Vol. 17, No. 2 February 2009

www.cubanews.com

In the News Opposing views of ex-USINT diplomats

EIU: 3.8% growth frame Obama’s policy dilemma on Cuba Cuba will see fastest 2009 GDP growth in BY LARRY LUXNER current travel restrictions. At the Jan. 23 event, he insisted that Obama should “stay the course” the Western Hemisphere ...... Page 3 n Havana, both occupied the same fifth-floor office as chief of the U.S. Interests Section. when it comes to Cuba. I But in Miami, their suggestions on how the But Huddleston says that’s exactly the wrong Young soldiers Obama administration should deal with Fidel approach. Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces final- and Raúl Castro seem to have little — if any- “When I was on the plane coming down here, thing — in common. the woman sitting next to me asked why I was ly getting fresh new blood ...... Page 4 On Jan. 23, retired career diplomats Vicki going to Miami,” said the former diplomat, who Huddleston and Jim Cason — speaking at a served in Havana from 1999 to 2002, a period Moscow connection seminar organized by the University of Miami’s coinciding mostly with the Clinton administra- tion. “I told her, ‘to give a speech on Cuba.’ She Russia seeks to re-establish itself in Latin Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Stu- dies (ICCAS) — offered diametrically opposing asked me to tell her in one sentence what I was America, using Cuba as base ...... Page 6 views that generally reflected the policies of the going to say, so I replied, ‘change the policy.’” presidents they served. Huddleston, now a senior fellow at the Brook- Newsmakers A third diplomat, former State Department ings Institution in Washington, says the United States must understand that, for the foreseeable Cuban Liberty Council’s Ninoska Pérez official Manuel Rocha, gave an especially in- sightful presentation calling for more openness future, Raúl Castro is in charge. Castellón airs her controversial views on toward Cuba in Washington. But because of his “Everybody in this room wants to see demo- Miami’s Radio Mambí...... Page 8 current job as a consultant for McDonald’s cracy, human rights and opportunities for the Corp., Rocha’s comments were off-the-record Cuban people to have a voice in their own gov- and cannot be included in this report. ernment. We have no differences there,” she Housing shortage ICCAS Director Jaime Suchlicki, who moder- said. “The differences lie in how to get there.” Hurricanes, economic woes make vivien- ated the event, rarely makes a secret of his dis- “I think that now, President Obama has the das an urgent national priority .....Page 9 taste for ending the embargo or even relaxing See Policy, page 2 Exile bonanza U.S. financial crisis hammers Caribbean Cuban airports to reap benefis of renewed Cuban-American travel ...... Page 10 as Cuba tourism industry reaps bonanza Business briefs BY LARRY LUXNER In addition, the Russians are beginning to dis- U.S. food sales to Cuba jump 61% in 2008; n 2008, three killer hurricanes ravaged Cuba cover Cuba. Last year, the country received more than 40,000 visitors from Russia, up 39% Cuba migrates to Linux OS ...... Page 12 in the space of two months. Prices for nickel, Ithe island’s top export, have fallen drastically, from 2007, according to Carlos Oscar Hernán- while the cost of food imports has skyrocketed. dez, the regime’s top tourism rep in Moscow. Eager artists And the U.S. embargo continues to squeeze “Cuba is in a very, very dire economic situa- tion right now,” said Antonio Zamora, a Miami Exhibitors from 44 nations gear up for Hav- the communist regime in Havana, which marked its 50th year in power on Jan. 1, 2009, as Presi- lawyer who visits Cuba frequently in his capaci- ana’s biennial art show ...... Page 13 dent Raúl Castro warned of hard times ahead. ty as director of the U.S.-Cuba Legal Forum. But one thing Cuba doesn’t have to worry “They need some sort of boost, and tourism is Che Inc. about is tourism. Last year, revenue from tourist one place where it’s going to come from.” According to David Adams, a correspondent Global capitalists get rich off revolution- expenditures came to $2.7 billion — a 13.5% jump from the year before. A record 2.35 million for the St. Petersburg Times, “Cuba’s tourism ary icon’s famous image ...... Page 14 tourists visited Cuba in 2008, up 9.3% from 2007. boom is all the more surprising given the impact One reason Cuba’s doing so well is that its of the global economic crisis on travel to other CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly largest source of tourism isn’t the United States Caribbean destinations. That can be partly by Luxner News Inc. © 2009. All rights reserved. but Canada, where the financial crunch hasn’t attributed to the island’s relatively cheap, all- Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. had much impact yet. Last year, 800,000 Canadi- inclusive packages — as low as $550 a week, air- For editorial inquires, please call (301) 452-1105 fare included.” or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. ans visited Cuba; other big sources of tourism to Cuba are Britain, Italy, Spain and Germany. See Tourism, page 7 2 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 “The United States has very little influence tourist per 210 Cubans. Therefore, tourists Policy — FROM PAGE 1 in Cuba now. Russia’s back, China’s strong, can make no meaningful impact on Cuban unique opportunity, the authority and the and Venezuela, Brazil and Spain are all there. society even if they were permitted to.” popular support to discard a policy of regime Cuba has excellent relations around the In another accusation of questionable accu- change that hasn’t worked for half a century world. If we want to have influence in the racy, Cason alleges that “tourists by and large — and replace it with a policy of critical and future, then we need to be dealing with the stay at all-inclusive hotels. No tips are encour- constructive engagement.” Western Hemisphere, and with Cuba,” she aged or permitted. Tourists can buy very little That means the United States no longer said. “I think we have a chance now to make from average Cubans except sex.” aims to overthrow the Cuban government. this dream of a free Cuba come true.” Apparently, Cason never visited the huge “We accept the reality, that the revolution crafts and souvenir market located only a few is a fact. It can’t be unlived or changed. CASON: TOURISM WON’T HELP AVERAGE CUBANS blocks from USINT along Havana’s Malecón. Accept that and engage Cuba on issues in our Keep dreaming, says Cason. He continued: “The regime charges aver- interest. By doing that, we put the onus for The former USINT-Havana chief, who re- age Cubans the highest rack rate to stay in change on the Cuban government and take it tired from the Foreign Service after serving hotels. So foreigners will rarely encounter a away from Washington and Miami.” as U.S. envoy to Paraguay, thinks “improving regular Cuban in their hotels. If they leave Huddleston said that during the first 100 relations with Cuba should not be a goal. That their isolated enclaves at all, it’s a guided tour days of his administration, Obama could take will come about when we see that Castro has to a Potemkin village.” a number of decisions to improve bilateral decided to put Cuba on a democratic path.” Cason, who served as USINT-Havana chief ties — regardless of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act which codified the embargo. “The time-honored tradition of the presi- dent having the last say in foreign policy still exists, even with regard to Cuba. The presi- dent can design tactics, programs and activi- LARRY LUXNER ties that he feels would further the U.S. inter- est,” said Huddleston, who was famous dur- ing her stint as chief of USINT-Havana for handing out shortwave radios to average Cubans on the street. “So President Obama has the authority, whether you like it or not, to do just about anything he wants on Cuba,” she said. “He could negotiate and even give back Guantá- namo. He could change the ‘wet foot-dry foot’ policy or negotiate expropriated property claims, but we don’t expect him to do that.” Ex-diplomats Jim Cason, Vicki Huddleston and Manuel Rocha discuss Cuba policy at an ICCAS gathering. According to Huddleston, Obama would need Congressional approval to get rid of the Cason’s talk focused strictly on travel — a under the Bush administration, was intensely embargo altogether, but not to dismantle it subject he’s clearly passionate about. disliked by the Castro regime — and by more piecemeal. “Once again, we hear that more trade and than a few of his fellow foreign diplomats — “What Helms-Burton did in 1996 was codi- travel will bring greater freedom to Cubans,” for his brashness and belligerent style. fy the regulations of the embargo as they he said. “Some urge outright abandonment of He said that in the last decade, more than stood then. But it also gave executive author- what remains of the embargo, but most oppo- 15 million foreigners have visited Cuba and ity for the president to modify or change the nents focus on ending travel restrictions as the island has not opened up one bit. embargo. So the power to change the embar- the first step.” “Now that Castro has Sugar Daddy Chávez go was codified along with the regulations.” Cason said such people typically offer four supporting him, he need not liberalize. Travel RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT arguments: that flooding Cuba with Ameri- has hardened the regime and increased its cans will “instill a yearning for democracy,” staying power rather than weakening it.” Huddleston predicted that Obama’s “first that spending by Americans will boost living He also claimed that tourism, trade and for- basket of activities” would probably consist of standards, that something different must be eign investment had nothing to do with the lifting all travel and remittance restrictions for tried because the embargo hasn’t worked, downfall of communism in Eastern Europe — Cuban-Americans as promised. and finally, that Americans have a constitutio- and that they won’t work in Cuba either. He would also reinstate regulations that nal right to travel wherever they wish. “Few Americans speak Spanish well allow “people-to-people” and educational ex- “These arguments, in my opinion, are dead enough to hold a conversation,” said Cason, changes, and encourage USINT-Havana to wrong and reflect our lack of understanding who, incidentally, speaks fluent Guaraní from issue more visas for Cubans to travel for edu- his years in Paraguay. “The fact is that tourists cational and cultural events. of what it’s like to live in a closed society. Most Americans have never experienced tota- go to Cuba for rum, sun, cigars and sex — not Next on his to-do list would be a review of to spread democracy.” whether Cuba should remain on the list of ter- litarianism, so they make assumptions that are not grounded in reality.” And unlike the vast majority of Cuban-Ame- rorist-supporting states. In addition, said ricans, Cason is also adamantly opposed to Huddleston, “he should also license commu- EX-DIPLOMAT STRETCHES THE TRUTH once again allowing exiles unrestricted travel nications equipment [to be sold to Cuba]. By to the island of their birth, on the grounds not doing so, we are simply helping Cuban Yet in his speech, Cason repeated a num- that they won’t change anything either. state security keep TV, radio and information ber of accusations that aren’t exactly ground- “Cuban-Americans may well have been a out of the hands of Cuban citizens.” ed in