Cuba: It’s working better than you might think

Introduction

There is an island just 90 miles off of the coast of the USA that has an average life expectancy equal to the USA. The difference is that Cuba has achieved this by providing universal free health services to all of its citizens at an annual cost of $180 per capita spending, while the US with its largely privatized health care system costs 25 times as much at $4,659 per capita. This is just one of the many striking differences between Cuba and its giant neighbour to the north.

To understand Cuba better I recently took a three week trip throughout the island. My goal was to talk in Spanish with as many Cubans as possible in order to better understand their daily experience. I wanted to know how daily Cuban culture related to the political structure now in place in Cuba. I talked with professionals of all kinds and  also to ordinary Cubans whom I met during my travels.

My Trip

I had been to Cuba twice before. This time was different. I travelled from the west (Pinar del Rio and Viñales) to the east (Baracoa) by bus and local taxis during April, 2009. I did not stay in luxury tourist hotels. Instead I lodged in private Cuban homes (casas particulares). There is now an entire network of casas particulares throughout the whole island. I stayed in eleven different casas and found them all to be of excellent quality. The average price was $25/night. The one time that I went to the beach was in Santa Lucia, north of Camaguey.

My original plan was to travel in local buses that the Cubans use. This was not possible since a special bus line has been set up for tourists (Via Azul), and tourists are now prohibited from riding on local inter-city buses – although in Havana tourists can use the local municipal buses. Fortunately for me, several times I got to meet Cuban professionals who were also riding on the tourist buses. Once I rode on a local Cuban bus (Astro). It was all quite illegal and as such I did not feel free to converse freely with the Cuban passengers – it was definitely not worth the risk. Twice I took a taxi between towns. The price was $20 and $25 for rides of 70 and 130 km. Three Cubans in the back seat filled the taxi each time.

I flew in and out of Havana. My tour through the island went through the following towns:

Viñales is a small town on the western end of Cuba. It is in a lush agricultural area surrounded by interesting caves and cliffs.

Trinidad was one of the earliest Spanish towns, now rich in Afro-Cuban culture.

Cienfuegos is one of Cuba’s largest industrial centres on the southern coast.

Santa Clara is where the revolutionary soldiers led by Che

Guevara dealt the final blow to Batista’s troops in 1958.

Camaguey is Cuba’s third largest city and Santa Lucia to the north is one of the few beaches in Cuba where Cubans and tourists tend to mix.

Las Tunas is the sculptural capital of Cuba.

Holguin is Cuba’s fourth largest city, located in the eastern half of the island.

Bayamo is the artistic centre of Cuba and it is also where Cuba’s national anthem was written. It is also the birthplace of Cespedes, an early freedom fighter.

Santiago de Cuba is where Fidel Castro and his revolutionary soldiers launched an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada barracks in 1953.

And finally Baracoa on the eastern tip of the island was the earliest Spanish settlement in Cuba

A Very Brief History

Cuba has had a long and turbulent history. Being so close to the USA, it has felt the influence of this powerful country over the years. The Spanish first arrived in 1512, establishing settlements at Baracoa and then Santiago. Native resistance was put down and then the Spanish brought in African slaves to work the sugar plantations. Cuba has seen a series of colonizers occupy the island (Spanish, British, French and Americans). The success of the Cuban revolution against Batista on Jan. 1, 1959 under Fidel Castro inaugurated a 50 year period of socialist government in Cuba. During these 50 years the USA has supported various abortive attempts to overthrow the Cuban government, the most notable being the failed attack at the Bay of Pigs. The CIA has engineered various failed attempts to assassinate Castro and the US has overlooked various violent attacks by Cuban exiles from Florida. (Cuba: The Untold History). Cuba formerly depended heavily upon aid and assistance from Russia. The collapse of the USSR in the 1990s created a severe crisis within Cuba (known as the ‘special period’). During this period Cuba adapted and survived. A tree, blown over by the winds of Hurricane Ike during 2008 and still flourishing, is a symbol of those days.

As a result of its past experiences, Cuba has good reason to be wary of US activities on the island. US intervention in other Latin American countries (Chile, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Grenada etc.) has only strengthened Cuba’s resistance to US intervention. In spite of this past history, Cuba looks with cautious optimism to changes that might occur in the region with a possible loosening of the US economic blockade.

The Dilemma That is Cuba

Cuba is a mystery. Cuba is an extraordinary phenomenon in Latin America – and throughout the world. It is true that Cuba is a poor country but it is developing at its own pace. It has a universal health care system that the most Americans can only dream about. The quality of its health care is acknowledged to be good by all levels of Cuban society.

Cuban education is free from kindergarten to University, including graduate studies and advanced job training. In return, all incoming university students are required to do military training for one year prior to entering university. University graduates are required to do public service for a period after graduation. Graduating doctors do four years of public service upon graduation.

There is no starvation or malnutrition in Cuba. The reason for this is that every Cuban receives a subsistence food allowance by means of a ration book (libreta de racionamiento). This allotment is very basic and at times the supply is uncertain, but at least this safety net is in place. This gives the very poorest access to government assistance.

Housing was largely taken over by the state after the revolution. It was then bequeathed to the people after they had paid rent for a specified period of time (c. 15 yrs.). As a result 80% of Cubans now own their own homes. It is true that there is a scarcity in housing and many buildings are in need of repair. However Cubans in their own inimitable way are always fixing up old things – from buildings, to cars, to ancient technologies of all kinds.

While all of the above is evidence that something unusual is happening in Cuba, it is no paradise. Things need improvement and changes are constantly occurring. This is the dilemma.

There are inefficiencies in state run businesses (empresas estatales). The majority (75-90%) of all businesses are state owned and controlled. There are shortages and therefore lineups for the low priced goods available for the poor. There are government imposed restrictions on what you can buy and sell (i.e. cars,homes and even food crops). Travel and movement for Cubans is more controlled than most Westerners are used to. Freedom of speech is limited. One can get in trouble for constantly criticizing the government in public.

In short, there is a hefty amount of government control in Cuba. There is a one-party government in place. Socialist doctrine infuses the whole island. However, I had the overwhelming impression that the government is really striving to better the lives of all of its citizens and most Cubans are happy with their lives. If you read US inspired propaganda you would not come to this conclusion, but this is the conclusion that I came to after speaking with many Cubans during my trip. 

Main Issues in Cuban Cultural-Political Life

In recent years the major industry in Cuba has shifted from agriculture (sugar, tobacco) to international tourism. The invasion of rich tourists from the industrialized developed world has presented a huge challenge to Cuba. Now you have two levels of lifestyle living side by side with each other. This is reflected in many ways but is best symbolized by the two levels of currency existing on the island. The convertible Cuban peso (C.U.C) approximately equal to one US dollar is worth 25 times the local Cuban peso. For many events expatriate tourists pay in CUCs and Cubans pay in Cuban peso. This leads to a two-tired financial system that is often difficult to keep separate, especially in smaller towns. Many times I bought things that should have been paid for in Cuban pesos (i.e. food and drinks) and many times since I had no Cuban pesos at the time Cubans would pay for me in their local pesos. They have a saying “We may be poor, but we are humanitarians”. Sometimes stores accepting local pesos would be right next to higher class establishments requiring CUCs. Since it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate these two systems, it is predicted that eventually, like in China, the two-tier money system will collapse and a single monetary system will emerge. In any case, the widespread presence of rich tourists in a poor socialist state like Cuba poses a problem that will need to be resolved.

The relations between Cuba and the USA are an ongoing concern for Cubans. In the last 50 years Cubans have suffered from various attempts by Cuban exiles in Florida to destabilize the country. The Bay of Pigs fiasco is well known but there have been other terrorist attacks on Cuban airplanes, and various bombings on Cuban land (Cuba: The Untold History). As well there have been many CIA-inspired attempts to assassinate Cuban leaders. Cubans have a good reason to be wary of the USA. Cuba’s one-party political system and limitations on human freedoms are partly a reaction to past US meddling in both Cuba and Latin America in general.

Cuba is in a state of constant military preparedness. Every Cuban male over 18 years old is required to do two years of military training (one year if preparing to go to university). Castro has said that in case of a US invasion there would be an immediate militia response from all Cubans.

