Vol. 17, No. 10 November 2009

www.cubanews.com

In the News U.S. traders pursue deals with Alimport, undeterred by Cuba’s dire cash crunch PAC money talks Pro-embargo group’s donations influence BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA (80% of which was food) fell by 36% in the first nine months of 2009 compared with the year- the Cuba debate ...... Page 3 uba will buy less food from the United States this year than in 2008 — marking ago period — and he admitted that the govern- Cthe first-ever drop in such purchases since ment has difficulties paying its suppliers. Cable to nowhere? passage of the U.S. Trade Sanctions Reform and “The Cuban economy is characterized by ob- Details sketchy on TeleCuba’s planned Export Enhancement Act in 2000. stacles to getting international financing, the “This will be the first year [imports] will de- reduction of demand and of prices for our main $18 million fiberoptic cable ...... Page 4 cline both in volume and in value, and if current export products — and the increase of priority conditions continue, it will be very difficult to imports like food, with the obvious decline in Phasing in changes keep increasing the volume of business,” Igor purchasing power,” Malmierca told reporters. The regime is seriously contemplating a Communist Party introduces leadership Montero, the newly appointed president of state purchasing entity Alimport told delegates at the future without the ration book system, leaving changes at provincial level ...... Page 6 27th International Trade Fair in Havana. ordinary Cubans who don’t have access to cash Cuba’s severe economic slump has forced increasingly wondering where their next meal U.S. condemns attack authorities to lower their 2009 GDP growth fore- will be coming from. cast from 6% to 1.7% and to make drastic cuts in Despite this dire scenario, U.S. exporters like White House ‘strongly deplores’ Havana imports, which were outpacing exports by a 5:1 Richard Waltzer aren’t giving up just yet. beating of 3 bloggers ...... Page 7 ratio at the beginning of 2009. Waltzer, president of Splash Tropical Drinks, Montero appeared along with Cuban Trade has sold frozen beverage mixes to Alimport for Varadero airport Minister Rodrigo Malmierca at FIHAV, which several years. He says it’s business as usual for was attended by 35 U.S. companies this year his Fort Lauderdale-based company. Juan Gualberto Gómez Int’l Aiport serves (down from 61 in 2008). Malmierca said imports See Alimport, page 2 Cuba’s top tourist hub ...... Page 10 Business briefs 20 years after communism’s collapse, Regime blocks access to Revolico website; Iran grants Cuba credit line ...... Page 12 Romanians urge Cubans: ‘Don’t give up’ BY LARRY LUXNER ple. The only dissident remaining decided to go Exiles by the numbers uman-rights activist Mircea Toma will speak to the journalists,” he said. “It took five Pew Hispanic Center issues new data on never forget his first and only trip to com- seconds for the police to react. Two guys threw clothes on the TV camera, two others beat the Cuban-American community...... Page 13 Hmunist Cuba. Toma, part of an eight-member Eastern Euro- guy, then pushed the journalists into a side pean delegation that also included representa- street so nobody could see anything.” Bookshelf tives from Poland, Hungary and the Czech The event gave Toma a rare insight into the Veteran Cuba-watcher Ann Louise Bardach Republic, visited the island 10 years ago, in a limits of political freedom in Cuba — the one trip secretly arranged by a Washington-based few tourists see. ponders life ‘Without Fidel’ ...... Page 13 democracy foundation. Toma, president of Active Watch, was one of The visit happened to coincide with the high- many prominent Romanians interviewed during Dancing in Havana ly publiclized 9th Ibero-American Summit in a visit last month by CubaNews to this Eastern European nation of 21 million. For authenticity, avoid ‘shows’ and instead Havana, and a small group of dissidents was try- ing to “generate some visibility,” as he put it. On Nov. 22, voters here will decide whether visit old city’s Calle Obispo ...... Page 15 “We were close to one of these groups. They to replace incumbent President Traian Basescu, were trying to organize a rally but this wasn’t backed by the Democratic Liberal Party, with CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly possible since most of them had been arrested one of four challengers of various other parties. by Luxner News Inc. © 2009. All rights reserved. that same morning,” Toma told CubaNews. Such an election would’ve been unthinkable Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. “What happened next was, a column of work- 20 years ago, when Romania was still ruled by For editorial inquires, please call (301) 452-1105 Nicolae Ceausescu, one of the worst dictators of or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. ers appeared in the street singing. It was a very nice demonstration organized by Castro’s peo- See Romania, page 8 2 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 months to close deals with the Cubans, some, ruled out selling to Cuba in the future, hinting Alimport — FROM PAGE 1 like Fort Lauderdale businessman Mohamed that “we’re waiting until the dust settles.” “I don’t see it as an issue. I’ve been getting Bouras of Bouras Global Trading, have taken Meanwhile, Cynthia Thomas of the Texas- paid, and I’ve personally seen an increase in a wait-and-see attitude. Cuba Trade Alliance told us the island’s busi- sales of grocery items [at supermarkets],” ness climate currently favors those who said Waltzer, who was working the FIHAV already have relationships with Alimport. trade show floor, representing various brand- “Since July 2009. when Cuba discovered ed supermarket-ready food items that his sis- significant holes in its financial budget and its ter operation, Procurement Systems Inc., cur- decision to change what business travelers rently sells to Cuba’s hard-currency shops. must do to obtain a visa, the business climate These range from Haagen-Dazs ice-cream has gotten negative,” Thomas said in an email and Miller beer to Hunt’s ketchup and Chef to CubaNews. “From what I can tell, the out- Boyardee canned food items. look for 2010 is not anticipated to improve.” Waltzer told CubaNews the liberalized rules Montero said Alimport would spend $590 on Cuban-American travel to the island have million on U.S. food imports this year once spurred demand for grocery-store items by banking, shipping and other transaction costs those visiting individuals as well as their rela- are included. That’s 32% less than the $870 tives. “They have more remittance dollars,” million in sales recorded in 2008. he said, referring to visiting Cuban exiles. Alimport’s numbers differ from U.S. statis- tics, which don’t include transaction costs. Re- FROM RAISINS TO RUM CAKES gardless, U.S. food exports to Cuba jumped by 61% in 2007 (see chart at left). Along with current U.S. suppliers like “The spike came as Cuba stockpiled food in Waltzer, other American competitors — those the face of rising commodity prices, a strategy who participated in FIHAV and those who that backfired when three hurricanes hit the didn’t — are trying to get into Cuba as well. island,damaging many of the warehouses Frank H. Walker III of Walker Ltd., a food where perishable items were stored,” said AP. manufacturer’s rep in McKinney, Tex, said Some 51% of food imports come from the he hasn’t shipped anything to Cuba yet, but United States, said Malmierca, though Cuba’s told us by phone that he’s “done all the paper- top trading partner remains Venezuela, fol- work needed” to export a variety of upscale lowed by China, Russia, Spain and Brazil. food products into Cuba, including New York- Participating in FIHAV ‘09 were 3,901 ex- style cheesecakes, key lime pies and rum- hibitors and representatives of 1,270 firms of infused bundt cakes. 