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Cuba Today: Impressions of the Revolution in Its Twentieth Year

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Cuba Today: Impressions of the Revolution in Its Twentieth Year 1979INo. 8 by Howard and Nancy Cuba Today: Impressions of the North America Handelman Revolution in its Twentieth Year [HH-1-'791 As the Cuban passengers boarded For the Americans on the flight, the but find fault with aspects of its our Air Canada flight from Toronto first aerial view of Cuba generated a implementation. Thus, critical works to Havana, we were amazed at the different type of excitement and an by scholars such as Ren6 Dumont huge volume of packages they air of mystery. All the people in our and K.S. Karol-both leftists carried with them. Laden like study-tour group had long been who spent extended periods in the Andean cargadores (porters) with anxious to observe firsthand the country as guests and blue jeans, skirts, toys, and perfume, dramatic process of political and advisers- have been very poorly they could have been walking socioeconomic change unfolding in received by the Cuban department store advertisements. that nation. Until recently, we had government.2 The Cubans also The woman seated on our left was a entertained little hope that a journey retain a not unreasonable wariness United Nations official returning to such as this-several intensive of CIA espionage. Consequently, Cuba after four years of diplomatic weeks visiting and studying various those who want to conduct service in New York. Other Cubans Cuban political and economic scholarly research projects must be with whom we spoke were either institutions-would ever be sponsored by an interested Cuban returning technical and diplomatic possible. To be sure, group travel institution (a university or representatives or, in several cases, from Mexico or Canada to Cuba has government agency) and must expatriates who had left the island been open to Americans for several generally be recommended by before the Revolution and were years, and in 1977 direct charter persons sympathetic to the returning for the first time to visit flights between the United States evolution.^ relatives.' The various appliances and Havana were reintroduced. But and clothing being brought to most existing group tours are Our study-tour, sponsored by the Havana for the passengers own use designed for Canadian and Mexican Venceremos Brigade, would allow or for relatives (in the case of the tourists who wish to soak up the us to travel the length of Cuba expatriates) testified to the Caribbean sand and sun and have overland, from Havana to Santiago continuing scarcity of consumer little interest in the Cuban political and back, visiting factories, housing goods in the revolutionary republic. process. The Cuban government, projects, state farms, hospitals, anxious to promote its developing schools, and political organizations Several hours later, as our plane tourist industry, has encouraged such as the Committees for the neared the island's shores and we such visits and, indeed, has even Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) could make out its lush, green colors instructed Cubatour (the and Poder ~o~ular?Because of the from the air, the Cubans excitedly government tourist bureau) guides impossibility of independently rushed to the windows. All of them, to steer away from political booking spaces in Cuba's heavily diplomats and returning expatriates discussion. overcrowded hotels and intercity alike, seemed deeply moved by their buses, individual members of the imminent return to their homeland, For those American scholars, Venceremos tour could not leave whatever their attitudes toward the students, or journalists wishing to the group overnight for separate Revolution (we suspected that some engage in more intensive study of travel. However, throughout the trip of the expatriates were not Cuba's revolutionary process, it is the two of us (and other group supportive). Cuba's culture and still extremely difficult to obtain members) excused ourselves from climate-like those of Puerto Rico, individual entry visas. The Cuban various scheduled visits and also Trinidad and other Caribbean regime remains sensitive to took advantage of unscheduled islands-inspire the love and criticism, particularly when it "free time" (including almost every affection of its native sons and emanates from leftist intellectuals night after dinner) to strike off on daughters. who sympathize with the Revolution our own to talk individually with Cuban citizens in the streets, bars, national holiday, Fidel (as the economic difficulty, 1964-1969, the parks, and in their homes. We found Revolution's "Commander in Chief" nation's GNP fell by a total of 2 the Cuban people almost universally is universally known) regularly percent while per capita GNP friendly, extremely hospitable, addresses crowds of up to one declined by some 10 percent. anxious to exchange viewpoints million in Havana's Plaza of the with foreign visitors, and fascinated Revolution to explain, at great The severity of these problems by the opportunity to meet length, the current state of the should not be overstated. A