In the midst of all this military preparedness, there is an unusual  social experiment occurring in Cuba. The country’s wealth is distributed in a very egalitarian manner. The ostentatious rich and the wretched poor so often seen in Cuba’s neighbours are not present in Cuba. In Cuba the government is applying socialism in a serious way. This has been largely imposed on them by their isolation and poverty. In the 1990s when the USSR and Eastern Europe collapsed, Cuba should have followed suite. But they did not. They stubbornly stuck to their socialist principles and made do with what they had. More than one Cuban described the period of the 1990s (the ‘Special Period’) as a creative and formative time in Cuba’s recent history. For example machinery continued to function when by Western standards it should have become obsolete. Fifty-year old cars running around Havana are the most obvious symbol of this, but many other examples exist as well – old water pumps being repaired, ancient buildings renovated instead of being demolished and rebuilt, and every possible means of transport used to convey people.

In many ways Cuba is doing what we in the industrialized world only talk about. For example we say, “Reuse, Recycle and Restore”. Cubans do this all the time. We are realizing that the excessive use of private cars, especially in urban areas, creates an urban blight and harms the environment. Because of government policies, Cubans use mass transit to a much greater degree than we do.

Cuba is a secular state but there is freedom of religion. Many Cubans, including Castro, have been strongly influenced by the teachings of Jesus. However after the revolution the church hierarchy sided with the counter-revolutionaries. The revolution drifted towards a Marxist state and for sometime the church and state were at loggerheads. Nowadays churches of all kinds flourish in Cuba. Cuba is a secular state but then so are most industrialized countries. Eighty percent of Cubans have no connection with any church. Cuba’s secularism is based on a socialist philosophy whereas our North American secularism is based on materialistic consumption and individual liberties. In North America signboards are trying to sell you stuff; in Cuba signboards are trying to indoctrinate people with revolutionary socialist teaching.

The secular state is reflected in the state of the family in Cuba. The divorce rate is very high. Seventy of every 100 marriages in Cuba end in divorce. However the divorce rate is also high in developing countries. The US has 4.3 divorces for every 1000 people, whereas Cuba only has 3.82 divorces per 1000 people. This shows that Cuba has more multiple divorces. Divorce is very easy in Cuba. The payment of a fee of $4 and a 20 minute ceremony will do it.

Prostitution is illegal in Cuba, but it still exists. During the difficult times of the 1990s, prostitution remerged as a social problem. The close proximity of rich tourists and poorer Cubans puts a strain on society. The government is energetically combating this. In Havana at night roaming police patrol cars (patrullas) are constantly on the lookout for any signs of prostitution.

There are limitations on freedom of speech in Cuba. Even though one does not advocate violence, and is not connected to any outside foreign power, one can get in trouble for constantly, publically criticizing the government. It is especially dangerous to advocate radical change in the present system of government. Cubans freely complained to me in private. However if a colleague or a stranger approached, these persons often changed the subject. It is dangerous to complain to foreign tourists. When I asked Cubans about political prisoners in Cuba, I got different answers depending on whether the people worked in the government or in the private sector. Government personnel tended to say that if a person was imprisoned he/she must have done something wrong or dangerous. Others within the private sector admitted that you could get imprisoned for just speaking out publically and advocating a change in government.

Cubans are serious about their socialism and are determined to implement their principles. However they are not rigid ideologues. They know how to laugh at themselves. Two of my favourite classical Cuban films are “The Death of a Bureaucrat” and “Guantanamera”. Both are about the follies of socialist bureaucracy at an earlier stage in Cuba’s development. Cuba has a magazine dedicated to humour and they even have a humour museum. Current theatre and the arts are a way in which people can safely poke fun at government follies.

Small scale free enterprise is making its way in Cuba. The network of very efficient private bed and breakfast lodgings (casas particulares) throughout the island is an example of this. Government controls this phenomenon and keeps the standards up. This is home grown free enterprise at work. Many of the taxis in Havana are not registered. Just wave your hand and likely as not an unlicensed “taxi” will come to a stop and you can then negotiate the price for a ride.