54 countries, five more than in 2008. The U.S. These will presumably end up in the dining contingent included over 200 traders from 35 rooms of Cuba’s finer hotels and resorts, as companies, as well as state agriculture offi- well as in Cuban supermarkets by early 2010. cials from Georgia, Maryland and Virginia. Walker insists that even with the leader- Bouras, who at one time represented ship shuffle at Alimport — long-time presi- Indiana’s Marsh Supermarkets when it sold 2009 U.S. EXPORTS TO CUBA DOWN 21% dent Pedro Alvarez was replaced by Montero its own line of retail-packaged food items to According to USDA statistics, U.S. agricul- a few months ago — “we have been working Cuba, now exports such items to the Middle tural exports to Cuba in the first nine months hard with Alimport’s staff” to close trade East and Africa. of 2009 came to $407.4 million — a 21.3% drop deals with the Cubans. “Dubai is warp speed compared to Cuba,” from the $517.8 million recorded in the year- Of course, not all U.S. food traders have he said, chuckling about the oil-rich emirate’s ago period. However, exports in August and designs on Cuba. Given that it often takes more favorable business climate. He hasn’t September 2009 were down by 31% compared to the same two months of 2008. “This drop does not capture the July state- Food-ration books edge closer to extinction ments by Cuban authorities that there was a significant mismatch between their revenues uba has cut two staple foods from the covenant of the revolution: that socialism and expenditures,” Thomas told CubaNews. “I monthly ration books that most would not make people rich, but would pro- anticipate the drop in exports to grow as pre- CCubans depend on, edging closer to a vide all Cubans with at least the basics. viously signed contracts are completed and risky full elimination of the decades-old sub- Indeed, many see the ration book, or lib- new contracts are not signed.” sidies, the Associated Press reported Nov. 6. reta, as a flawed but fundamental right — Trade-fair organizers said they expect deals Potatoes and peas were dropped from the and shoppers are angry at the new changes. worth $150 million to come out of this year’s list of rationed foods, meaning Cubans can “This is crazy. They should be adding FIHAV, compared with $350 million in 2008. buy as much of the products as they want — products to the ration book, not taking away This gloomy scenario would undoubtedly as long as they’re willing to pay as much as from it,” said Roberto Rodriguez, a 55-year- change if the U.S. travel ban is lifted — and 20 times more than they used to. old delivery man buying rice, sugar and cof- that’s kept some firms like Chicago Foods The move comes amid President Raúl fee at an official store in Havana’s Vedado International in the game. Castro’s efforts to scale back Cuba’s sub- neighborhood. “If they don’t produce The company’s chief executive, Paul sidy-rich, cash-poor economy. Nearly free enough, people will start to hoard products Johnson, whose warehouse facilities consoli- lunches were eliminated from some state- and things will get even worse.” date shipments of various food products from cafeterias in September. In October, the Previously, Cubans could buy up to 4 lbs of the Midwest bound for Cuba, was still at Communist Party’s Granma published a full- potatoes and 10 oz of peas a month, with the FIHAV when CubaNews emailed him. page editorial saying the time had come to price set at about 1c/lb for potatoes and just “I’m still in Havana, busy with various nego- do away with the ration books altogether. under 1c/lb for peas. Both were sold only in tiations,” he said — a sign of hope under any Authorities say their goal is to encourage state ration stores or on the black market. circumstance. ❑ more productivity and free the state from a Now, official buying limits are gone, but crushing economic burden. Critics say the Cubans must pay 5c/lb for potatoes and Vito Echevarría is a New York-based freelance moves break with what had been a sacred 17c/lb for peas at the same ration shops. ❑ journalist who writes regularly for CubaNews on business, culture, art, music and e-commerce. November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 3 US-CUBA POLICY Pro-embargo PAC handouts influence the Cuba debate BY ANA RADELAT Jim Cason, former chief of the U.S. Interests tive steps toward democracy. enerous donations of cash to House Section in Havana and an opponent of lifting The Delahunt-Flake bill has 180 co-spon- Democrats, especially newly elected sanctions, and the Lexington Institute’s Phil sors. But 218 votes are needed to win passage Gones, by a pro-embargo political action Peters, who supports an end to the travel ban. of the legislation in the House of Represent- committee has likely helped to stall any relax- Weil said a committee vote on the Cuba bill atives. Flake spokesman Matthew Specht ations of U.S. sanctions against Cuba. has not been scheduled. predicted the Cuba travel bill would squeak The issue of whether all Americans have a Claver-Carone said a vote on the bill is like- by in a full House vote. right to travel to Cuba has been at the fore- ly the last thing bill sponsors want because “It would definitely be tight but there’s front of the debate in Washington over Cuba they don’t have enough support. And a loss broad support for the bill,” Specht told us. policy this year. on the House floor would signal the White Peters said Berman’s decision to hold a The US-Cuba Democracy Political Action House that there’s no appetite on Capitol Hill hearing on the issue of travel is a positive step Committee, run by Washington attorney to ease Cuba sanctions. for the proposed legislation, but he declined Mauricio Claver-Carone, repeated a spending “They say they have great support for the to make any predictions. pattern it established after it was founded in travel bill to try to influence the administra- “I think [the hearing] is progress. Where it goes from there we’ll see,” said Peters. “I’m 2003. The PAC gave tens of thousands of cam- tion,” Claver-Carone said. “If they lose by just ❑ paign contributions to freshmen Democratic one vote, it’s a huge risk.” not able to look that far down the road.” members to influence their views on Cubak President Obama has not endorsed by the Ana Radelat is a Washington-based freelance and to more senior Democrats who held a bill and says the 47-year-old U.S. trade embar- journalist and has been covering Capitol Hill for hard-line view of the embargo. go shouldn’t be eased until Cuba makes posi- CubaNews since the publication’s birth in 1993. In the first six months of this year, the PAC raised $180,000 and gave $145,000, largely to House Democrats. A look at the congressional money game Claver-Carone said the PAC has collected he House Committee on International “Some people, like Chairman Howard Ber- about $100,000 more since June 30 and will Affairs has announced that a hearing on man, no doubt receive PAC money with the step up its activities next year, when all House T travel to Cuba will be held Nov. 19. hope of assuring access. Others receive noth- members must run for re-election. John McAuliff took a look at the record of ing because they are completely committed, The PAC gave thousands of dollars to 18 which members of that committee had re- pro or con, and any investment would be re- Democratic freshmen, including Reps. John ceived funds from the pro-embargo, anti-trav- dundant or ineffective,” said McAuliff, a fre- Boccieri of Ohio, Kathy Dahlkemper of el US-Cuba Democracy PAC (see box below). quent critic of the U.S. trade embargo and Pennsylvania and Eric Massa of New York. The list is not conclusive about votes in the travel ban against Cuba. “Few of [the freshmen] come in with well committee, he said in a Nov. 7 article pub- “Nevertheless, the amounts given may be thought-out positions on Cuba, so we try to lished by the online Progressive Weekly. suggestive of how important a particular vote educate them,” Claver-Carone told CubaNews. is to Miami hardliners,” he said. The PAC also gave $15,000 to the Demo- RECIPIENTS OF USCDPAC MONEY The first set of dollar amounts in the chart cratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, head- represents donations for the completed 2008 ed by Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who DEMOCRATS: election cycle. Figures preceded by a plus is a key Senate voice on keeping the embargo Ackerman, Gary (D-NY): $1,000 +$1,000 sign are downpayments for the 2010 cycle. intact and has influenced the White House to Berman, Howard (D-CA): $5,000 +$5,000 Democrats on the committee who received limit its changes to Cuba policy. no funds from the US-Cuba Democracy PAC Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev- Berkley, Shelley (D-NV): $5,000 +$2,500 ada, who also opposes sanctions and has kept Carnahan, Russ (D-MO): $2,000 +$1,000 include Eni Faleomavaega (Samoa), Bill Dela- hunt (MA), Diane E. Watson (CA), John Tan- a Senate Cuba travel bill from a vote, received Connolly, Gerry (D-VA): +$2,000 $5,000 from the PAC. ner (TN), Lynn Woolsey (CA), Sheila Jackson Engel, Eliot L. (D-NY): $7,500 +$5,000 Lee (TX), Barbara Lee (CA), Joseph Crowley The PAC also gave $5,000 each to Reps. Giffords, Gabrielle (D-AZ): $5,000 +$1,000 Howard Berman, (D-CA) and Eliot Engel (D- (NY), Mike Ross (AR), David Scott (GA), Jim Green, Gene (D-TX): $1,000 +$1,000 Costa (CA) and Keith Ellison (MN). NY). Berman, as head of the House Foreign Klein, Ron (D-FL): $10,000 Relations Committee, and Engel, as head of Republicans on the committee who re- the panel’s subcommittee on Western Hemis- McMahon, Michael E. (D-NY): +$2,000 ceived no funds from the PAC include Ileana phere affairs, hold the fate of a House bill that Miller, Brad (D-CA): $7,000 +$1,000 Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Elton Gallegly (CA), Dana would end all restrictions on travel to Cuba. Payne, Donald M. (D-NJ): $2,500 Rohrabacher (CA), Edward Royce (CA), Ron Berman, who in the past has supported an Sherman, Brad (D-CA): $8,500 Paul (TX), Jeff Flake (AZ), Joe Wilson (SC), easing of the embargo, is now calling for an Sires, Albio (D-NJ): $10,000 +$5,000 John Boozman (AR), J. Gresham Barrett (SC) and Bob Inglis (SC). end to the travel ban. That may help a Cuba Wexler, Robert (D-FL): $6,000 travel bill introduced by Reps. Bill Delahunt “Personally, I think PAC donations, like campaign contributions above a reasonable (D-MA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). REPUBLICANS: “It’s time for us to scrap this anachronistic middle-class limit, are inherently corrupting ban, imposed during one of the chilliest peri- Bilirakis, Gus (R-FL): $3,000 to democracy,” said McAuliff, who wonders in ods of the Cold War,” Berman wrote in an op- Burton, Dan (R-IN): $6,000 his online editorial whether, for example, ed with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Fortenberry, Jeffrey (R-NE): $1,000 members of the Bacardi rum family and their But Berman’s press secretary, Lynne Weil, Mack, Connie (R-FL): $2,000 employees are a major source of PAC money. warned against characterizing a hearing set Manzullo, Don (R-IL): $1,000 “Absent prohibition, they must be counter- for Nov. 19 as a way to push the bill. McCaul, Michael (R-TX): +$2,000 acted by exposure which questions whether loyalty is owed more to voting constituents or “There will be questions asked by lawmak- Pence, Mike (R-IN): $7,500 +$1,000 to faraway donors,” he added. “Colleagues tell ers who are both for and against opening trav- Poe, Ted (R-TX): $5,000 el to Cuba,” she said. me I am naive, and that until we play the same Witnesses include Gen. Barry McCaffrey; Smith, Chris (R-NJ): $10,000 game our impact is marginal.” ❑ 4 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 TELECOMMUNICATIONS Details sketchy on TeleCuba’s planned fiberoptic cable BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA communications” between the U.S. and Cuba, TeleCuba, that it “never heard of these guys.” n Oct. 12, an obscure Miami-based enti- “allowing for an array of new telecom prod- Questions were further raised on this pro- ty called TeleCuba Communications ucts and services such as high-speed Internet ject when the Castro regime subsequently OInc. issued a press release that made its and cable TV, which are not feasible using stepped forward and told a European news way to various media outlets, saying that that current satellite communications.” service that neither the country’s Ministry of it had been granted permission by the U.S. CubaNews attempted to follow up on what Informatics and Communications, nor Cuban Treasury Department to lay a fiberoptic cable sounded like an interesting development for state phone monopoly Etecsa, has ever had from South Florida to Cuba. Cuba — a country suffering from an anti- any contact with TeleCuba. The press release said it has an agreement quated telecommunications infrastructure. In addition, Treasury’s Office of Foreign with Great Eastern Group Inc., a small Fort However, TeleCuba’s announcement Assets Control refused to comment on any Lauderdale marine engineering and construc- seems to raise more questions than answers. licenses it may have granted to TeleCuba. tion company, to design, construct, install and Granted, earlier this year, when the Obama Therefore, until it decides to step forward to maintain the 110-mile-long cable, slated to administration lifted restrictions for U.S. tele- tell its side of the story, TeleCuba appears to cost around $18 million. com firms to strike deals with Cuba, it was exist only on paper. Even though its website Virginia Hoffman, president of Great Eas- expected that at some point such a cable — http://telecuba.com — says it provides tern Group, noted in that same press release would be proposed — presumably to provide the Cuban-American community with prepaid that the cable will be “the first of its kind” and the island with better international long-dis- phone card service to Cuba, few if any Cuban that it’ll be fully operational by the second tance services and Internet access. exiles have even heard of this entity. quarter of 2011. Yet no major company — not AT&T, not “I don’t know anything about TeleCuba, ex- “It will be far more than a simple commer- Verizon, not SprintNextel — has worked out cept what is in the media,” said Manuel Cer- cial cable,” she said. “TeleCuba has agree- any such agreements. eijo, a University of Miami academic known ments in place to provide for multiple subsea That raises curiosity about TeleCuba and for his extensive research on Cuba’s telecom science nodes along the cable’s path for use the legitimacy of this venture, even though sector. The only official notice appears to be a by major universities and weather manage- the press release claims the company has a June 2003 item in the Federal Register stating ment agencies for both educational and “customer base exceeding 120,000 Cuban- that TeleCuba received approval from the research purposes.” Americans in South Florida” and revenues of Federal Communications Commission to TeleCuba noted that it intends to run the more than $25 million. lease and operate a 3-Mbps satellite circuit for cable from Cojimar, Cuba, to Key West, Fla. — Our phone calls to TeleCuba’s CEO, Luís service between United States and Cuba. the same route occupied by an existing 1950s- Coello, were not returned, and Great Eastern era copper phone cable linking the two coun- simply referred us back to TeleCuba. One of VENEZUELA-CUBA CABLE ON TRACK tries. Once in service, it claims, the fiberoptic our confidential contacts with channels inside Meanwhile, installation of 1,630 km (1,013 cable will “eliminate the need for satellite the Cuban government said, referring to miles) of fiberoptic cable between Venezuela and Cuba has begun, said news agency AFP. Caracas is Cuba’s closest ally in Latin Amer- ica, offering crucial financial support through Cuba appears desperate to conserve energy oil and trade deals. uba has ordered all state enterprises and the loss of its steady oil supply caused Cuba claims that not having access to U.S. to adopt “extreme measures” to cut frequent electricity blackouts and hardship servers has kept it from extending Internet Cenergy usage through the end of the for the Cuban public. access to all Cubans. But critics say whatever year, Reuters reported Nov. 11, in hopes of The directives follow government warn- bandwidth the government has available, avoiding the dreaded blackouts that ings in the summer that too much energy most Cubans still cannot gain free access to all plagued the country following the 1991 col- was being used and blackouts would follow information available on the web. lapse of its then-top ally, the Soviet Union. if consumption was not reduced. Venezuelan Science and Technology Minis- In documents seen by Reuters, govern- All provincial governments and most ter Jesse Chacón called the cable “a really vital ment officials have been warned Cuba is state-run offices and factories, which en- element of relations between the two coun- facing a “critical” energy shortage that re- compasses 90% of Cuba’s economic activity, tries” and said he hopes it’ll be functioning by quires the closing of non-essential