new "yanquis" -whatever their views of Revolution and its future policies. sense of national pride and their own Revolution and of independence, an unprecedented American policies. We are At the close of the year, one more level of socioeconomic convinced that most of them revolutionary milestone would be egalitarianism, new opportunities expressed their political views to us reached-the twentieth anniversary for social and educational mobility, freely and honestly. Indeed, those of General Fulgencio Batista's flight and a revolutionary Elan- Cubans we met who opposed the from the island and the incredible particularly among the young- government (we spoke to a number victory of the small guerrilla army buoyed the spirits of the 75 percent who did, almost all in Havana) were led by Fidel, his brother RaGl, ChE or more of the population that not in the least bit hesitant to Guevara, and Camilo cienfuegos5 probably endorsed the Revolution express their criticisms and The International Youth Festival and and Fidel's leadership. Moreover, complaints to us. the two anniversaries (July 26 and despite declines in per capita GNP January 1) are together significant and food production (documented The Revolution Approaches Middle benchmarks in the unfolding of by the Cuban government's own Age Cuba's revolutionary process. Like statistics), two-thirds of the Our visit to Cuba (June-July 1978) its "maxima lider," Fidel, whose population-particularly the rural came on the eve of a series of beard increasingly reveals specks of sector and the unskilled, urban critical dates in the nation's gray, the Revolution has entered population -were undoubtedly revolutionary history. Throughout middle age. After years of isolation living better than ever before. our trip we saw volunteers, mostly and serious economic problems, this Distribution of available wealth and organized through the Committees is a time of particular satisfaction income, especially after the flight of for Defense of the Revolution and contentment for the nation's much of the middle and upper (Cuba's principal mass mobilization leadership and much of its classes, was far more equitable. In organization), repairing and painting population. addition, guaranteed employment monuments, major thoroughfares (in a nation which had traditionally and buildings in preparation for the In contrast, the 1960s-the first suffered from chronic upcoming XI International Youth decade of the Revolution-was a unemployment), free medical care, Festival. In late July thousands of period of great trials and difficulties. the virtual abolition of rent on delegates from the Third World, the Staunch opposition of most of the housing, and fully-paid vacations Soviet Bloc, Western Europe, and nation's upper and middle classes, raised mass living standards, though the United States would flood the early attempts at such gains were not reflected in island, straining its tourist facilities counterrevolutionary sabotage and GNP figures. Still, by 1969, with the and dormitories to the utmost. guerrilla warfare by opponents of opportunities for further economic Signs mobilizing the population for the regime, CIA plots to overthrow redistribution virtually ended and a the festival-a major source of the government (capped by the Bay declining per capita GNP, the need national pride- were everywhere of Pigs invasion), and expulsion for economic growth became in evidence. The festival itself from the Organization of American pressing. The nation continued to would coincide with another States (OAS), had all conspired to face an acute housing deficiency major, national celebration, the isolate Cuba internationally (except and to suffer serious shortages of twenty-fifth anniversary of the from the Soviet Bloc) and to instill a basic food and consumer items abortive attack by a group of siege mentality among her leaders. (due, in large part, to an extremely university students, led by Fidel The U.S.-directed economic high rate of capital investment). Castro, on the Moncada military blockade, the flight of most of the Revolutionary spirit could not be barracks in Santiago. The attack country's professionals and maintained indefinitely in a stagnant failed to ignite a popular uprising technicians, the great difficulties of economy. against the long-standing Batista socializing a highly dependent dictatorship, but served as the capitalist economy, and the many The 1970s have featured a steady opening battle in a five-year struggle planning and managerial errors economic recovery and growth. that culminated in victory for the committed by the government at all With the emergence of new "barbudos" (bearded rebels) on levels, contributed to a series of technicians to replace those who New Year's Day, 1959. On July 26, economic setbacks and a stagnant had fled, the rectification of many the anniversary of the Moncada Gross National Product (GNP).~ earlier planning errors, and more attack and now Cuba's primary During the period of greatest balanced economic development, the fruits of earlier capital through which citizens can and do virtually all the country's 3,500 investment began to blossom.
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