Cuba is also adapting to modern trends. No doubt this is partly due to the presence of foreign tourists all over the island. Internet services are available in all of the main cities (Tele-Punto stores). More Cubans are acquiring their own computers and some have figured out how to do their emails very cheaply by inserting a flash memory stick into the internet based computers at Tele-Punto. For camera-clicking tourists, Photo-Service shops are available with modern technology in all of the main towns. I am not even mentioning the modern services which are also available in all of the luxury hotels where most tourists are to be found.

Fifty years after the revolution it becomes increasingly difficult to inspire people with the revolutionary spirit. However the government has made determined efforts in this regard. They have essentially “institutionalized” the revolution. The revolution now means saving electricity, educating the citizenry by literacy campaigns, and raising living standards by more efficient production. Whether this can be maintained by a communal socialist model is yet to be seen. Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDF) are in almost every housing block to promote these ideals.

The examples of Cuba and Costa Rica offer an interesting contrast in development models. Both have a similar living standard, with Costa Rica being somewhat more advanced. Cuba is following a socialist model of development and Costa Rica has a liberal free enterprise model. Both have excellent health systems and effective social safety nets. Costa Rica is blessed with NOT having a military. Cubans could hardly afford this luxury. Cubans are aware that other countries have embarked on other paths of development, but they resolutely continue on their socialist path.

Cuba’s socialism extends beyond its borders. They feel that they have an international obligation to give assistance to those in need. Cuban doctors have worked overseas in many different countries. I personally met a number of Cuban professionals who had served in Angola in situations of extreme hardship. Unlike some aid given by some developed countries, it is difficult to see how Cuba is doing these international operations out of self interest.

Everywhere I went in Cuba I saw a people that were basically happy  with their lot in life. There were some complainers to be sure, but they were not the majority. There was a socialist ethos that had permeated much of the island. I noticed a genuine respect for the poor. Bike riders and pedestrians were not looked down on by cars and truck drivers for example. Government intervention is pervasive and most often for the good of the citizens. Cubans by now have become so used to good universal health care and education that they now think that it is their right to receive such services. In other countries, even in rich ones like the USA, these free services are only a distant dream.

What’s Working in Cuba?

Let’s just review what is working in Cuba, not perfectly but better that one would expect.

1) The medical system is free and available to all Cubans. Almost every Cuban I met from highly trained professionals to manual labourers rated the system as good.

2) The educational system is free and available to all Cubans. There has been some criticism of the quality and competence of some university graduates. The medical training system appears to be of a consistently good quality.

3) The ‘libreta de racionamiento’ or rationing booklet attempts to provide a basic food supply to all Cubans. The well off and the poor have equal access to this service. It is Cuba’s basic food supply safety net.

4) The equality of distribution of basic resources in Cuba is amazing. There are no garish slums. The ostentatious rich have long since left and gone to Miami Florida. This is a significant achievement in an island that is relatively poor. The contrast with Haiti and Brazil is astounding.

5) Cuba is an incredibly safe place. Tourists and Cubans can freely travel throughout the island without fear of violence. This security is guaranteed by the state which needs to protect their prime industry – tourism. Compared this with the drug wars raging in Mexico or the violence in Columbia!

6) Arts, music and dance are highly valued in Cuba. Free cultural events are regularly made available to all Cubans. In Bayamo I heard a first class orchestra play in the city square. In Santa Clara a five piece band played while almost everyone in the main square was dancing – average age of the dancers, about 50 years old. In Holguin I was treated to a free concert by a popular Cuban singer, Carlos Varela. He was doing a tour of all the main towns in Cuba.

7) Cubans have learned to garner and use carefully the world’s limited resources. Old technologies keep running in Cuba. Cubans are very ingenious in using a variety of methods to solve their problems. Nowhere is this more evident than in their modes of transport. For getting around Cuba you have a bewildering variety of options; bicycles, bici-taxis, motorized carts of all kinds, motorcycles, horse drawn carriages, old US made cars of 1950 vintage and old Ladas and Moskovitches from Russia, trucks converted into buses, various ancient buses and newer buses and cars as well.