reality. key factor in spreading a desire for democra- The former diplomat, who ended her long “Cubans are forbidden from interacting cy, but nothing has come of this,” he said. career as U.S. ambassador to Mali, said it’s with ordinary tourists and cannot accept publ- “Returning Cuban-Americans are very cau- crucial that the United States act now in order cations from abroad,” he claimed. “Only 103 tious in what they bring with them, or what to counter the growing clout of other coun- hotels cater to foreign tourists, mainly in iso- they do and say while on the island. They do tries whose interests may not coincide with lated areas. Havana, a city of 2.1 million peo- not want to engage in prohibited behavior. those of Washington. ple, has only 5,632 hotel rooms, meaning one They just stay out of trouble.” ❑ February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 3 ECONOMY EIU: Cuba to enjoy hemisphere’s fastest growth in 2009 ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT while emergency imported supplies following arrivals by source country for January- the hurricanes came to more than $500 mil- October show that while arrivals from Canada n his Dec. 23 report to the National lion. On the exports side, the collapse of the — the most important market — rose strong- Assembly’s Economic Commission (ahead international price of nickel (the main goods ly, six other key markets reported declines. Iof the Assembly’s plenary session on Dec. export, earning around $2 billion in 2007) is Despite the economic slowdown and large 27), Cuba’s minister of the economy and plan- reported to have cut earnings per ton by 41%. trade and fiscal deficits, Rodríguez announ- ning, José Luis Rodríguez, announced an offi- ced an official forecast of 6% GDP growth in cial estimate for GDP growth in 2008 of 4.3%. 2009. In the context of the poor prospects for This was down from 7.3% in 2007 and the global economy, which will hit tourism around half the official forecast of 8% made in and external financing and keep nickel prices December 2007. depressed, this appears optimistic. It also represented a sharp slowdown in the The Economist Intelligence Unit, by con- second half of 2008: year-on-year GDP growth trast, forecasts that Cuba’s GDP will be 3.8% in the first half was reported to have been in 2009, rising to 4% in 2010. 6.2%, suggesting that growth in the second In presenting his forecast, Rodríguez half was below 1.5%. A further slowdown is stressed that there was an unusually high expected this year, although the official pro- degree of uncertainty. The government’s fore- jections are probably unattainable. cast of an upturn appears to be based on the The result for 2008 was not a surprise. Of- expectation that terms of trade will benefit ficials had warned in previous months that from lower food and oil import prices, while growth was likely to be down, with an esti- reforms and recent investment in new capaci- mate of “around 4%” having been suggested ty will raise domestic productivity and output. in October. It also assumes that major planned invest- The reasons given for the underperfor- ment programs in oil exploration, communi- mance were the sharp deterioration in terms cations and infrastructure will go ahead. of trade arising from higher-than-anticipated While substantial official external financing average prices for oil and food imports, and a for investment has been committed by China, collapse in nickel export prices from mid-year Venezuela, Brazil and Iran, a significant por- (which reduced the average price in 2008 by tion of domestically funded investment will be 41% compared with its 2007 average); three focused on repairing some of the hurricane major hurricanes in August, September and damage to housing, inventories and infra- October; and the effects of the deterioration structure, estimated at $9.7 billion. in global economic conditions on tourism and Rodríguez did not specify the official external financing. On the services account, the impact of the assumptions concerning U.S. sanctions, but hurricanes and the slowdown in the econo- given Raúl Castro’s insistence that Cuba will TRADE DETERIORATES mies of Cuba’s tourist markets was evident in refuse to respond to any conditions for their At the same time, there was a leap in the the September and October arrivals figures. relaxation, it appears that the Cuban govern- goods trade deficit from $6.4 billion in 2007 to For the full year, an officially estimated fig- ment is expecting only minor changes. ❑ an estimated $10.7 billion in 2008, caused ure of 2.35 million arrivals represents growth This report was issued Feb. 2 by the Economist mainly by the deterioration of terms of trade. of 9.2%. This implies year-on-year growth of Intelligence Unit and is reprinted in CubaNews According to Rodríguez, higher prices of 2.5% in the second half of 2008, compared with the express permission of EIU, which is sole- food and fuel added $2 billion to import costs, with 14.9% in the first six months. Data on ly responsible for its content and point of view. New cable won’t end Internet restrictions Nickel earns Cuba $552m uba will continue to limit Internet ac- ernment says the limited bandwidth forces it Cuba’s nickel industry garnered a net cess even after a fiberoptic cable linking to “prioritize” Internet access for “social use” profit of $552 million on 70,400 tons of Cthe island with Venezuela comes online purposes, with universities, companies and unrefined nickel and cobalt in 2008, said in 2010, according to an article in Juventud research centers getting priority. the Ministry of Basic Industry. Rebelde picked up by Agence-France Presse. The embargo bans Cuban access to under- Nickel surpassed tourism in impor- The new cable is 1,550 kms (960 miles) water Internet cables, the closest of which tance in 2008, said Prensa Latina, adding long and will dramatically boost Cuba’s level runs from Miami to Cancún, Mexico. that Cuba has the world’s 2nd-largest re- of connectivity, say officials of the regime. Moreno told Juventud Rebelde that Cuba, serves of nickel and ranks 6th in world “We believe that the most responsible poli- with a population of around 11.4 million, has production. Holguín province alone con- cy is to privilege collective access” to the 1.4 million Internet users — and that by the tains 34% of known world reserves, with Internet, said Boris Moreno, deputy minister end of 2008 there were 630,000 computers, a 800 million tons of proven and another of computer science and communication. 23% increase over 2007. 2.2 billion tons of probable reserves. “A larger number of citizens want to have Last July, the then-chief of the U.S. Inter- Cuba produced around 76,000 tons of Internet access,” technical and economic con- ests Section in Havana, Michael Parmly, said nickel plus cobalt in 2007, and plans to ditions allowing, Moreno conceded, but he Washington would allow U.S. companies to produce a similar amount in 2009. warned that the new cable “will not necessar- connect Cuba to their underwater cables Nickel is essential in the production of ily decrease the price the country pays for under certain conditions. stainless steel and other corrosion-resist- connection to international networks.” “The only thing missing is for the Cuban ant alloys, while cobalt is critical for mak- Because of the U.S. trade embargo, Cuba government to lift its restrictions, lose its fear ing super alloys used in aircraft engines. connects to the Internet via satellite. The gov- and begin to trust its own people,” he said. ❑ 4 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Cuba’s aging military leadership? Don’t count on it BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI positions at the General Staff, Air Force/Air tends to motivate and guide senior high- n December, Politburo member and Army Defenses (DAAFAR) and the Navy or Marina school students into military academies. Corps General (ACG) Ramón Espinosa de Guerra Revolucionaria (MGR), also saw a Since its inauguration in 1967, some 84,000 I Martín was replaced as chief of the East- big change when Brigadier General (BG) students have graduated from this school. ern Army by Division General (DG) Onelio Jorge Mendiondo Gómez, 65, took over DAA- Raúl recently referred to those graduates as Aguilera Bermudez — the most important FAR seven years ago. those who command the staffs of every army change within Cuba’s Fuerzas Armadas Revo- At present, the only remaining figure — and branch of the military. Indeed, today lucionarias (FAR) since the retirement of appointed to this position in 1987 to replace many of them are in charge of Cuba’s most scores of “old guard” generals in the 1990s. Rear Adm. José Cuza — is Vice Adm. Pedro important military regions and direcorates. The Eastern Army comprises Camagüey, M. Pérez Betancourt, 69. Some sources say DG Aguilera Bermudez, an expert in com- Las Tunas, Granma, Holguín, Santiago de he’ll be replaced by Rear Adm. Carlos Duque bined forces or Tropas Generales, is also “un Cuba and Guantánamo provinces, as well as Ramos, chief of the Western Naval District. africano” — a term describing the many offi- the special brigade stationed on the perimeter DG Aguilera Bermudez is a typical exam- cers who did missions or tours on the battle- fields of Angola and Ethiopia. of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay ple of the current lines of promotion taking (see detailed map below). place within the ranks of Cuba’s leadership. Since his late 30s, he has been chief of the Baragua Division of the Eastern Army, the Until 2006, the Eastern Army — along with YOUNGER GENERATION IS ALREADY IN CHARGE Gran Unidad de Tanques (Rescate de the Western Army and the Central Army — When Cuba-watchers look at the faces of Sanguily, reserve unit of the General Staff) in had long been under the command of gener- the Western Army, chief of the Holguin als whose credentials dated back to the days Raúl, Machado Ventura and other leaders, they tend to conclude that the same old lead- Division, and chief of Staff of the Eastern of guerrilla warfare, in the late 1950s. Army from 2006 to 2008. Two of them were Politburo members (Es- ership remains very much in place. But a careful examination of who’s leading What do all three of these new officers have pinosa Martin, 69, and Leopoldo Cintra Frias, in common? None have held any political posi- 68, chief of the Western Army). The third, the government, the PCC and the FAR sug- tion, and none belong to either the Politburo Joaquin Quintas Sola, 70, chief of the Central gests an entirely different conclusion: that the or the Central Committee. Their social and Army) belonged to the Central Committee of younger generations have already taken over family backgrounds are extremely modest. the Cuban Communist Party (PCC). almost all of the existing power structure. As children, they experienced the short- All three men were promoted to FAR’s Provincial and CC cadres, ministers and ages and hardships of life in Cuba — and since General Staff as vice-ministers, with Cintra vice-ministers, and heads of directorates and then, have served the revolution with extreme Frias becoming first vice-minister. By all corporations offer indisputable evidence that loyalty and dedication. accounts, he is the most likely of the three to such a change is in the making. Two of them are in their late 50s and early replace Julio Casas Regueiro, 73, FAR’s cur- In his late 40s, DG Aguilera Bermudez is 60s: DG Raúl Rodríguez Lobaina, former chief rent minister. the youngest of the three army chiefs. He was of staff of the Central Army, and DG Lucio These three vice ministers, together with a BG in 2006 and was recently promoted to Morales Abad, former chief of staff of the the chief of the General Staff, ACG Alvaro DG. In the early 1970s, he was simply a pre- Western Army. Lopez Miera, 64, represent today’s military cadet from the Escuelas Militares Camilo It’s expected that both men will be promot- leadership in Cuba. The other two important Cienfuegos — a sort of Cuban ROTC that ed to the Central Committee during this year’s upcoming Party congress. That will make them not only “soldiers following orders” but trusted politicians with key roles in the next CUBA’S ARMED FORCES AT A GLANCE few crucial years of the Cuban revolution. ❑ Former Cuban intelligence officer Domingo Amuchastegui has lived in Miami since 1994. He writes regularly for CubaNews about politics in Cuba and the South Florida exile community. February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS

DELAHUNT INTRODUCES BILL TO END TRAVEL BAN In their own words … While most of the United States focused on the “I felt somewhat nostalgic when I remembered lard being grilled on a twig stimulus bill winding through Congress, nine rep- over a bonfire. Felt like eating it on rye bread. This nostalgia is 25 years old.” resentatives introduced a bill calling for an end to — Raúl Castro, extolling the taste of salo in a Jan. 29 exchange with Russian the 46-year-old ban on travel to Cuba, the South President Dmitri Medvedev during Castro’s historic, week-long visit to Moscow. Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Feb. 10. The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 4 “Cuba’s delegation has come to defend the truth. We are open to dialogue. would allow American citizens unrestricted travel All we ask is to be given full respect and objectivity, which should be the hall- to Cuba for the first time since 1963. mark of this process.” The bill by Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA) and — Maria Esther Reus González, Cuba’s minister of justice, said Feb. 5 at a meeting eight co-sponsors would also lift limits on travel of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as three U.S. allies — Canada, by Cuban exiles living in the United States. Under Israel and Great Britain — raised the issue of political prisoners in Cuban jails. the proposal, the president would not be able to regulate travel to the island unless an armed con- “We are convinced that it is time to change the ineffective and counter-pro- flict or armed danger arises. ductive U.S. policy toward Cuba. We urgently request you to change the Cuba Many expect President Barack Obama to back a policy of the United States in ways that will assist the churches in their work change in the policy. As a candidate for the presi- and benefit all Americans.” dency, Obama spoke in favor of reducing restric- — Dec. 18 letter to President Obama from the leaders of Church World Service, tions on remittances and travel to the island. the National Council of Churches and more than a dozen other religious groups. Co-sponsors include Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D- CT), Sam Farr (D-CA) and Ron Paul (R-TX). “It’s a turning point toward a more rational, mature relationship between our ‘CUBAN 5’ ASK SUPREME COURT FOR NEW SPY TRIAL two countries. I think Hemingway can be the bridge to help move both sides to a point where we can have a good, solid relationship.” Five Cubans convicted in 2001 of spying for the — Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), hailing an agreement between the United States Castro regime are asking the U.S. Supreme Court and Cuba to make 3,000 aging manuscripts, letters and other documents belong- to grant a new trial in a politically charged case ing to novelist Ernest Hemingway available to Boston’s John F. Kennedy Library. that’s attracted global attention, CNN reported. Lawyers for the men, known as the Cuban Five, “New Year’s Day marked the 50th anniversary of the Castro regime. The filed a petition Jan. 30, saying their Miami trial media noted it, Castro’s apologists celebrated it, and survivors on three conti- was unfairly prejudiced by the larger community. nents remembered the regime’s victims and its destruction of a thriving socie- “The pervasive and violent anti-Castro struggle ty. Though I was only 13 years old, I will never forget the day it began.” of the Miami community would not only infect the — Otto Reich, former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs jury with hostility but would cause jurors to fear under President George W. Bush, writing in the conservative National Review. for their [and their families’] safety, livelihoods, and community standing if they acquitted,” it said. The petition asks the justices to throw out the “The Cuban government knows perfectly well my conditions for visiting a verdicts and order a new trial for the five. country. I want to meet alone with prisoners and their families.” There was no initial reaction to the court filing — Manfred Nowak, the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on tor- from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern ture. The jurist said Jan. 30 he’ll make “unannounced visits” to Cuban jails. District of Florida. The government opposes the request for the high court to take up the matter. “The Bush administration did not want to extradite Posada because of its close ties to extremist elements in Miami that protect Posada. We are hopeful SPAIN BEGINS ISSUING GET-OUT-OF-CUBA VISAS that the Obama administration will see the case differently.” Spain has issued the first of a projected 200,000 — José Pertierra, a Washington lawyer representing the Chávez government in its passports for Cubans who qualify for Spanish citi- bid to have Luís Posada Carriles, 80, extradited to Venezuela. Posada is charged zenship under the nation’s historical memory law. with masterminding the 1976 bombing of a Cubana Airlines plane as it flew The first recipient, 38-year-old cardiologist above Barbados, killing all 73 people on board, including many Cuban civilians. Norberto Luís Díaz, told Reuters he already had his bags packed for a flight to Spain, retracing in “I would be less than honest if I didn’t tell you that some people want to be reverse the journey his grandfather made when Jews because it offers them the chance to leave.” he emigrated to Cuba in 1916. — Samuel Zagovalov, a 62-year-old former oil worker who directs Shabbat servic- “It’s the most important day of my life. I am es at a Havana synagogue. Zagovalov was quoted in a Jan. 14 story on Cuba’s happy,” he told the news agency Feb. 6 upon growing Jewish community by Wall Street Journal correspondent Joel Millman. receiving his purple-colored passport in the office of Spain’s consul-general in Havana. The Law of Historical Memory makes grand- “Before the storms, the whole direction was to liberalize and open up the economy. Then the hurricanes came, and the Cubans had to retrench on the children of Spanish immigrants eligible for citizen- economic reforms they were going to make.” ship. Spain says around 1 million people around the world, including 200,000 Cubans, could apply. — Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, quoted Jan. 29 by There are special provisions for descendants of Bloomberg News in a story on the aftermath of the three killer 2008 hurricanes. exiles who had to flee the country and renounce their citizenship due to the Spanish civil war. The “No more alcohol, no more drugs, no more cigarettes. I’ll try to be a good Spanish consulate has received more than 25,000 citizen.” applications since the law took effect Dec. 29. — Enrique Reyes, a paralyzed Cuban national who was jailed in Fort A Spanish passport will allow Cubans to emi- Lauderdale, Fla., after a 2006 accident which he caused on I-95 killed grate legally to Spain or, if they stay in Cuba, a passenger in his car. Reyes was freed and allowed to return to Cuba. make it easier for them to travel abroad. 6 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 GEOPOLITICS Russia warms up to Latin America, starting with Cuba BY LARRY LUXNER between Fidel Castro and the Russian leader- Phil Peters, vice-president of the Lexington n 1967, while posted to the U.S. Embassy ship following the collapse of the Soviet Institute in Arlington, Va. “The missile in Moscow, Wayne Smith attended a rally Union. Now that Raúl is president of Cuba defense system and the U.S. relationship with Iprotesting the murder of revolutionary and Medvedev is president of Russia, that’s Georgia clearly irritated them, and I think Ernesto “Che” Guevarra. A student handed enough of a leadership transition for both their building up a relationship with Cuba and him an anti-American placard that, translated sides to let bygones be bygones.” Venezuela is their way of responding.” from Russian, read “Hands Off Cuba!” On Jan. 28, Raúl arrived in Moscow for a But Peters doesn’t think Russia’s increased For years, that sign has occupied a promi- week-long state visit — his first since 1984 — presence in Cuba is cause for concern. nent place on the wall of Smith’s office at the that culminated with a “strategic partnership” “I don’t think the Cubans would put their Center for International Policy. Now 77, the between the two leaders. A total of 34 agree- own security at risk,” he said, alluding to the retired diplomat says it pretty much sums up ments were signed covering everything from 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which nearly his attitude toward Washington’s anti-Cuba creation of joint ventures to cooperation in pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war. policy during the last 50 years. biotechnology and the establishment of a joint “The Cubans are more cautious than anyone “We used to tell Fidel Castro during the electronic scientific research center. in that regard.” 1980s that if he would get his troops out of “Cuba’s objectives in renewing and expand- Smith, now a senior fellow at the Center for Africa, stop giving arms to guerrillas in International Policy, agrees with Peters. Central America and reduce his military rela- “A few months ago, the Russians were real- tionship with the Soviets, then we could move ly pissed off at us because of the missile ahead and improve relations in a significant shield program in Europe, they indicated that way,” said Smith, who from 1977 to 1981 was their strategic bombers could fly out of Cuban chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. airfields. But this was not an official state- Over time, the Castro regime met all those ment. Then they sent a military mission to conditions and U.S.