factories were ordered in June to reduce energy use October 2011. and workshops and the shutting down of by at least 12% percent or face mandatory The hookup will have a 640-gigabyte capac- air-conditioners and refrigerators not need- electricity cuts. ity and multiply Cuba’s ability to connect by ed to preserve food and medicine. The measures appeared to resolve the 3,000, experts from both countries say. “The energy situation we face is critical crisis as state-run press published stories The $63 million project will lay cable from and if we do not adopt extreme measures about the amount of energy that had been near La Guaira in Venezuela’s Vargas state to we will have to revert to planned blackouts saved and the dire warnings died down. Siboney, just outside Santiago de Cuba. affecting the population,” said a recent The only explanation given for the earlier In June, the Castro regime authorized the message from the Council of Ministers. warnings is that Cuba was consuming more state-run postal service to outfit post offices to “Company directors will analyze activi- fuel than the regime had money to pay for. provide all Cubans Internet access, so far lim- ties to be stopped and others reduced, leav- The situation is not as dire as in the ited mainly to a small number of professionals. ing only those that guarantee exports, sub- 1990s because Cuba receives 93,000 bar- Connection in Cuba is by satellite only at rels per day of crude oil, almost two-thirds the moment, which offers a much narrower stitution of imports and basic services for ❑ the population,” according to another dis- of what it consumes, from Venezuela. bandwidth and relatively high costs. tributed by the light industry sector. It pays for the oil by providing its energy- President Raúl Castro is said to be intent rich ally with medical personnel and other Details: Lilibeth González, TeleCuba Com- on not repeating the experience of the professionals. munications Inc., PO Box 260335, Miami, 1990s, when the demise of the Soviet Union – REUTERS NEWS SERVICE FL 33126. Tel: (305) 835-3282. Fax: (305) 675-8538. Email: [email protected]. November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS PALAU EXPLAINS POSITION IN 187-3 EMBARGO VOTE In their own words … Sandra Pierantozzi, secretary of state of the tiny Pacific nation of Palau, admitted that her “I had many options, like throwing two molotov cocktails at the Interior Ministry or keeping quiet like a coward.” country voted with the United States and Israel against a UN resolution demanding an end to the — Reinaldo Escobar, husband of blogger Yoani Sánchez, who was roughed up U.S. embargo of Cuba because of the need for Nov. 6 by state security agents while on her way to a peace demonstration in direct U.S. economic assistance. Havana. Escobar has since challenged those agents to a verbal duel. Two other Pacific nations — Micronesia and the Marshall Islands — abstained from the Oct. “Soon, the ultra-right of the United States will try to limit [Obama’s] rule to 28 resolution, which passed by a vote of 187-3, four years. A Nixon, a Bush or somebody like Cheney will be the new presi- the most lopsided in 18 years. dent, and then the purpose of these unjustifiable military bases that threaten The minister, interviewed by Radio Australia, the peoples of South America will be very clear.” said Palau is negotiating with the United States — Fidel Castro, in a “reflection” published Nov. 12 in Granma, warning of for $225 million over the next 15 years, but that President Obama’s uphill re-election challenge in 2012. Washington’s offer is just $156 million and that her UN vote was conditional on that extra money. “I think he has genuine appreciation for Obama. He sees in him a charismat- “Well, we have always voted with the U.S. on ic politician and brilliant strategist, and he admires that. Obama is a guy who this and many other topics in the United Nations. came from nowhere and wasn’t part of the establishment, just like Castro.” We maintain very tight so-called ‘Free Associa- — Cuba expert Ann Louise Bardach, discussing Fidel’s “Obama obsession” with AP. tion’ relationship, under the Pact of Association”, she said. Palau has about 20,800 inhabitants. “The U.S. embargo against Cuba is putting at risk the lives of millions by Pierantozzi explained that her government preventing them from accessing vital medicines and medical technologies. doesn’t want to endanger Palau’s relations with These sanctions are immoral and should be lifted immediately.” Washington. Asked if the U.S. changes its posi- — Kerrie Howard, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Americas program. tion on the embargo would Palau also change, she said “no, we don’t necessarily have to follow the United States but it could be a consideration.” “Any legislation that seeks to ease or lift sanctions would send a devastating message to Cuba’s opposition movement and legitimize an ailing dictatorship.” EU LEANS TOWARD NORMALIZING TIES WITH CUBA — Nov. 8 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) and signed by 53 Demo- Most EU member states want the European crats including Reps. Ben Chandler (KY), Henry Cuellar (TX), Brad Miller, Union to resume normal relations with Cuba, a Heath Suler, Mike McIntyre (NC), Jim Marshall (GA)and Ike Skelton (MO). European Union official said Nov. 3. Karel de Gucht, European commissioner for “Communism is, and will always be, aggressive by its very nature. So are development and humanitarian aid, acknow- those who act as its tools. For this reason we affirm that no one can be a revo- ledged during a visit to Havana that the issue lutionary, a democrat, a liberal, a pacifist, and a believer in progress if one is remains controversial for some of the EU’s 27 not an anti-communist also. Communist imperialism and its instrument in the member states. But normalization “is an opinion Americas, Fidel Castro, are planning to take over this entire hemisphere.” [favored by] most EU members,” he said after — Juanita Castro, Fidel Castro’s 76-year-old sister, in 1965 testimony before the meetings with senior Cuban officials. House Committee on Un-American Activities. In her newly published autobiogra- The EU suspended relations with Havana after phy “Fidel and Raúl, My Brothers,” Juanita admits that she spied for the CIA. the Castro regime launched a major roundup of 75 dissidents in March 2003, but resumed aid “Through techniques of political recycling and marketing that includes cooperation in 2008. advertising, manipulation and sensationalism, Miami’s anti-Castro industry, Spain is expected to push for full normalization under the auspices of the publisher Santillana and the PRISA Group in Spain, when it assumes leadership of the EU enext year, has launched a new product on the market: the memoirs of Juanita Castro.” even though some members insist on requiring — Nov. 3 article in La Jiribilla, a magazine published by Cuba’s Ministry of some diplomatic or political gesture from Havana Culture. It calls the book “a commercial venture in bad taste and low morality.” as a condition for normalizing ties. FIDEL: VISITING EXILES BRING SWINE FLU TO CUBA “I played the role of the dumb, white American to a T. My lack of Spanish was a major asset in convincing them I was the real deal. What spy agency Fidel Castro has found something to sneeze at would send a guy who doesn’t speak Spanish to infiltrate Cuba?” in Washington’s decision to ease visits by Cuban — Robert Kelly, telling Miami New Times about his life as a double agent. exiles to visit the island: He says more Cuban- Americans mean more swine flu. The Associated Press quoted Fidel’s comments “I would prefer that the ration system continue. There are many poor people Oct. 31 in Cuban media to the effect that many of who simply can’t afford to buy food on the open market.” Cuba;s early cases of the H1N1 virus were visi- — Juana Rodríguez, 78, a shopper at a peso market in Havana’s Vedado district, tors from the United States. talking Nov. 6 to AP about rumors that ration books might be discontinued. “We had the strange case where the U.S. on one hand authorized more trips for a large num- “This is a cautious administration, and we have not really begun to explore ber of people carrying the virus, and on the the idea that with Raúl maybe we have another chance. The president should other prohibited us from obtaining equipment send a personal envoy to spend time listening and probing Raúl’s perspective. and medicine to combat the virus,” Castro wrote. If the envoy had similar experiences with Fidel, he would be able to detect any Cuba has reported seven deaths and 793 con- differences, and thus any opportunities to advance U.S. interests.” firmed cases of H1N1, which has already infected — Veteran diplomat Robert Pastor, in an Oct. 25 interview about U.S.