8) Cuba has remarkably low unemployment. It ranges from 2-4% unemployment, much lower than in most industrialized and developed countries.

9) Cuba seems to have the ability to laugh at itself and with this hopefully comes the ability to be self-critical. This is an important basis for self correction and improvement.

10) Despite the fact that Cuba has experienced the horrors of the slave trade in its sugar and tobacco plantations, she seems to have escaped the institutionalized racism that has scarred the US. Although some personal racial sentiments exist, government policy is race-free and the races can freely mix in Cuba.

11) Sensible small free scale enterprise is growing in Cuba. The extremely well run private homes for bed and breakfast (casas particulares) are an example of this. Also many of the taxis in Havana and other towns are privately run by persons using their own cars. In Santiago when one of the official taxis did not come to take me to the bus station on time, I was very glad for the presence of a private car acting as a taxi that I found in the main square at the last minute.

12) Cuba has a spirit of international service. Many veterans who served in Angola can still be found today in Cuba. Also Cuban doctors have served in many far flung corners of the globe.

13) Cuba has good tourism services throughout the island. Internet services are available in every large town (Tele-Punto stores) and efficient photography services exist as well (Photo Service stores).

14) I was impressed with the socialist inspired respect for pedestrians and for those on bicycles. I had an immediate rapport with people as I rode around on my bicycle. Also a pedestrian in town has the respect of car drivers similar to here in Canada, and in Holland. I cannot help but compare this to Peru where I have often worked. There as a pedestrian, I had to take my life in my hands as I crossed streets and crosswalks.

15) Although there are problems with housing in Cuba, it is worth noting that 80% of all Cubans live in their own housing. This is largely a result of government actions taken to grant home ownership to Cubans after the revolution of 1959.

What are the Problems to be Solved in Cuba?

1) The state controls almost all economic life in Cuba. In many cases, government regulation together with private ownership results in good quality control. The well run network of casas pariculares is a case in point. However many of the state run companies (empresas estatales), though good at distributing their limited resources, still need to improve efficiency and production.

2) Salaries of Cubans working in the government are low. They can average $12/month  (300 Cuban pesos/mon.) for a recent university graduate, $20/month (500 pesos/month) for an engineer and up to $32/month (800 Cuban pesos/month)for a specialist doctor with years of experience. However several things need to be kept in mind. One can only analyze salaries by comparing them with the prices of goods and services available. Medical services and education is free. A very basic food allowance is available at extremely low prices (in the order of 1-2 dollars per month). Mass transport is very cheap. (A local bus in Havana costs 2 cents a ride.). In addition, many professionals have a high sense of job satisfaction, especially in the medical profession. Finally moves are now afoot to have increased salaries tied to increased productivity.

3) There is limited freedom of speech in Cuba. This seems to be the cost that one pays in Cuba for the socialist services and the socialist way of life. The past attempts of the CIA and American-based agents to destabilize Cuba have also been a factor in creating and maintaining these limitations on personal liberties.

4) There are limitations on freedom of movement in Cuba. It seems to be a complicated procedure for upcountry Cubans to simply travel to Havana. Proper documentation is needed. Leaving the country is even more of a problem. A $3000 guarantee payment must be left with the government. This is repaid when one returns to Cuba.

5) A major problem seems to be the large number of highly trained professionals (i.e. teachers, engineers) who are not practicing their profession but are instead working in the tourist industry – often by merely serving up food and drinks to tourists. Their rationale is that they can earn more in salaries and tips (given in CUCs) than they would earn at their jobs in the government ($10-20/month). This is a waste of human resources and an obstacle to Cuba’s long term development.

6) There is a scarcity of housing in Cuba. As a result many families live in crowded conditions. This fact is even mentioned as a reason for the high divorce rate in Cuba since often young married couples need to live with their parents.

7) The influx of rich tourists from industrialized countries presents a problem. The close contact between poorer Cubans and richer tourists provides foreign income, but this puts strains on Cuba’s social structure. Because of this many Cubans seek ways to move into the lucrative tourist economy. It is, for example, not uncommon for Cuban women to seek long term liaisons with richer foreign tourists.