-Cuba relations only got Cuba, and it was expected that they’d sign worse — even after the Soviet Union implod- some sort of agreement,” he said. ed and Russia’s new democratic leaders left “But the mission came back with nothing. Castro out to dry, leading to Cuba’s worst eco- A Cuban military spokesman said his country nomic disaster in living memory. had no interest in a closer military relation- ship with Russia, because they’d been down RUSSIA REACHES OUT AGAIN that road before.” ing its relations with Russia are obvious,” said But lately, the Kremlin is warming up to its Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of IS RUSSIA WORTH WORRYING ABOUT? old friend. During the past year or so, Mos- Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban- cow-Havana ties have improved significantly American Studies. “Russia is a major power That’s why Smith, at least, doesn’t seem as Russia seeks to re-assert itself in Latin with a permanent seat in the UN Security overly concerned with Moscow’s latest over- America, using Cuba as its base of operations. Council. Cuba desperately needs all the for- tures to both Cuba and Venezuela, including a Last October, top-ranked Russian Gen. eign aid and credits it can get. Russia has recent offer of $1 billion in credits to Alexander Maslov visited Cuba and signed been a traditional supplier of weapons and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to buy key treaties in IT and communications with spare parts to Cuba, and Castro is interested weapons and Russian nuclear technology. his Cuban counterpart, Ramiro Valdés. Later in modernizing his armed forces.” “This doesn’t mean that Russia and Cuba that month, a massive Russian Orthodox There’s also the petroleum issue, said are going back to their former relationship. cathedral was inaugurated in Old Havana. Suchlicki, noting that Venezuela currently But given the economic distress in Cuba, hav- Then in November, President Dmitri provides 92,000 barrels of oil a day on credit ing more economic ties with Russia just Medvedev visited Havana, marking the first that Cuba will never be able to repay. makes sense,” Smith told us. such visit of a Russian leader to the Cuban “Russia can be an alternate source for oil if “At a time when U.S. standing in Latin Ame- capital since 2000. Venezuela were to fall apart or Chávez is rica has never been so low, thanks to Bush, On Dec. 19, a Russian anti-submarine kicked out, although I don’t think this is going Russia is simply taking advantage of that. destroyer and two logistical warships docked to happen,” Suchlicki said in a phone inter- They’re trying to reach out and strengthen in Havana Bay — in what AP correspondent view. “Raúl doesn’t want to get caught with his their relations with Latin America.” Will Weissert called a “thumb-your-nose port pants down like he did in 1990. That’s also Suchlicki sees a more sinister side to call” aimed at Washington in waters just 90 why he’s gotten closer to Angola, Iran and Russia’s new fascination with Cuba. miles from Florida. Brazil. These are all countries that can pro- “The Russians are interested in rebuilding Russian officials said the visit was non-mili- vide Cuba with petroleum.” the Lourdes eavesdropping facility [disman- tary, an extension of a tour that included stops tled in 2002 at Washington’s insistence]. I in Venezuela and Panama. The idea apparent- WHAT’S IN IT FOR MOSCOW? think they’re going to do it under the guise of ly was to flex some muscle in America’s back- The other side of the coin is Russia’s moti- creating a satellite tracking station.” yard after the Bush administration supported vation. Among other things, Moscow is eager This would give the Russians an important the former Soviet republic of Georgia. to recover part of Cuba’s $20 billion debt, and nearby listening post to spy on U.S. mili- “What Cuba and Russia are doing today is most of which dates from the Soviet era. tary, civilian and industrial communications. using each other for mutual convenience,” In addition, the Kremlin is still annoyed at We asked Suchlicki if the Obama adminis- says Dan Erikson, director of Cuba programs Washington’s efforts to build a missile de- tration should be concerned with this. at Washington’s Inter-American Dialogue. fense shield in Poland and the Czech Repub- “Absolutely,” he replied. “The U.S. govern- “For Cuba, this is part of a broader strategy lic, though that project’s future is up in the air ment is worried. Compared to Pakistan, Iran of diversifying foreign relations and trying to now that Obama is president. and Afghanistan, this is chicken shit. But it’s secure new sources of credit which Russia “Part of what motivated them was irritation something people in the Pentagon are follow- has promised,” Erikson told CubaNews. “In at what they perceived as the Bush adminis- ing. I’m not saying it’s a priority, but there’s addition to that, there was so much bad blood tration’s interference on their periphery,” said definitely some element of concern.” ❑ February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 7 In January, CubaNews quoted Puerto Rico Tourism — FROM PAGE 1 Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock as say- EDUCATION BRIEFS ing that “in tourism, the Cubans have some Among those interviewed by Adams was a AASCU DEMANDS END TO CUBA RESTRICTIONS Canadian couple from Saskatchewan who paid competitive advantages in terms of lower $1,078 total for their all-inclusive vacation at costs, but we have four- and five-star tourism. Members of the American Association of the five-star Marina Palace Hotel in Varadero. That requires a high degree of training and State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Tourism could do even better if President sophistication which has yet to develop in have called for lifting all restrictions on educa- Obama makes good on his campaign promise Cuba.” He also said that Puerto Rico has a tional exchanges with foreign countries, inclu- to relax travel restrictions for Cuban-American much better infrastructure for handling cruise ding exchanges with Cuba that are currently exiles hoping to visit their families in Cuba. ships — and a big geographical advantage. limited by the U.S. Treasury Department. In 2007, only 40,500 Americans visited the “In Cuba, you can only do a three-day cruise Members recently ratified this policy at the island — a number that could easily double if where you hit a different port every day. If you annual meeting of the AASCU, which repre- sents 430 public colleges and universities. and when Obama reverses the onerous want to go from Havana to Jamaica to Mexico, “One of the best ways to overcome the ill restrictions placed on exiles in 2004 by the you have to spend a day at sea,” he said. “But will and mistrust built between Cuba and the United States over the past 50 years is to fully develop educational exchange programs; that is impossible with the current travel restric- tions,” said AASCU President Constantine W. Curris. “During even the coldest days of the Cold War years, we did not have the onerous restrictions on travel to the Soviet Union as those currently existing on travel to Cuba.” In 1999, U.S. travel restrictions were loos- ened, making possible a wide range of educa- tional activities under certain licenses. However, in 2004, the Bush administration slashed those activities. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control will no longer grant specific licenses for these educational activi- ties in Cuba for less than 10 weeks. Currently three AASCU members partici- pate or plan to participate in programs in Cuba: California State University-Fullerton, Delaware State University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Details: AASCU, 1307 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: (202) 293-7070. Fax: (202) 296-5819. URL: www.aascu.org. UNIV. OF ALABAMA PROFESSOR DIGS CUBA Bush administration. with Puerto Rico, you can fly into San Juan and A University of Alabama archaeological dig “Our philosophy is not to be surprised if it take a seven-day cruise with seven ports, or a in eastern Cuba is revealing how the natives happens, but not to wait for it to happen in 4-day cruise with 14 ports — and see a differ- there lived when Christopher Columbus found order to continue building new hotels,” said ent island every day.” them and, more importantly, how Indians Miguel Figueras, a senior Cuban Tourism Meanwhile, Jamaica has signed a memo of reacted to the Spanish. Ministry adviser. understanding with Cuba that provides for “We have very few cases in the Caribbean Cuba recently announced joint ventures joint destination marketing and airlift arrange- where we can point to a certain place and say, with Spain’s Grupo Sol Meliá and other for- ments between the two islands. ‘This is exactly what happened when Euro- eign companies that would add 30 new hotels Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bart- peans hit the scene,’” UA professor Jim Knight containing 10,000 new rooms, a 20% increase. lett said the accord evolved out of negotiations told the Tuscaloosa News. begun during Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s “Of course, we have the Spanish documents, PUERTO RICO WORRIED ABOUT COMPETITION trip to Cuba in September 2008. He said the but archaeology can tell a different story some- times. Some of these documents tend to white- And that scares more than a few people in deal will facilitate the “marrying” of both coun- tries as destinations of choice for visitors. wash what happened, but artifacts won’t lie.” Puerto Rico, who say their island’s tourism It took Knight nearly seven years to get per- sector will be the first to suffer once the U.S. “Perhaps 60% of Cuban traffic is out of Europe. For example, about 100,000 Italians mission and forms signed for UA to led an ban against travel to Cuba is lifted for all expedition in Cuba. Americans — not just exiles and their families. go to Cuba every year,” he said. “The Euro- peans have the luxury of vacation time; they For the past two summers, UA graduate stu- “When we look at the numbers, we know dents worked alongside professional archaeol- that Cuba and the Dominican Republic tend to get three weeks or more, and could spend some of that time in both Cuba and Jamaica.” ogists with the Central-Eastern Department of attract a specific type of cost-conscious tour- Archaeology of the science ministry of Cuba ist,” said Sandro Murtas, director of the Inter- D.R. SEES FUTURE JOINT TOURISM MARKETING to dig through El Chorro de Maita, a large national Trade Center, which is co-sponsored Indian settlement on a hillside off the island’s by the U.S. Small Business Association and That also appears to be the sentiment in the eastern shore. the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. Dominican Republic, one of the Caribbean’s The effort was sponsored by the National “Both countries are investing in upgrading leading tourist destinations. Geographic Society. and creating hotel infrastructure that appeals “We’re hoping that as Cuba opens up to the “It’s extremely rare for a U.S. institution to to more affluent tourists. That’s Puerto Rico’s U.S. market, we can increase opportunities for partner with a Cuban institution,” said Knight. target market. So if Cuba enters that area, we multi-destination tourism,” said Eddy Martí- “It’s been our hope we could work something might have some difficulties.” See Tourism, page 11 out from our end, and it worked out.” 8 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 NEWSMAKERS Radio Mambí’s Ninoska Pérez-Castellón makes waves BY LARRY LUXNER a.m. and then again from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday who is highly respected and dearly loved in f President Obama keeps his campaign through Fridays. She also has a TV show this community, said she wanted to lift the promise and grants Cuban-Americans un- from 7 to 8 p.m. on Univisión’s local affiliate. embargo — and ran on that premise, based Ifettered permission to visit their families in Pérez-Castellón says that while the Cuban on polls that told her the community had Cuba, few in South Florida’s exile community government jams Radio Mambí’s signal in the changed. In the end, Mario won the election.” will be angrier than Ninoska Pérez-Castellón. Havana area, “we get a lot of people along the Asked to explain the phenomenon, Pérez- The “on air personality,” as her business north coast and even as far as Camagüey” lis- Castellón says she has a simple answer: card reads, is a familiar voice on Miami’s WAQI-Radio Mambí. And everyone knows exactly where she stands on the Cuba issue. “Basically, we’re hoping Obama will take a “It’s our right to impose those sanctions. If you don’t like it, closer look at Cuba,” she said. “It’s very sim- ple to say, ‘I want restrictions lifted because don’t live in the United States. And if you can’t live without Bush put them in place.’ But why reward a regime that has not given any indication it will your grandmother, then you shouldn’t have left her behind.” change? When the EU lifted sanctions it had — NINOSKA PÉREZ CASTELLÓN, CO-FOUNDER OF THE MIAMI-BASED CUBAN LIBERTY COUNCIL imposed after the arrest of 75 dissidents in 2003, what did it get in return? Nothing. We’re still hearing about dissidents being arrested.” It’s a subject Pérez-Castellón knows all too tening to her show — which well. Her husband, Roberto Martín Pérez, is one reason she insists spent 27 years languishing in one of Fidel that taxpayer-funded Radio Castro’s prisons. In July 2001, both of them and TV Martí must keep resigned from the Cuban American National broadcasting their signals. LARRY LUXNER Foundation in protest over the CANF’s “soft- “I am a firm believer that ening” of its once-hardline stance against the Radio and TV Martí should Castro brothers. be there, because I know Along with several other prominent CANF what Radio Free Europe did defectors, the couple helped form the Cuban to help bring communism Liberty Council, a Section 501(c)(3) nonprof- down,” she said. it headquartered in Miami’s Little Havana dis- We asked Pérez-Castellón trict. The organization currently has 40 direc- if the term “hardliner” tors who pay $5,000 each annually, and offends her in any way. between 3,000 and 4,000 members who con- “No it doesn’t, but I find it tribute anywhere from $5 to $100 a year. funny that I’m a hardliner,” Early last month, we sat down with Pérez- she replied, “while people Castellón in between radio shows, in an effort who defend a 50-year-old to understand where her deep-seated bitter- dictatorship are considered ness against the Castro regime comes from. progressive.” She also doesn’t believe HARDLINER AND PROUD OF IT the recent Florida Internati- Born in Havana, Pérez-Castellón came to onal University poll which Miami at the age of 8. That was 50 years ago; concluded that, for the first she hasn’t been back since. time, a majority of Cuban- “I keep that dream alive every day of my American exiles in South life,” she said. “But I do not go to Cuba as long Florida favor a complete lift- as there’s a dictatorship in power. That’s my ing of the embargo and nor- choice. Even if I wanted to go to Cuba, they malization of relations be- wouldn’t give me a visa.” tween the U.S. and Cuba. Pérez-Castellón recalled a conversation she “Look at the election re- had in 1998, right before Pope John Paul II sults,” she said, noting that Radio personality Ninoska Pérez-Castellón of the Cuban Liberty Council. was due to begin his historic trip to the island. all three of South Florida’s Republican law- She phoned the Cuban Interests Section in makers of Cuban origin — Rep. Ileana Ros- “Those polls don’t represent the majority of Washington to inquire about her pending Lehtinen, Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Rep. Cuban-Americans. They’re always saying the application for a journalist visa. Mario Díaz-Balart — were returned to office Cubans who came earlier have no connection “I told them every reporter I knew who was by a comfortable margin of voters. to those on the island. Well, even if you’re a going to Cuba already had their visas, but I marielito, you’ve been here at least 28 years. didn’t have mine,” she said. “When I gave NINOSKA: CANF WENT SOFT ON CASTRO They want to portray the Cuban exile com- munity as a bunch of old people.” them my name, [Rafael] Dausa got on the Even in Hialeah, where a lot of Cubans — phone and started screaming at me, saying She added: “We are looking for a solution probably Republicans — voted for Obama be- for 11 million Cubans — not for the few who ‘we will never give you a visa to go to Cuba!’” cause they were concerned about the econo- Curiously, Dausa — one of Cuba’s highest- might still have relatives there.” my, only one precinct went for [Democratic But Pérez-Castellón’s problems with the ranking intelligence officers — is now ambas- challenger] Raúl Martínez. Mario’s district sador to Bolivia, while Pérez-Castellón enjoys CANF began long before the debate over has a majority of Democrats, and still he won. Cuban-American travel restrictions. She left widespread popularity on the Miami talk “This also happened when Mario ran the radio circuit. She’s on the air from 8:30 to 10 first time,” she added. “Annie Betancourt, See Ninoska, page 9 February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 9 INFRASTRUCTURE Cuba’s housing shortage: The insurmountable challenge BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI ing policy based on the so-called “microbri- 2008 hurricanes, there were still 70,000 hous- ousing was and continues to be a major gadas” — a surplus workforce ready to help es and apartments waiting to be repaired, in- problem for most developing countries build apartment buildings with a share of cluding 11,000 in Pinar del Río province alone. Hand urban societies. Pre-revolutionary their allocation. That, coupled with the grow- Then came the 2008 hurricanes, destroying Cuba was no exception. ing role of a Ministry of Construction Mate- and/or damaging half a million homes. As The Truslow mission in the 1940s and a rials, created hundreds of urban and rural usual, Pinar del Río was again hit the hardest 1957 report by Catholic researchers made it housing projects in Havana and elsewhere. — and twice this time. Some 50% of all But only five years later, that initiative was very clear: a construction boom by the mid- dwellings in that province were severely dam- abandoned, and the housing sector became aged, and 29,762 were totally destroyed. dle and upper classses was, at the time, paral- an “orphan” among government priorities. leled by an unprecedented decline in lower- But las year, only 2,252 dwellings were By the 1980s, habaneros were joking that actually built in Pinar del Río. At that rate, it income housing, along with a growing prolife- “the city is falling apart, and the king should ration of slums, shantytowns and bidonvilles. would take a decade to fix all the damaged know about it.” homes, not to mention the 11,000 families In a famous 1970 speech on vagrancy, Fidel In 2000, Fidel formally unveiled a plan Castro said the housing problem in Cuba was waiting for housing from the 2002-05 period. aimed at building 150,000 houses every year. A similar picture can be seen throughout creating tremendous tensions. And he was But such a plan could not go forward with the absolutely correct. the 47 municipalities devastated or seriously resources and policies in place. That forced damaged by the 2008 storms. In the eastern It was a time when three different sets of the goal down to 100,000 houses a year, but circumstances had converged in aggravating province of Holguín, 124,000 dwellings — even that was an impossible objective. The one-third of the total — were either totally or a growing social problem: first, the Cuban real numbers were somewhere between government had dropped Fidel’s early em- 46,000 and 57,000 dwellings a year. partially destroyed. phasis on housing construction in cities and In 2008, the National Housing Institute José Luís Rodríguez, Cuba’s minister of the countryside. Second, the population hoped to build 70,300 homes, but by late Nov- economy and planning, told the National As- boom was in full swing, accelerating demand ember had reached only 45,918, according to sembly that the problem will be solved within for housing. chairman Victor Ramírez. Again, bureaucratic three years. Is this bureaucratic optimism or And third, maintenance operations and ac- wishful thinking had collided with reality. sheer blindness to the complexities of Cuba’s cess to materials had completely disappeared. housing dilemma? Are these the same people Gloomy reports that were not made public CHAOS EVEN BEFORE THE 2008 HURRICANES who suggested Cuba needed to build 150,000 at the time from the now-defunct Instituto de In the aftermath of Hurricane Michelle in dwellings a year, then 100,000, then 70,000 Planificación Fisica substantiated with de- November 2001 and Tropical Storm Noel in and finally 46,000? tailed research the real magnitude of the October 2007, some 700,000 houses had been Raúl Castro strongly rejected such num- problem. The reports highlighted increased severely damaged. Over a seven-year period, bers, insisting that “We must not deceive our- degradation of housing conditions, a near-vir- 600,000 of them were repaired, while conser- selves... it may take up to six years.” Many tual paralysis of housing construction since vation and other major repairs had saved policies and resources could be deployed to the mid-1960s, complete lack of maintenance 180,000 dwellings — but tens of thousands of accelerate effective solutions, but the ques- for apartment buildings and city slums, and others were still waiting for urgent assistance. tion is: will they be adopted? scores of “llega-y-pon” squatter towns flour- For example, Hurricane Dennis (July 2005) Unless they are, this insurmountable chal- ishing throughout Havana’s suburbs. damaged 120,000 houses and totally de- lenge will not be met effectively — not in In the early 1970s, Cuba launched a hous- stroyed 15,000. As a result, by the time of the three nor even in six years. ❑

Ninoska— FROM PAGE 8 “I think it is in the best interests of this country to promote liberty everywhere and at all times, and I sincerely hope that the Cuban the foundation eight years ago after its ideologies had shifted fol- people will be able to live in a free society sooner rather than later.” lowing the 1997 death of its guiding light, Jorge Mas Canosa. Asked if Bush failed because the Castro brothers still run Cuba, “I had my radio show, and was spokesperson for the CANF, and Pérez-Castellón shook her head. also director of the Voice of the Foundation on shortwave. That “I don’t think he failed. [Bringing democracy to Cuba] has been sadly was closed after I left, and also on the same day as Jorge Mas every president’s goal, but it’s not up to the United States to achieve Canosa’s birthday,” she recalled. “We were very close. He was a that objective. Bush kept his word, he kept the sanctions, and he friend, a mentor. I don’t think I’ve learned more from anybody else.” said he’d veto any attempt to lift the embargo. And more than any Those warm feelings do not extend to Mas Canosa’s son, Jorge other president, he made the cause of Cuba’s political prisoners Mas Santos, who in Pérez-Castellón’s view softened the foundation’s known, every chance he had.” opposition to Fidel Castro as he tried to extend CANF support be- At the same time, Pérez-Castellón has little sympathy for Cuban- yond the Cuban-American community. Americans who don’t like the restrictions on travel and remittances. The final straw came in 2001, when Mas Santos — warned that it “I don’t have a problem with people who feel they have to visit could give a platform to Cuban artists working for the Castro their families. I do have a problem with people going to Cuba for regime — lobbied anyway to bring the Latin Grammy Awards to tourism,” she said. “On the other hand, I also respect the U.S. for Miami without consulting opposing CANF leaders, she said. making sanctions. It’s our right