- patients in every Cuban province, “principally Cuba relations with El Nuevo Herald journalist Juan Tamayo.“ those with the highest number of relatives who reside in the United States.” 6 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Cuba phases in leadership changes at provincial level BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI by Lazara Mercedes Lopez Acea, a rising retary of the Party several years ago, has now n July 26, President Raúl Castro young star since the mid 1990s. The City of herself been promoted to Secretariat of the announced that the VI Party Congress Havana will have, for the first time, a woman Central Committee. O would be postponed, but he didn’t offer as leader of the provincial Party. Like Concepción, she’s also a teacher by any specific dates or details. Now 45, she’s a forestry engineer and a profession, and a mestiza in her early 40s. He did say that prior to the holding of this Party cadre since her early youth, Party Tapia was replaced by Gladys Martínez congress, a conferencia nacional would take leader in the municipality of Abreus and in the Verdecia, 38, mestiza, engineer in the field of place to deal with changes within Cuba’s lead- province of Cienfuegos. She was promoted to agronomy. She was a Party leader in the the Central Committee since 1997 (V Party ership, so that the Party would be more ade- municipality of La Palma and later on became quately prepared for its congress (see Congress) and then three years ago to the Secretariat, where she was in charge of edu- member of the Party's Provincial Committee CubaNews, September 2009, page 3). (Executive Bureau) for five years. Many observers of Cuban affairs jumped to cation, science, and sports. the conclusion that the whole thing was noth- PINAR DEL RÍO PROVINCE VILLA CLARA PROVINCE ing but an excuse to postpone the congress indefinitely. Olga Lidia Tapia, a longtime Party cadre Omar Ruíz Martín, after a successful politi- But one month ago, Jose R. Machado who had replaced Maria del Carmen Concep- cal career since his early youth and party Ventura — first vice-president and Raúl’s ción (promoted to the Secretariat) as first sec- See Leadership, page 7 right-hand man, and a very cautious person when speaking in public — brought the issue to the surface. CUBAN COUNCIL OF STATE AND COUNCIL OF MINISTERS Addressing the X Plenum of the Young President of the Council of State: Raúl CASTRO Ruz, Gen. Communists’ Union (UJC) he said the hold- First Vice President of the Council of State: José Ramón MACHADO Ventura ing of UJC’s congress in April 2010 “will be very opportune for the preparation of the VI Vice President of the Council of State: Julio CASAS Regueiro, Corps Gen. Party Congress, a moment in which — after a Vice President of the Council of State: Abelardo COLOME Ibarra, Corps Gen. deep debate with the people — decisions will Vice President of the Council of State: Esteban LAZO Hernández be taken and changes will be adopted for the Minister Secretary of the Council of State: Homero ACOSTA Alvarez good of our revolutionary process.” Vice President of the Council of Ministers: Ricardo CABRISAS Ruiz Machado’s words — completely over- Vice President of the Council of Ministers: José Ramón FERNANDEZ Alvarez looked by foreign observers — are extremely Vice President of the Council of Ministers: Marino MURILLO Jorge important. They indicate that the Party con- gress will take place some time after UJC’s Vice President of the Council of Ministers: Ulises ROSALES del Toro April 2010 congress and imply that crucial Vice President of the Council of Ministers: Jorge Luís SIERRA Cruz decisions and changes will be debated, adopt- Vice President of the Council of Ministers: Ramiro VALDES Menendez ed and implemented. Sec. of the Council of Ministers’ Exec. Committee: José Amado RICARDO Guerra, Brig. Gen. He did not refer at all to the national con- Minister of Agriculture: Ulises ROSALES del Toro gress, something that seems to suggest that Minister of Basic Industries: Yadira GARCIA Vera this event is becoming less important in the Minister of Construction: Fidel FIGUEROA de la Paz Party’s agenda. Why is this? Probably because Raúl’s goal Minister of Culture: Abel PRIETO Jimenez to renovate the leadership can be achieved Minister of Domestic Trade: Jacinto ANGULO Cruz without holding a national conference and, Minister of Economy & Planning: Marino MURILLO Jorge ? instead, moving directly to the holding of the Minister of Education: Ena Elsa VELAZQUEZ Cobiella Party congress seems to have become a clear Minister of Finance and Prices: Lina PEDRAZA Rodríguez priority. Otherwise, Machado Ventura would Minister of the Food Industry: Maria del Carmen CONCEPCION González not have spoken a word about the holding of Minister of Foreign Trade & Investment: Rodrigo MALMIERCA Díaz the congress. After all, many of the expected changes in Minister of Foreign Relations: Bruno RODRIGUEZ Parrilla Cuba’s leadership are already taking place. At Minister of Higher Education: Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez the provincial level, the most prominent of Minister of Information Science & Communication: Ramiro VALDES Menendez these changes are as follows: Minister of Interior: Abelardo COLOME Ibarra, Corps Gen. Minister of Justice: Maria Esther REUS González CITY OF HAVANA PROVINCE Minister of Labor & Social Security: Margarita Marlene GONZALEZ Fernández This is a crucial and conflicting position Minister of Light Industry: José HERNANDEZ Bernardez with an extremely complicated agenda in Minister of Public Health: José Ramón BALAGUER Cabrera terms of social and political challenges. Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces: Julio CASAS Regueiro, Corps Gen. Over the last seven years Pedro Saez Montejo was its first Party secretary. A young Minister of Science, Technology, & Environment: José MIYAR Barruecos history teacher when he was appointed, Saez Minister of the Steelworking Industry: Salvador PARDO Cruz, Brig. Gen. Montejo, a mestizo, is a member of the Polit- Minister of the Sugar Industry: Luís Manuel AVILA González buro. Removed without any special recogni- Minister of Tourism: Manuel MARRERO Cruz tion, he was sent to study at the Colegio de Minister of Transportation: Jorge Luís SIERRA Cruz Defensa Nacional (CODEN). Attorney General: Juan ESCALONA Reguera Saez Montejo ended his career with the President, Central Bank of Cuba: Ernesto MEDINA Villaveiran Politburo, and it remains to be seen if he stays in the Central Committee. He’s been replaced Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York: Pedro NUNEZ Mosquera November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 7 POLITICS INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