8) Prostitution is acerbated by the presence of rich tourists. Prostitution is strictly illegal in Cuba. However it exists. In Old Havana (Vieja Habana) a cat and mouse game is played out nightly between roving police patrol cars and Cuban women wandering the streets.

9) Government propaganda is omnipresent. Billboards everywhere give out government messages. TV and radio give the government view of the world. In North America we are also bombarded with the Western view if the world, but the propaganda techniques used in our developed countries are more subtle than those used in Cuba.

10) There is an attempt to separate Cubans from tourists in many spheres. Many luxury hotels are designed only for tourists. Tourists are not allowed on local Cuban buses for inter-city travel. The reasons for this separation were explained to me as (i) It is more lucrative for the Cuban government  to put tourists up in high priced hotels and buses, (ii) this enhances security for traveling tourists, and (iii) this reduces the negative influence of rich tourists on Cubans. However, in Havana everyone is allowed to ride the city buses. The cost is only 2 cents a ride, but you may have to wait and the buses can be overcrowded.

Once in Havana I squeezed into a very crowded local bus. The driver looked at me in a very disapproving manner. I got off at the next stop. In this brief encounter I realized some of the rationale fro the separation of tourists from Cubans. Indeed, it did not seem fair for me as a tourist to take the limited space available on that bus from a Cuban citizen.

11) Cubans do have low priced goods and services available to them. However, one should be ready for long waits at times and occasional scarcities of goods. As in everywhere else in the world, money can buy quicker services and better goods.

12) Too many trained professionals are doing menial jobs in the tourist industry. I met teachers, professors, engineers and other professionals serving food and drinks to tourists. This is a huge waste of precious human resources, both in the years spent in educating these people and then from the nation not benefiting from their expertise. When asked, most of these admitted that they could obtain a job with the government but at a salary ($10-20/month) that would not equal the salary plus tips that they earned in the tourist industry.

13) With the high divorce rate in Cuba, women (mothers and grandmothers) are most often the main care-givers for the children. This means that significant numbers of men are abdicating their roles as child caregivers.

14) Reports circulate about the competence of university graduates. This is hard to quantify. Medical graduates continue to perform well.

15) The two-tired money system continues to cause problems. As was the case in China (which eventually abolished the two levels of currencies) everyone wants to get hold of the more valuable ‘convertible’ peso. I met a man selling coconut drinks on the beach. I asked the price. “Whatever you would like to pay” he said. When I pulled out a few local Cuban pesos, disappointment was written all over his face. He was expecting to be paid in convertible pesos.

16) After 50 years of hearing about ‘the revolution’ Cubans can be excused for becoming tired of all the political propaganda. This disconnect between daily life (culture) and political propaganda occurs in most countries of the world. For example, many Canadians only really get excited about politics during an election campaign. To counteract this tendency Cuba has tried to institutionalize the revolution and make it part of the daily concerns of Cubans. This has meant transmitting concern for social and economic issues through their Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDFs).

17) The continuing US blockade of Cuba is a problem. Essentially the blockade limits trade opportunities and increases the cost of imported goods which must be brought in from farther away. However the blockade is only with the US and US firms. Cuba has active trading relations with many other countries, including Canada.

18) There is a scarcity of adequate housing in Cuba. It is generally agreed that housing had not received the same attention that has been given to medical and educational services. Even though 80% of Cubans do own their own homes the government has had difficulties in providing adequate housing for Cuba’s growing population. This problem is mitigated buy the fact that Cuba’s population growth is quite low at 0.25%/year, being 190th on a list of the world’s population growth rates.

Conclusion: What makes Cuba Work?

Cuba is a country with massive government intervention in almost every aspect of life. However after three weeks of travelling through the Cuban countryside (by bus, taxis and bicycle) and talking to as many Cubans as I could, I have come to the following conclusion. The government intervention in Cuban’s lives is largely designed for the good of the people. I am aware that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. By this criterion Cuba should be a very corrupt place, because the government influence in Cuba is very pervasive. However, as best I can tell this has not happened in Cuba.