to impose those sanctions. If you Pérez-Castellón told CubaNews that one of the proudest moments don’t like it, don’t live in the United States. And if you can’t live with- of her career was when President George W. Bush called into Radio out your grandmother, then you shouldn’t have left her behind.” Mambí eight days before turning over the reins of power to Obama. Before ending our interview, we asked Pérez-Castellón what she “I would have liked to implement the plan for a post-Castro Cuba might say to Raúl Castro if given the chance. that we had prepared. Obviously, the Castro brothers continue “What would I say to him?” she mused, thinking out loud for a there, and continue to repress the people,” Bush told her on the air. second. “I’d say, ‘Leave!’” ❑ 10 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 INFRASTRUCTURE Airports poised to reap benefits of Cuban exile travel BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT nlike Cuba’s decaying road and rail net- works, airports — at least those serv- Uing foreign tourists — are a bright spot in an otherwise neglected transport system. There’s no question airports and air trans- port in general have received an important jolt from Cuba’s growing tourism, which ex- panded from only 325,000 visitors a year in the late 1980s to 2.35 million visitors in 2008. Along with investments in hotels and other tourist infrastructure oriented to lure foreign- ers, international airports are getting funds to upgrade and modernize existing facilities, and even to build new terminals and runways. Some of these investments are being made with foreign capital. In the 1990s, Canada’s In- telcan Technosystems built a new terminal at Havana’s José Martí International Airport for $52 million. The same company was involved in upgrading projects at Cayo Largo, Holguin, Camagüey and Varadero. Efficiency has been a critical issue for Cuban airports and the state has been forced to subsidize airports — particularly those with little or no international traffic. Since 2002, Spain’s Aeropuertos Españoles y Nave- gación Aérea (AENA) has operated Jardines del Rey International Airport at Cayo Coco, in And not all airports share the same domes- now arrive at Santa Clara’s Abel Santamaría north-central Cuba. tic load. Havana’s José Martí has regular links International Airport and travel by bus to At present, Cuba has 10 international air- with all of Cuba’s other airports and capacity their final destinations. ports serving mostly tourists and Cuban for 600 domestic passengers an hour. But Domestic air traffic are clearly of lesser im- exiles visiting family on the island; they also domestic traffic is nearly nonexistent at the portance. Lacking investments and with less handle domestic traffic. Not all airports, how- Jardines del Rey airport in Cayo Coco, or the attractive facilities, the 12 airports serving ever, carry similar loads. Vilo Acuña airport in Cayo Largo del Sur. only domestic routes tend to be neglected. While Havana’s José Martí and the Juan G. The biggest development underway now is Some of them, like the airports in Bayamo, Gómez Airport in Matanzas have nominal completion of an international airport at Las Nicaro and Guantánamo, are located far from capacity for 2,700 and 1,200 passengers/hour, Brujas — along the northern shore of central any major tourism or economic hubs and respectively, the Sierra Maestra International Cuba — to serve the tourist hub slowly grow- have very limited traffic. Airport in Manzanillo can handle only 50 pas- ing in Cayo Santa María and Cayo Las Brujas. The one exception to this is probably sengers an hour and Jaime González Airport When finished, this airfield will make the Aeropuerto Nueva Gerona on the Isle of in Cienfuegos has capacity of only 300 pas- destination more attractive by shaving nearly Youth, which has a new terminal and airstrip. sengers per hour. two hours off total travel time, since visitors See Airports, page 11

CUBA’S LEADING AIRPORTS February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 11 LARRY LUXNER

Brand-new passenger terminal at Havana’s José Martí International Airport, the busiest airport in Cuba.

Airports — FROM PAGE 10 According to Gen. Rogelio Acevedo, president of the Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba, the government pays 91% of each domestic air ticket, while the other 9% is paid by the traveler. Cuba’s Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas reports the number of domestic travelers unchanged for the past eight years at 600,000, ex- cept for a brief spike in 2006 to 700,000. In 1998 and 1999, the number of domestic travelers was reported at 800,000 and 900,000 respectively. At less than 2,500 tons per year, domestic cargo handled at Cuban air- ports is very limited. Cuba has plenty of military airports. Not just the five airbases listed here, but in fact almost all airports, domestic or international, also serve as military facilities with bunkers for fighter jets and rocket- launching pads the most visible defensive preparation. Some airfields, however, are exclusively for military use and could be reconverted into civilian airports in the future — especially around Havana, where the airbases at Managua or Playa Baracoa both have good highways linking them to the city. This could ease any future traf- fic increase at José Martí International. For a number of years the Baracoa military airport has been used by AeroGaviota — an airline managed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces — for civil purposes, commonly as an executive airport connecting to the most relevant tourism hubs. A number of Cuban airstrips do not servie any regular domestic route. These airfields are rather executive airports or military spare landing strips, whose traffic could be boosted by a revitalization of the Cuban economy. Some airstrips listed by Cuban authorities or interna- tional agencies are currently abandoned. If U.S. laws restricting Cuban-American exile travel to the island are lifted as President Obama promised during his campaign, the impact on Cuba’s airports would be significant. Airports in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Santa Clara, Camagüey and Cienfuegos would all reap the benefits of a steady flow of visitors. Of the estimated 1.4 million Cubans living in the United States, 500,000 arrived within the last 15 years and maintain close ties with rel- atives on the island. With affordable prices and no restrictions, this community will travel often to Cuba. ❑

Tourism — FROM PAGE 7 nez, the Dominican Republic’s secretary of state for investment and ex- ports, and executive director of the Center for Exports and Investment. “There’s a lot of infrastructure [in Cuba], but I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight,” Martínez said in a phone interview from Santo Domingo. “For one thing, we’ve been competing with Cuba in the European and Canadian all-inclusive markets for years, and it hasn’t real- ly affected the Dominican Republic. With Cuba, there might be a curios- ity factor, but we’re confident we can work together to attract visitors — like Chinese and Japanese — who aren’t coming to the region at all.” ❑ 12 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 Linux,” he said. Unlike Microsoft, Linux is regulatory environment, infrastructure and BUSINESS BRIEFS free and has open access that allows users to provides historical and forecasted statistics modify its code to fit their needs. relating to the oil and gas assets (fields, explo- SCARED OF MICROSOFT, CUBA OPTS FOR LINUX “Private software can have black holes and ration blocks, refineries, pipelines, LNG termi- Cuba has launched its own variant of the malicious codes one doesn’t know about,” he nals and storage terminals) in Cuba. Linux operating system in the latest front of said.“That doesn’t happen with free software.” The report costs 3,117 euros (about $4,017). the island’s battle against what it views as U.S. Details: Research and Markets, Guinness Cen- hegemony, Reuters reported Feb. 11. SERVICE EXPORTS RISE 6.2% TO $9 BILLION tre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: (646) The Cuban variant, called Nova, was intro- Cuban exports of services grew by 6.2% in 607-1907. Outside United States: +353 1 481- duced at a Havana computer conference on 2008, topping the $9 billion mark for the first 1716. URL: www.researchandmarkets.com. “technological sovereignty” and is central to time, solidifying exports as the top source of the Cuban government’s desire to replace the foreign exchange, Reuters reported Jan. 9. MINISTRY: IRON, STEEL EXPORTS INCREASE 20% Microsoft software running most Cuban PCs. The services income — officials say over Cuba’s iron and steel exports rose 20% in The Castro regime views Microsoft as a half comes from Venezuela — has enabled 2008, said Fernando Acosta Santana, minister potential threat because it claims U.S. security Cuba to more or less balance its external of the iron and steel industry. He said Cuba’s agencies have access to Microsoft codes. finances in recent years, despite a huge trade main commercial contracts are linked to Latin Also, the long-standing U.S. trade embargo deficit that soared to $11.6 billion in 2008. American and Caribbean nations that belong makes it difficult for Cubans to get Microsoft The National Statistics Office on its website to the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas. software legally and to update it. (www.one.cu) reported 2008 service exports “Getting greater control over the informatic at $9.2 billion, up from $8.6 billion in 2007. STEM-CELL USE SUCCESSFUL IN 511 PATIENTS process is crucial,” said Communications Min- Cuba doesn’t specify what it includes within Cuba has extended the therapeutic use of ister Ramiro Valdés, who heads a commission the service export category, though officials stem cells to several of its provinces after 511 pushing Cuba’s migration to free software. say tourism and related revenues, the export patients have been successfully treated since Héctor Rodríguez, dean of the School of of medical and other technical services, and 2004, according to state media. Free Software at Havana’s University of Infor- donations fall within it. Nearly 80% of the cases treated with the mation Sciences, says about 20% of computers Cuba said it received $2.5 billion from tour- implant of adult stem cells were in people suf- in Cuba — where computer sales to the public ism in 2008. Revenues from pharmaceutical fering from acute ischemia in the lower limbs began only last year — now use Linux. and other ventures abroad may also be includ- and also in cases of so-called diabetic foot. Nova is Cuba’s own configuration of Linux ed, as well as the training of foreign students. Porfirio Hernández Ramírez, deputy direc- and bundles various applications of the operat- tor of research at Havana’s Institute of Immu- ing system. Rodríguez said several govern- IRISH CONSULTING FIRM ISSUES OIL REPORT nology and Hematology, said that with the use ment ministries and the Cuban university sys- Research and Markets has released a new of this treatment, in most cases surgery was tem have made the switch to Linux but there report, “Cuba Oil & Gas: Markets, Investment not needed, and that patient health improved. has been resistance from government compa- Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2020.” Hernández said Cuban medical and scientif- nies concerned about its compatibility with The 104-page report, issued in December, ic institutions are working to use regenerative their specialized applications. “is the essential