ZARUBEZHNEFT SIGNS OIL EXPLORATION DEAL U.S. condemns attack on 3 bloggers Cuba and Russia signed an agreement Nov. he White House said it “strongly de- and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens.” 3 to allow Russian state oil company plores” the forcible detention and beat- Cuban authorities say Sánchez and all Zarubezhneft to explore for and produce oil T ing of three Cuban bloggers on their other political dissidents are “mercenaries” in in Cuba in its first post-Soviet oil pact. way to a peaceful march in Havana. the pay of the United States and other nations. “The contracts that were signed are tre- Award-winning blogger Yoani Sánchez, In a phone interview with El Nuevo Herald’s mendously important for Russia and Cuba, Juan Tamayo, Sánchez said she and another whose online reports chronicle the dark side since they will guarantee cooperation over of everyday life in communist Cuba, was blogger were punched and thrown violently detained and beaten along with two fellow into a car by presumed state security agents. the next 25 years,” said Nikolai Brunich, a bloggers by Cuban secret “No blood, but black and Zarubezhneft official after inking the deal police on Nov. 6. blues, punches, pulled hairs, with the head of Cuba’s state oil company “We have expressed to the blows to the head, kidneys, Cubapetroleo (CUPET), Fidel Rivero. Cuban government our deep knee and chest,” Sánchez CUPET announced in late 2008 that Cuba concern with the assaults,” told Tamayo shortly after she had crude reserves of 21 billion barrels — State Department spokesman and Pardo were freed. “In more than double previous estimates. Ian Kelly said in a statement to sum, professional violence. I, An oil importer that relies heavily on oil- being a person of verbal paci- reporters. “The U.S. govern- rich Venezuela for economic and political sup- ment strongly deplores the fism, am shaken by this vio- assault on bloggers Yoani lence, because violence port, Cuba’s communist regime would be Sánchez, Orlando Luís Pardo silences anyone.” able to sustain itself indefinitely if it were to and Claudia Cadelo.” Sánchez said she and her become energy-independent. Sánchez writes the “Genera- friends were near Havana’s Zarubezhneft is among those eyeing tion Y” blog and was recently Calixto Garcia hospital when Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. profiled by our correspondent she and Pardo were dragged At least seven foreign companies — from Tracey Eaton (see CubaNews, Yoani Sánchez: ‘I won’t give up.’ toward the car. She was Spain, India, Norway, Malaysia, Vietnam, June 2009 issue, page 8). “thrown head-first inside,” Venezuela and Brazil — are currently work- where “they applied judo or karate holds to us She told AFP that three government agents ing in the zone under contract. U.S. firms are in civilian clothes “beat me and then they and the punches kept raining down.” shoved me into a car head first. They did not During the fray, Sánchez continued, she sidelined by the U.S. embargo on Cuba, in give me any explanation at any time, but it is grabbed a piece of paper from the pocket of place since 1962. clear their goal was to stop us from taking one of the men and put it in her mouth. Moscow was Havana’s main sponsor in the part in the march.” “I don’t know, it was like saying to him, ‘I Soviet era, but relations between the two Sánchez, winner of the Maria Moors Cabot have something of yours ... He became even stalled after the Soviet collapse in 1991. 2009 award and Ortega y Gasset Prize award- more furious and there were more blows.’” Both countries have made a push to revive ed by Madrid’s El Pais newspaper, said she The paper, which she kept, contained a ties in recent months with Russian President was not seriously injured and was released name and a telephone number. After driving Dmitry Medvedev visiting Havana last year for about 20 minutes, the driver stopped in an half an hour after the arrest. and Cuban President Raul Castro traveling to “Clearly, the beating hurts even more a day area far from where Sánchez and Pardo had later; I am still really affected by all of this, but been detained “and we were violently thrown Moscow in January. it is not going to stop me from writing my on the street,” Sánchez said. CUBA NAMES NEW AMBASSADOR TO VATICAN blog,” she added. The march, which Penultimos Días said Kelly said the United States called on Cuba drew 200 participants, was Havana’s second The Castro regime has appointed Eduardo “to ensure the full respect of the human rights anti-government rally in less than a month. ❑ Delgado Bermudez ambassador to the Holy See, according to official media. Before his appointment, Delgado was general director of Leadership — FROM PAGE 1 UJC’S TOP LEADERSHIP the Foreign Affairs Ministry. leader in several municipalities in this At the previously mentioned X Plenum of Delgado joined a group of dozens of the Young Communists Union (UJC), its first province and Party first secretary of the latter Cubans appointed recently as ambassadors in over the last three years, was replaced by secretary Julio Martinez, was replaced — amid greetings and official recognition — by countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia, Julio Ramiro Lima Corzo. Europe and international organizations. A 41-year-old white history teacher, Lima Liudmila Alamo, UJC’s previous second sec- Corzo was for many years a Party cadre and retary. Luís Corvo Vizcaino replaced Alamo Cuba and the Holy See established diplo- leader in the municipalities of Cifuentes and as second secretary. matic relation in 1935. On Nov. 6, a senior Sagua La Grande. More recently, he was a Both will be in charge of preparing for and Vatican official asked the Cuban government member of the provincial Party Committee holding the UJC congress in April 2010. Noth- to give the Roman Catholic Church more (Executive Bureau). ing was said about Martínez’s political future. access to mass media. Currently, there are no Ruíz Martín was transferred, actually pro- Other changes will take place in the near Catholic radio or TV stations in Cuba. future. It remains to be seen if the validation moted, to first Party secretary in Matanzas — “Our wish is for the Cuban church to have a very important province in terms of tour- for such changes are implemented by way of a conferencia nacional — about which there’s a more normal access to mass communica- ism, the oil industry and agribusiness (espe- tion media,” Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, cially sugar and citrus). been no word — or the Party congress, as indicated by Ventura Machado, some time chairman of the Pontifical Council for Social The province is home to Varadero, Cuba’s ❑ top resort and one of the most popular of its after the UJC congress. Communications, said during a visit to Cuba. kind in the Caribbean (see this issue, page 10). Former Cuban intelligence officer Domingo Celli’s trip coincided with presentation of Ruíz Martín replaces Pedro Betancourt Amuchastegui has lived in Miami since 1994. the new papal nuncio in Havana, Archbishop García, who held the position for less than He writes regularly for CubaNews about politics Giovanni Becciu, who earlier represented the three years. in Cuba and the South Florida exile community. Vatican in Angola and São Tome e Principe. 8 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 Havana was like night and day, said Harasim, indoctrination. You didn’t have dissidents who Romania — FROM PAGE 1 who later wrote a scholarly paper comparing would fight against the system because that the 20th century. the two communist systems. would have been pure suicide.” Ceausescu ran this Oregon-sized country “If you would have come here prior to the Toma estimates that 40,000 Romanians with an iron fist from 1965 until his overthrow 1989 revolution to talk to politicians in an offi- were killed by the Ceausescu regime. on Dec. 21, 1989, and execution by firing cial meeting, they would have given you all “Tens of thousands of people were put into squad four days later. the crap about how great the system was. But forced labor camps. This created such huge In the two decades since then, Romania has if you met them for dinner, over a glass of fear that the Securitate [Romania’s secret emerged from its darkest days, when citizens could be thrown in jail for listening to the Voice of America on shortwave radio. In March 2004, Romania was admitted into

