputy and Guevara becomes third in command. 1960 – All US businesses in Cuba are nationalised without compensation. 1961 – Washington breaks off all diplomatic relations with Havana. The US sponsors an abortived invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs (That’s a story for another day!) Castro proclaims Cuba a communist state and begins to make Cuba an ally of the U.S.S.R. In the 60’s the U.S.S.R. puts nuclear missiles in Cuba and we end up with the Cuban Missile Crisis successfully resolved with a total embargo put in place by President John F. Kennedy. In 1962 Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald who had lived in Russia and had wanted to emigrate to Cuba from the Mexico embassy but was refused. There are TONS of conspiracy theories that try and connect Kennedy’s assassination with Castro for payback for the Bay of Pigs, the U.S.S.R. and the Mafia which in the 50’s and 60’s had extensive investments in hotels and casinos in Havana. Remember the scene of the start of the coup in Godfather II? Everyone is fleeing as the government is overthrown.

So since Fidel took power there have been no demonstrations in Cuba……60 years! There are also demonstrations taking place in America, particularly Miami, where thousands of Cuban exiles live since fleeing Cuba and Castro in the 60’s. What’s life like in Cuba that they’re protesting? One thing is the lack of medical care for those with Covid. The larger theme is the utter devastation of the Cuban economy. Some facts about life in Cuba:

• The average monthly salary is $25. Half the Cuban population lives with a median household income of $300 to $400 a year.
• Cuba is a Socialist/Communist state. Under Castro land and businesses were seized and re-distributed. Thousands of Cubans left with many coming to the Miami, FL area, thus the high Cuban population that is also demonstrating here.
• The economy of Cuba is a largely planned economy dominated by state-run enterprises. The government of Cuba owns and operates most industries and most of the labor force is employed by the state. The government sets most prices and rations goods to citizens.
• Cuba is facing its worst shortage of food since the 1990s. 70% of it’s food is imported and the Cuban government blames the U.S. embargo on the crisis, but food was exempted from the embargo since 2001. Many Cubans abroad are trying to help their family members stave off hunger by sending their own care packages but what used to take weeks now takes months to deliver. Most farmers only grow enough food for their own family. The government requires farmers to sell their harvest to the state at uncompetitive prices and imposes strict rules on livestock management.
• Cuba doesn’t have free Internet or WiFi or very much cell phone service. That applies to both tourists and the general public. You can purchase “time” at a few internet cafes. ETECSA is the sole provider of Internet, WiFi, and telephone service in Cuba. Terrible roaming service is available for purchase by tourists.
• The Cuban government operates a national health system with no cost to citizens and there are no private hospitals or clinics. Medical education is part of the system. There are large shortages of medications and durable medical goods like walkers and wheelchairs. Patients do have to pay for some of those things.
•  What’s with all the old cars? Well they WEREN’T originally a tourist attraction!  Castro had placed a ban on foreign vehicle imports, making it nearly impossible to buy a brand-new, foreign-made vehicle. It also made it difficult to buy new parts and fuel for the old-school American cars Cuba is known for. The average Cuban doesn’t own a car and uses the over-crowded government run bus system. There are huge crowds that wait to pile in!
• Despite 85% of Cubans owning their own homes, they are usually in very poor condition and many close to falling down. It’s nearly impossible to purchase any products like paint, cement or lumber to maintain them. Havana  has 2.2 million people who live in 540,000 dwellings. Housing officials estimate that more than 50 percent of the dwellings are in average to poor condition. It is not uncommon for several generations of one family to live together in a single house or apartment.
• You can’t use your U.S. credit cards in Cuba and can’t use American dollars in most stores or restaurants.
• As of 7 April 2020, Cuban citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 64 countries and territories. Tens of thousands of Cubans had used the five-year visitor visa to travel, often repeatedly, to the United States. They now can only get a visa that is valid for one trip during a three-month period. At $25/month where can they go anyway???

So there you have it…..some facts about why Cubans have had ENOUGH of their SOCIALIST society. Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has been the President of Cuba since 2019 and as the first secretary of the Communist Party since 2021. I personally visited Havana in 2016 and literally only stayed for 24 hours. It was the most depressing beaten down place I’ve ever been. Closed up businesses, run down highways and collapsing building EVERYWHERE. Old automobiles spewing the worst air pollution I’ve ever seen. Bus stops overrun with those waiting to get to work. Cattle slaughtered and butchered on fly covered cement floors and the meat stacked in the heat. Restaurants with barely anything on the menu. No ATM’s, no cash exchange, no Wi-Fi, no cell phone service. It was nearly impossible to even arrange to change a flight and get to the airport the next day! We had to walk half a mile to the only internet “cafe” to purchase an internet card. Why did I go? Because I had been lured into the sexy, Latin vibe that they’d like you to believe is Havana. But I called it “Havana Disney”. It was kind of like the Cuban pavilion at Epcot. Around 10 square blocks somewhat “fixed up” for the cruise ship crowd that liked to say they LOVE Havana. Then you walk out of that area into the most crushing living conditions you’ve ever seen. We took a “classic car” ride in a couple’s old 1958 Chevy and were able to share enough English and Spanish to communicate. We spent about an hour with them once they realized we weren’t just typical tourists. I’ll never forget the answer they gave me when I asked “So what do you think the future of Cuba is?”……..Their answer was heartbreaking…… ” There is no future for us in Cuba. Do you see this smile on my face? It’s all made-up.” CRUSHING.

Is there hope for the poor average people of Cuba? Maybe…..hard to revolt when you have no weapons or even a way to communicate either by phone or internet with others of like mind. All you ASPIRING SOCIALISTS out there be careful what you wish for! My prayers and thoughts are with the people of Cuba and that lovely couple I met 5 years ago. I hope you are soon FREE!!