source for top-level energy medicine in muscle and neurological patholo- “I would like to think that in five years our industry data and information,” according to gies, bone problems, diabetes and in the re- country will have more than 50% migrated to the company. “It details the market structure, covery of vital organs with functional failures. Council: Value of U.S. food exports to Cuba jumped 61% in ’08 he value of U.S. agricultural sales to Cuban data are available. Cuba soared 61% in 2008 to $710 mil- Congressional lobbyists working to fur- T lion, a record amount since American ther open trade with Cuba point to the food producers began exporting to Cuba under in sales as an indicator of broader potential at a 2001, Reuters reported Feb. 11, quoting sta- time when the U.S. economy is struggling. tistics provided by the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Trade Council senior policy advisor John Economic Council. Kavulich told Reuters pressure to ease the The sales, up from $437.5 million in 2007, embargo could increase if Cuba sales contin- made Cuba the United States’ 29th largest ag- ue to be strong. ricultural export market. It was the 37th lar- “If Cuba continues to increase its purchas- gest in 2007, said the New York-based council, es of food and agricultural products in 2009, which monitors trade with Cuba under the and the U.S. economy continues to be prob- U.S. Trade Sanctions Reform and Export En- lematic, President Obama will receive bipar- hancement Act of 2000 (TSRA). tisan pressures from members of Congress The increased sales were due mainly to and from state governors to use executive higher food prices, with increased volume in orders as a means of providing greater some products. U.S. policy requires that the export opportunities,” he said. goods be purchased in cash. A bill lifting all travel restrictions to Cuba Cuba has said it imported more food in was introduced in early February and anoth- 2008 due to crop damage from three hurri- er allowing Cuba to access U.S. banks to buy canes that battered the island last year and U.S. food will be introduced soon, congres- paid more for what it bought due to rising fuel sional sources said. and commodity prices worldwide. Its primary Kavulich said the fate of any legislation to U.S. purchases included corn, wheat, chicken put more holes in the embargo will depend and soybean products, the council said. in part on how Cuba “relates to its citizens The United States was Cuba’s 5th largest and how it relates to other countries, partic- trading partner in 2007, the last year for which ularly Venezuela, China, Russia and Iran.” February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 13 ARTS & CULTURE Havana gears up for high-profile art show this spring BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA for Cubans who normally can't get permission to schmooze with artists, gallery owners, crit- n recent years, Cuba has been known for from authorities to visit the United States. ics, guests and others at the show. The duo has long represented Cuban artists There are two immediate reasons for the generating a new wave of artists whose stateside, using the Magnan Projects gallery Biennial’s significance. First, it gives Havana a Iworks have been showcased in galleries as their platform. In November 2005, they pre- major boost as a unique Caribbean tourist des- from Miami to Zurich to Tokyo. sented the first U.S. exhibit of Alexandre tination. The city’s colonial section, Havana The ultimate platform for such artists, the Arrechea, a highly skilled draftsman, sculptor harbor and Vedado will come to life with vari- 10th Havana Biennial, will be held next spring and installation artist from Trinidad, Cuba, ous outdoor artistic displays. at the Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Cen- who was a former member of the renowned During the Havana Biennial in 2003, even a ter, marking the event’s 25th anniversary. artist collaborative Los Carpinteros. local market played host to visual pieces of Inaugurated in 1984 as a political exercise In March 2007, they exhibited the works of art. This could prove to be a pleasant surprise not only for locals, but also for foreigners unaware that Havana plays host to such a large-scale art event. Secondly, the Biennial will highlight the increasingly marketability of contemporary Cuban artwork around the world. Many Americans are still unaware that — unlike other Cuban products like rum and cigars, which are denied entry into the U.S. under current trade sanctions — Cuban art can enter legally, thanks to a loophole in the embargo which allows its importation into the country as “informational materials.” U.S. ART BUYERS A GROWING PRESENCE As confirmed by a recent Wall Street Jour- nal feature, Americans make up at least one- third of Cuban art buyers. These include such prominent collectors as software developer Peter Norton, philanthropist Beth Rudin DeWoody, real-estate developer Craig Robins to showcase Third World visual artwork for Cuban painter Francis Acea, formerly with the (who created Miami’s Design District) and First World art tourists, this Biennial — set artist collaborative Ordo Amoris Cabinet; Howard Farber, a Miami collector who made for Mar. 27 to Apr. 30 — will feature works by Acea now lives in Miami. his millions in the video rental business. artists from Cuba and 44 other countries. Magnan noted that both Arrechea and the The Journal mentioned that one piece of Its theme is “Integration and Resistance in current members of Los Carpinteros (Marco artwork — a seascape created by Yoan the Global Era.” Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez) have sepa- Capote that consisted of thousands of tiny, The Cuban artists include Angel Alonso, rate thriving art careers. bloodied woven fishhooks — was bought by Abel Barroso, Reinerio Tamayo/Eulises Nie- “It’s nice that they are both doing well,” he an American collector for about $44,000. bla, Glenda León, Luís Gómez, Alexandre recently told CubaNews. Magnan added that Major international art auctioneers are Arrechea, Inti Hernández, Juan Carlos Rodrí- he’s also conducted press promotions for var- starting to take notice of Cuban art as well. guez, Yoan Capote, Nelson Ramírez de ious Cuban art exhibits in the United States, Although works out of Havana are still afford- Arellano/Luidmila Velasco, Fernando Rodrí- as well as helped market such works to able to the average foreign buyer, Sotheby’s guez, Ricardo Elías, José Angel Toirac/Meira prospective collectors. managed to sell a modernist painting, “Danza Marrero/Loring McAlping, Wilfredo Prieto, Afro-Cubana” by Mario Carreño for $2.6 mil- Lissette Castillo and Felipe Dulzaides/ BIENNIAL COULD GIVE HAVANA IMAGE BOOST lion during an auction in May 2007. Roberto Gottardi. Barring any political fireworks, this Bien- In fact, says Magnan, one of the few obsta- Unlike previous Havana Biennials, whose nial seems set to be a successful one. A previ- cles blocking Americans and others from tak- focus was limited to artwork from Africa, ing artwork out of Cuba is that country’s Min- ously held Biennial in 2003 was hit with con- istry of Culture, which requires a letter from Latin America and Asia, artists from countries troversy when two of its sponsors, the Prince outside those areas, even the United States, the artist or gallery confirming that the work Claus Fund and HIVOS (Humanist Institute isn’t stolen or wanted by any Cuban museum. have also been asked to participate. for Cooperation with Developing Countries), Functionaries from the Ministry will then This time, a New York-based NGO, Funda- withdrew their sponsorship to protest the issue a letter of approval permitting the work ción Amistad, has been invited to sponsor a Castro regime’s jailing of 75 Cuban human- to leave. Home-bound foreign buyers possess- major art exhibition, “Chelsea Visits Havana.” rights activists. ing newly bought artwork should be aware of Fundación board member Alberto Magnan The two Dutch organizations represented the possibility of Cuban customs officials at and Dara Metz, the husband-and-wife art 70% of foreign funding for that Biennial. the airport demanding such paperwork, in dealers who own the Magnan Projects gallery Along with the Biennial itself, the Havana order to prevent their confiscation. ❑ in Manhattan’s Chelsea district, are putting municipal government is setting up a special together that exhibit, which will be held at program during the days of the art show that Details: Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Havana’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. will include musical events, dances, theatrical Consisting of photography, painting, film performances and films, all of which will let Wilfredo Lam, San Ignacio 22, esq. a Empe- and installations, the idea is to give attendees Biennial attendees get better acquainted with drado, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja, a taste of New York’s art scene — a real treat Cuban culture while giving visitors a chance Cuba. URL: www.bienalhabana.cult.cu. 14 CubaNews ❖ February 2009 BUSINESS Capitalists cash in on image of famous revolutionary BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA the story behind its founding.” the Che image in an ad campaign to promote he North American release of Steven Pirro also described how Feltrinelli became Smirnoff vodka. Soderbergh’s new film “Che” — which connected with Fidel Castro in the first place. “He never drank himself, he was not a T covers the revolutionary years of “His third wife, Inge Schoenthal Feltrinelli, drunk, and drink should not be associated Argentine-born Ernesto “Che” Guevarra — was a photographer who first went to Cuba in with his immortal memory,” Korda told BBC has already generated $54 million in overseas 1953 to photograph Hemingway,” Pirro said. News at the time of the lawsuit. box-office receipts and is now being shown at “She also photographed Castro. This may Within a month of the lawsuit, Korda independent art theaters in New York, Los have made her husband all the more aware of accepted $50,000 in an out-of-court settlement Angeles and Washington. the importance and impact the Korda image with Lowe Lintas, donating the money to It’s no accident that lovers of the “Che” film could have because, as I mentioned, although Cuba’s medical system. tend to be college students and various left- a revolutionary, he was no ninny when it came After Korda died in 2001, his daughter ists — precisely those ndividuals most likely to business.” Diana Díaz became the heir to his intellectual to have spent money at one time or another Meanwhile, Fidel, who long ago had dis- property, including the Che photo. on T-shirts, posters and other souvenirs bear- missed the protection of intellectual property, Diana, who objected to the photo’s use by ing the image of their favorite revolutionary. would go on to use the Che image for his own the French group Reporters Without Borders All these images were generated from a political purposes, as a symbol of his revolu- (RSF) in its media campaign to dissuade 1960 portrait taken by Cuban photographer tion, peppering Cuba’s highways and main French tourists from visiting Cuba, won a Alberto “Korda” Díaz Gutiérrez, while Che avenues with billboards that lionized Che as a 2003 lawsuit against RSF for what she felt was was attending a memorial service in Havana. martyr of global revolutionary struggle. a derogatory use of the Che image. As a staffer for the Cuban state newspaper He even went so far as to adorn the exteri- RSF, in decrying Cuba as being “the world’s Revolución at that time, Korda — who would go on to become Fidel’s personal photograph- er — never bothered to copyright the image. The first to capitalize on the Che photo was Italian publisher and communist activist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. During a 1967 visit to Havana, Feltrinelli got two copies of the photo from Korda, who was unaware his visitor was a publisher — and the same man who in the 1950s smuggled