From the very beginning there was something different about the Cuban revolution. A recent movie about Che in Cuba ends with notable scene. As the revolutionary troops are marching into Havana, a band of his soldiers drives by in a stolen car. Che stops them and says that they must return the car. It is not theirs. If anything, it is now the common property of all the people. This revolution was not going to be like other ‘coup de etats’.  The new revolutionaries never did say “Now it is our turn to plunder”.

Where did this difference come from? Reading the writings of Fidel Castro it is clear that he was strongly influenced by the life and teachings of Jesus. He is even quoted as saying “A biographer says here that the Cuban revolution was inspired by Karl Marx and the communist manifesto. It was not inspired by Karl Marx. It was inspired by a carpenter from Nazareth who went up to a mountain to teach. And it was inspired by the sermon from that mountain”. And again Fidel said,” Remember that the Cuban revolution was in 1959, three years before the beginning of Vatican II. If the Catholic Church in 1959 would have been like the Catholic Church in Nicaragua in 1980, there would never have been a Cuban revolution of the kind we know. But the church wasn’t doing what it was designed for and so someone had to”. (see also ‘Fidel y la Religion’).

Today Cuba is a secular society. The reason for the difference in the Cuban revolution is its strong socialist ideology. It is however important to realize that the socialist ideology had pre-revolutionary Christian roots.

As I write this, I realize that many in North America have been preconditioned to dismiss the credibility of any country that claims to be socialist. However, recent global events might change all of this. Taking major control of banks and financial institutions by massive financial bailouts, giving major car industries huge bailouts and effectively taking control of them – in any other country than in the USA, that would be called socialism at work.

Also the financial collapse initiated by unwise real estate loans should shake one’s naïve belief in the ability of unregulated markets to direct our economies. We too often forget the power of personal and corporate greed, and we have too easily dismissed the efforts of governments to control and regulate our economies. Maybe we should take another look at Cuba!

Cuba and the capitalistic countries offer two very different development models. These two visions of communal concern and creative self interest are part of our human condition. When we strive for creative invention and increased production we satisfy our self interest. However, without a broader concern for the larger society and even for the larger ecology and world environment, an unregulated free enterprise capitalism can become self destructive.

This battle of the two world views is going on in Cuba today. I had a ride in a private taxi from Holguin to Bayamo and then from Bayamo to Santiago. The taxi driver (Ricardo, name changed to protect his identity) owned his own model European car. Ricardo was well trained and was previously a university professor. However he found it much more lucrative to drive tourists like me around. (We did fill the back seat with Cubans who paid in Cuban pesos, i.e. 1/25 of the rate that I paid.). Upon arriving in Santiago de Cuba, Ricardo offered me a lower priced (unregulated) casa for my lodging in the home of a friend. He said he had to make deals like this to survive and to pay for his expensive car. I asked him about the free medical services and education that he received. He was grateful for this. I then asked him, who was supposed to pay for all of this? Later we picked up another rider in Santiago. His name was Juan and he was a doctor and a surgeon with 12 years of experience. Juan had no car and earned about 800 pesos/month (c. $32/month). Juan was satisfied. He received many services free or at a very low price. In addition he received tremendous job satisfaction. In Cuba giving medical services is often described as ’a labour of love’. Ricardo had to admit that many professionals in Cuba do derive a certain job satisfaction, especially in the medical profession, and probably also in the teaching profession where classes are kept at a manageable 20 students per class. So here in a taxi in Santiago de Cuba you had two persons, Juan and  Ricardo, who represented two very different visions of the world. 

Whither Cuba?

The Cuban government is showing flexibility and adaptability. They probably began to learn this in the difficult period of the 1990s when their main supporter, the Russian empire collapsed. Slowly small scale private enterprise is growing in Cuba. Slowly the living standards of Cubans will continue to rise. Eventually the two-tired money system will disappear.

Cuba has now met all the basic needs of its citizens (food, medical and educational services). Now comes the harder part as Cuba prepares for the next stage of development. This will mean increased individual freedoms, and more of the extras of life that come from the increasing use of modern technologies. Let us hope that that the discipline, commitment and communal concern that has characterized Cuba this far will continue in the future.

May 2009