out of the USSR the manuscript of Boris LARRY LUXNER / BIKINI PHOTO BY AFP Pasternak’s epic novel “Doctor Zhivago.” Within six months of Che’s October 1967 death in Bolivia, Feltrinelli — capitalizing on radical student protests in the United States and Western Europe — printed and sold two million posters with Che’s image. That made it the world’s most famous photograph, while making Feltrinelli a merchandising success in Italy. In the meantime, Feltrinelli had already At left, vintage Havana billboard glorifies Che, whose image is flaunted by model Gisele Bundchen (right). acquired the publishing rights to Che’s cap- tured “Bolivian Diary.” Along with the lucra- or of Havana’s Interior Ministry buillding with largest jail for journalists,” was responding to tive poster sales, Feltrinelli also sold one mil- a larger-than-life mural of Korda’s image. the Castro regime’s imprisonment of dissi- lion copies of that book. From that point on, with the Che image dent journalists at the time. Korda, though, never received a dime of lacking intellectual property protections, vari- Two years later, Che’s widow Aleida March royalties from Feltrinelli’s poster sales, nor ous bootleggers around the world began to and her children established the Che Guevara for that matter all the T-shirts and other sou- manufacture and sell countless Che T-shirts, Studies Center in Havana — partly to weigh venirs bearing the Che image. Feltrinelli, who posters and other memorabilia — a practice in on what they felt was the misuse of Che’s despite his wealth was an active member of a that continues to this day. image by foreign commercial interests. leftist Italian radical group, was killed by a Swatch, for example, put the Che image on They criticized, for example, Brazilian homemade explosive in 1972. one of its watches. Various celebrities have supermodel Gisele Bundchen for wearing a Deirdre Exell Pirro, an attorney and jour- been sighted wearing Che T-shirts, and rock bikini with the Che image imprinted on it dur- nalist based in Florence, has conducted musicians Rage Against the Machine (vocal ing a recent fashion show in São Paulo. extensive research on Feltrinelli’s life. supporters of the Zapatista rebel group in Despite those efforts, the Guevara family is “I was fascinated by Feltrinelli because, Mexico) have used a modified image of Che not known for having collected royalties for having lived through Italy’s anni di piombo to sell their rock concert T-shirts. any commercial projects involving Che, such [years of lead] when the Red Brigade was act- In his mind, Korda never took issue with as “The Motorcycle Diaries” book that Robert ive, I wanted to understand why such a man what amounted to copyright infringement by Redford made into a movie a few years ago, like him could become a terrorist and die these often faceless profiteers, as long as it nor for that matter Soderbergh’s films. planting a bomb,” Pirro told CubaNews in a was done “to propagate his memory and the “Neither Che’s family nor the Cuban gov- phone interview from Florence. cause of social justice throughout the world.” ernment receives any royalties from the Che “The Feltrinelli name is well-known here However, in August 2000, Korda drew the films, nor from IFC or [French film produc- because of the chain of book shops they own line when he sued British advertising agency tion company] Wild Bunch,” said Laura — something like the Barnes & Noble chain Lowe Lintas, claiming copyright on his photo Bickford, one of the Che film producers, in a in America, but not all that many people know in an attempt to prevent the firm from using recent email to CubaNews. ❑ February 2009 ❖ CubaNews 15 ARTS & CULTURE Charting Che: Soderbergh traces icon’s rise and fall BY KY N. NGUYEN ies’ everyday activities as well as important scene, even when he is not the center of atten- he original version of American direc- battles. The movie is interspersed by scenes tion in the frame. And he often isn’t. He’s def- tor Steven Soderbergh’s ambitious of Guevara being interviewed by a U.S. jour- initely a leader, but he’s frequently just one of T “Che” that played at the Cannes Film nalist (Julia Ormond) during his 1964 visit to many characters in a scene. Festival in 2008 clocked in at some 4.5 hours, the United Nations, where he represented An example is when he and his comrades running longer than “Lawrence of Arabia” — post-revolutionary Cuba with powerfully collectively welcome new recruits by individ- another war epic that has brought to mind delivered speeches. ually embracing them — reflecting perhaps a sense of equality, which was one of the some comparisons. NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL BIOPIC After one-week Oscar-qualifying runs in appeals of Cuba’s revolution. New York and Los Angeles, “Che” is being As a whole, “Che” has faced a lot of mixed Del Toro is equally effective in “Che Part II: released as two films. “Che Part I: The Argen- reactions. Soderbergh’s direction is solid, but Guerrilla,” which was meant to be seen along tine” explores the terrain covered in Ernesto he’s definitely taking risks and experiment- with “Che Part I: The Argentine” — which I “Che” Guevara’s “Reminiscences of the ing. “Che” is not a traditional biopic. It doesn’t highly recommend seeing first. It provides Cuban Revolutionary War,” while “Che Part have much narrative explanation, in the usual background information about Guevara’s II: Guerrilla” is based on the iconic commu- Hollywood sense, and it tells a series of events time in Cuba to help explain his motivation in nist revolutionary’s “Bolivian Diary.” and expects the viewer to learn about the “Guerrilla.” “The Argentine” shows Guevara (Benicio story and characters in that way. In fact, director Soderbergh was first plan- del Toro) first meeting Fidel Castro (Demián It’s not a typical character study, either, but ning to just tell the story of “Guerrilla,” but he Bichir, in a notable part) at a dinner party in it sort of feels like one because Puerto Rican expanded the project to include what became Mexico. Guevara joins Castro in leading a rev- actor Benicio del Toro (Best Actor at Cannes) “The Argentine” because he felt “Guerrilla” olutionary army across Cuba to depose dicta- completely inhabits the character of Guevara didn’t make enough sense by itself. tor Gen. Fulgencio Batista. in a tour de force performance. For the second part of the “Che” saga, Much of the film details the revolutionar- Guevara in fact appears in nearly every Soderbergh (also serving as cinematographer under a pseudonym) reduces the width of the onscreen image. In more ways than one, this signals that Guevara’s field of vision is nar- Documentary seeks to root out racism rower than in “The Argentine.” he persistence of racism in Cuba dis- issue could become a political football, out- MAKING SENSE OF SODERBERGH turbs some of the island’s thinkers, side and inside the country.” The mood in “The Argentine” starts out op- Twho are calling for a debate on the In the debate on race in Cuba, the media timistic and grows more so over time as suc- problem in this country where equal rights have drawn some of the heaviest criticism cess comes to Guevara and his comrades. have not guaranteed equal opportunities for allegedly fomenting stereotypes that By contrast, in “Guerrilla,” the mood starts for all social groups. identify black people and people of mixed out uncertain and becomes more so over time The first documentary on racial discrim- ancestry with crime, or with very specific as failures pile up, an appropriate shift ination in Cuba was filmed in 2008, incor- activities like sports and music, while because the audience knows this revolution- porating opinions from well-known artists establishing the idea of white “normality.” ary campaign in Bolivia was a failure and led and intellectuals that go to the heart of the “The media must help to create a bal- to Che’s execution. controversy. “Raza,” by young filmmaker anced portrait of black people, which is But it also makes the second part a more Eric Corvalán, could serve as a starting- lacking, so a racist stereotype is construct- difficult film for the audience. One skirmish point to launch the long-delayed debate. ed by society,” Corvalán said. “Why can’t follows another without much explanation. “So far, racism has only been talked we make films starring blacks, whether as Often, we really just don’t know what is going about in academia, among intellectuals. I lawyers, doctors or engineers?” on. Is that because Soderbergh is effectively think there should be an open, public dis- “In primary education, skin color isn’t portraying the perceptions of Che and his cussion, even in parliament,” the 36-year- mentioned,” academic Esteban Morales comrades on the ground? Or is it a narrative old Corvalán told IPS. said in the film. “If we are still living in a shortcoming? Or both? “In 50 years of revolution, women’s society where white people have the power, “Guerrilla” is still worth watching but it issues and homosexuality have been debat- and we don’t mention color in education, isn’t as effectively executed as “The ed: why hasn’t racism?” asked the filmmak- we are in practice educating children to be Argentine.” One feels that perhaps er. “It’s a revolutionary topic that concerns white,” says Morales, of the University of Soderbergh was being a bit self-indulgent in everyone because there are black women, Havana’s Centre for the Study of the making two different parts with a running black homosexuals and black men.” Hemisphere and the United States. time totaling nearly four and a half hours. Adds singer/songwriter in the documen- Blacks and people of mixed-race her- An alternate approach might have been bet- tary: “Silence is worse. The longer nothing itage officially make up 34.9% of Cuba’s ter — perhaps cutting more from both parts, is said, the more the racism fermenting total population of 11.2 million, according including many of the battle scenes from underground is rotting the entire nation.” to the 2002 census. However, most Cuban “Guerrilla” — and combining the footage According to Roberto Zurbano, head of academics estimate that 60-70% of the pop- that’s left with “The Argentine.” Then you'd the Casa de las Américas publishing house, ulation is black or mulatto. have a single, tighter three-hour film. to keep “hiding” the issue would lead black After “Raza” premièred at Havana’s re- On the other hand, Soderbergh says that’s people to think that “they belong to anoth- cent Latin American Film Festival, Corva- what he abandoned in the first place because er country, and that there are two Cubas as lán was thanked by black and mixed-race it didn’t make sense, though it remains to be there were in the 19th century, a black people, some of whom were surprised to seen if this final version will make sense to Cuba and a white one.” see a white person interested in racism. everyone else. ❑ Another possible implication is that “the – INTER PRESS SERVICE Ky N. Nguyen, a film reviewer for The Wash- ington Diplomat, lives in Brooklyn, New York. 16 CubaNews ❖ February 2009

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