NATO, and on Jan. 1, 2007, the long-suffering LARRY LUXNER country — along with Bulgaria — celebrated its entry into the European Union. One of the poorest countries in Europe, Romania now has an annual per-capita GDP of $5,500, and the economy grew by 7.1% last year, says Lucian Claudiu Anghel, chief econ- omist at BCR, one of Romania’s leading banks. Bucharest, whose streets were once filled with propaganda posters glorifying the hated Ceausescu, today is choked with traffic and pedestrians listening to iPods. The capital city’s skyline has lots of Soviet-style apart- ment buildings and other eyesores — but also glass towers where companies like IBM and Oracle have their regional headquarters. Office Depot now runs a huge call-center operation in the Transylvanian capital of Cluj- Napoca, which like most other major Roman- ian cities now boasts gleaming shopping malls to rival any in the United States. Che Guevara’s iconic image looms over historic Bucharest, home to the trendy El Comandante salsa bar. LISTENING TO RADIO FREE EUROPE wine, they would have given you a different police] didn’t have to do anything more. The Within four or five years, Romania will story,” she explained. “In Cuba, students and fear was so deeply rooted that you did not adopt the euro as its national currency — parliamentarians — even over a glass of wine dare make a move,” he said. “Under Ceau- completing its entry into what has become — were very committed to the system. They sescu, there was no direct physical aggres- the world’s most powerful economic bloc. really believed it.” sion against dissidents. There was no dissent, Anca Harasim is executive director of the period.” American Chamber of Commerce in Roma- Harasim recalled how she and her friends nia. Like Toma, she visited Cuba 10 years ago, listened to Radio Free Europe in the evening. THE MOMENT CEAUSESCU FELL but in this case as part of a student-exchange “We were living in a prison, so the only way Daniel Apostol, editor-in-chief of The program that also included briefings at the to develop intellectually was through educa- Canadian Embassy in Havana as well as the tion and culture. We didn’t have access to Money Channel — a TV program on econom- U.S. Interests Section. other temptations,” Harasim told CubaNews. ics, business and personal finance — says he The difference between Bucharest and “People were oppressed because of all the can’t see what good half a century of commu- nist rule did for his country. “My grandfather was an officer in the Romanian army. During World War II, he had IRI: 75% of Cubans would support political change to swear an oath of loyalty to his country and his king. He fought against the Russians and ore than four in five Cuban citizens ■ 66% of Cubans do not believe their gov- ernment will succeed in solving Cuba’s most the Germans,” Apostol told us over lunch at a (82%) do not believe things are going restaurant in Bucharest’s historic district. Mwell, according to a poll released Nov. pressing challenges. ■ One in five Cubans (20%) cited food “In 1947, the communists came and forced 17 by the International Republican Institute. King Michael to leave the country. Some offi- The survey, conducted from July 1 to Aug. scarcity as their biggest concern. ■ cers were made to swear again, this time to 4, showed that most Cubans would vote for 77% of Cubans say they’ve been affected by the government’s recent cutback on ration the Communist Party, and he said, ‘no, I have fundamental political change (75%) and eco- only one honor, to my country and my king.’ nomic change (86%) if given the opportunity. card dispersements, while 30% say they have been very negatively affected. “For this sentence, he was kicked out of the “The data reveals Cubans’ strong dissatis- ■ 91% support the ability to freely pur- military, all because he refused to swear alle- faction towards its leadership and their indis- chase and sell their homes, a right that is not giance. From an officer in the army, he putable preferences for political and econom- currently afforded to them. became a substitute teacher of small children, ic change,” said IRI President Lorne Craner. ■ The number of Cubans who make cell- and as a result, my own father couldn’t go to Other significant findings from the IRI poll: phone calls rose 10% since November 2008, university.” ■ Cuban citizens continue to name econo- while the number of Cubans sending and re- Apostol says the worst legacy of commu- mic issues among their greatest concerns, ceiving email grew 23% over the same period. nism in Romania is that “we lost the meaning with 52% of respondents citing worries about Details: Lisa Gates, IRI, 1225 Eye St NW, of how to respect each other as human low salaries, high living costs and challenges #700, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: (202) 572- beings. That’s the feeling I have after 50 years with the island’s double-currency system. 1546. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.iri.org. See Romania, page 9 November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 9 Ioana Avadani, executive director of the like Yoani Sánchez, who was roughed up by Romania — FROM PAGE 8 Center for Independent Journalism, is wor- Cuban agents in Havana earlier this month of communism in this country. Money I can ried that young Romanians now have freedom (see this issue, page 7) need any inspiration, lose and make again, but I cannot get back my but don’t quite know what to do with it. A Avadani suggests they look to nearby author- time. We’ve really lost this sense of privacy. general sense of pessimism pervades the itarian regimes like ethnically troubled country, despite the dramatic gains that have Moldova, where political instability seems to That’s why we are struggling so much.” been made in personal freedom in the 20 deepen by the day, and Armenia, which saw Apostol remembers clearly the day com- years since Ceausescu’s overthrow. violent demonstrations in the wake of the dis- munism came tumbling down in Romania. He “Immediately after 1989, we all had some- puted February 2008 presidential elections. was 19 years old at the time and trying des- thing to challenge, something to blame on “Just ask the Moldovans, who used mirror perately to find a job. somebody else. But now, people who lived sites, or the Armenians, who communicated “That day, the 21st of December 1989, I was under communism have exhausted their what was happening in Yerevan last year via at a meeting of the Communist Youth organi- desire to express themselves — not because mobile phones,” she said. “If there is technol- ogy, there’s a way to get the information out. “History has taught us that with new tech- nologies, there’s no way any longer to control information,” Avadani added. “Of course, the “People were oppressed because of all the indoctrination. [Castro regime] can be very brutal. They can isolate the country, but for how long?” You didn’t have dissidents who would fight against the Adds Cristian Ghinea, director of the Roma- system because that would have been pure suicide.” nian Center for European Policies: “I’d advise Cubans to enjoy their freedom — ANCA HARASIM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN ROMANIA once they get it, because after a couple of years they’ll move into a totally different world and forget about this freedom. They won’t enjoy it anymore but take it for granted.” ❑ zation. My father was at the meeting too, with there is nothing to express, but because they 100 workers. Someone came up and said don’t feel it’s worth it,” she said. “They don’t Larry Luxner, editor and publisher of Cuba- something to the guys on the panel, and sud- think things will change.” News, spent six days in Romania last month on denly they got upset, ended the meeting and “The younger generation, including my 20- a government-sponsored press trip to mark the sent us home, just like that. year-old son, doesn’t feel obliged in any way 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. “When I got home, my mother was watch- to those who lived under com- ing Ceausescu speaking on TV, and there munism. He says, ‘this was your were people screaming at him. I thought it life, this is my life. I can be sym- was a joke. I didn’t realize what was actually pathetic, but don’t ask me to feel happening.” guilty. I was born in a free world.’ By the age of 4, he had TOO MUCH FREEDOM? his first computer, and by age 9 In May of this year, the Romanian Institute he had visited MIT in Boston. for Investigation of Crimes Under Commu- He was exposed to complete nism in Bucharest co-sponsored a seminar freedom.” entitled “Cuba Under Raúl: Domestic and LEARNING FROM THE PAST Foreign Policies.” The event was co-spon- sored by the University of Miami’s Institute Asked what advice she would for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. give young Cubans trying to Speakers included former U.S. Commerce create an independent civil soci- Secretary Carlos Gutiérrez, Ambassador Luís ety, Avadani said the most Lauredo and Marius Oprea, advisor to important thing — aside from Romania’s foreign minister. scrawling graffiti on walls and Cuba’s new ambassador to Romania, Marta writing subversive songs and Caridad Fajardo, made herself unavailable for books — is to take advantage of comment for this story, despite several calls technology. to the Cuban Embassy in Bucharest. “The government does not But Sever Voinescu, secretary of Romania’s know how to deal with the chamber of deputies, says there just isn’t that Internet. There’s a lot of free- much to talk about. dom on the Internet,” she said. “The idea is to get around the “During the Ceausescu regime, Romania stupidity and ignorance of the had very good relations with Cuba, but government. That’s what I find there’s been a downgrading [of ties] since most liberating.” then,” said Voinescu, interviewed in the mon- Avadani told CubaNews “we strous — some say hideous — Palace of the had a funny moment in 2003, Parliament built by Ceausescu that now ranks when our parliament wanted to as the largest structure in Europe and the sec- declare aerial photos to be clas- ond-largest in the world after the Pentagon. sified information. One of [the “Sometimes people like me with a very pro- deputies] was a landowner, so I nounced civic attitude protest and say things took some aerial pictures of his against communism and against Castro. But plot of land and put them online this is a very superficial phenomenon in Ro- and said, ‘OK, put me in jail — mania,” he told us. “Usually, we say we have me and the other six billion peo- good relations with Cuba, which is OK be- ple out there who can see this.’” Fidel Castro salutes proudly as he and Romanian President Nico- cause there is nothing much on the agenda.” And if young Cuban bloggers lae Ceausescu review an honor guard in this 1960s-era file photo. 10 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 INFRASTRUCTURE Juan Gualberto Gómez Int’l serves Varadero tourist hub BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT travelers and a small cargo warehouse. Traffic is managed with modern aerial nav- uilt to serve Cuba’s largest tourist hub Expanded in 1997, the terminal can process igation equipment, including radars, precision at Varadero Beach, Juan Gualberto up to 1,200 passengers per hour at its peak. lighting approach and maneuvering systems, BGómez International (VRA) is one of There are five standing positions for large air- beacons and instrumental landing systems. the newest airports in Cuba, and the second- craft just in front of the terminal (Apron 1), The airport can operate any aircraft 24 hours busiest after Havana’s José Martí Internatio- three of them equipped with fingers and sev- a day and serves regular domestic routes with nal Airport. eral other remote positions in Aprons 2 and 3. other tourism hubs (Havana, Cayo Largo, Over the years, as tourism became the New investments foresee gradual traffic Cayo Coco, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and engine of Cuba’s economic growth, VRA dra- capacity increasing to between 8 million and matically increased its operations — from a 10 million passengers a year, up from 2 million sleepy aerodrome receiving 30,000 or so at present. Canadian and European visitors a year in the A first phase that started earlier this year at early 1980s to a bulging terminal with more a cost of 30 million CUC ($32.6 million) in- than 100 flights per week and half a million cludes the expansion of customs, immigration arrivals annually today. and crowded waiting halls to expedite passen- VRA is capable of handling any kind of pas- gers through formal procedures. senger aircraft on its single asphalt runway, To keep the pace with the increase of 11,490 ft long by 148 ft wide — one of the tourism, authorities also plan to add new longest in Cuba. The airport has only one ter- standing positions next to the terminal and minal both for international and domestic build a second parallel runway.

Varadero International is the second most active airport in Cuba only after Havana. It serves the largest tourist hub in the island, at Varadero Beach. November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 11 Cayo Santa María), used mostly by visitors to the heat of the Cold War, as the departure for the island and service personnel rather than more than 330,000 Cubans fleeing the island BUSINESS BRIEFS common folks. for the United States on “freedom flights.” VRA operates over 20 international airlines It is still used for some local aerial excur- TAMPA TRAVEL AGENCY SUES OVER FLA. LAW and three domestic companies exceeding 100 sions and other tourism-oriented services. A Tampa travel agency that arranges flights per week in the high season (Novem- In its new location about 15 miles from flights to Cuba is locked in a legal battle with ber through April) and some 50 flights per Varadero and 10 miles from downtown the state of Florida, the Tampa Tribune week in the slow season. Matanzas (population: 127,000), VRA is far reported Nov. 10. Last December VRA averaged a record 114 from any development. Agencia 12 y 23, is suing in federal court to flights per week. These airlines link Varadero It is built on a 200-foot-high limestone flat stop the state from regulating it. The agency with 45 cities and destinations in Canada (22 covered by xerophytes, bushes and vacant says it’s already heavily regulated by the fed- destinations), Europe (13), South America, lands adjacent to a high coralline coastline of eral government, which strictly governs all Mexico and the Dominican Republic. It has incredibly transparent blue waters. It is linked regular links with the Caribbean resorts of to the city and to Varadero Beach by a new travel to Cuba. Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Cancún. four-lane highway that makes the trip a matter “Government regulation in this field is so Varadero International receives over half a of minutes. pervasive that there’s no room for the State of million passengers per year, the overwhelm- Varadero International has vast potential for Florida to supplement it,” the lawsuit states. ing majority of them heading for the resorts at explosive growth in the event Washington lifts Henry Mendoza, who came to the U.S. Varadero Beach. Foreign travelers are mainly the U.S. travel ban to Cuba. from Cuba in 1980, started the agency in the Canadians, Germans and British. That’s because Varadero isn’t just the 1990s. That spawned his business, which was In 2008 VRA set a record of 1,276,430 pas- largest tourism hub in Cuba — but also one of named after a major intersection in Havana. sengers served With Treasury Department approval, (arrivals plus depar- Mendoza, who also has an insurance agency, tures) with 103,000 sends packages to Cuba, wires remittances arriving in Decem- and handles travel and visas. ber alone. The company says Florida’s Department of In 2009 the air- Agriculture and Consumer Services served it port is expected to with a complaint in September accusing it as handle 1.3 million operating as an unlicensed travel agent. passengers. So-called sellers of travel must provide the The terminal was state with a completed registration form, a upgraded in 1997 by registration fee and a surety bond of between Ottawa-based Intelcan Technosystems to the most important resorts in the Caribbean, $10,000 and $50,000. boost capacity from 700,000 travelers per year Travel agents that fail to comply with those to over two million. with 16,196 rooms in 52 hotels. It’s also a secluded enclave with interna- annual requirements are subject to legal State-run ECASA (Empresa Cubana de action and may be forced to pay fines or stop Aeropuertos y Servicios Aeronáuticos SA) tional standards of entertainment, comfort and services for U.S. tourists just 38 minutes doing business. operates the airport, providing standard serv- The Agencia 12 y 23 lawsuit says the state’s ices such as food, beverage and retailing for from Miami International Airport and less than three hours by plane from most major ability to regulate the agency is preempted by normal and peak capacities. It also has car- ❑ rental and travel agency facilities. cities on the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. the foreign policy interests of the United In 1989, the new Juan Gualberto Gómez States, as well as several federal laws, includ- International replaced an old airport located This is the ninth in an ongoing series of arti- ing the Trading with the Enemy Act, and just a few miles to the northeast but too close cles on Cuban airports published since February executive orders issued by the president. to the hotels and beaches. That made noise 2009. Previous stories have looked at Santiago The agency is required to determine the and smell a serious issue for the resort and de Cuba, Cayo Coco, Holguín, Cayo Largo del purpose of every would-be Cuba traveler’s limited room for further expansion. The Sur, Camagüey, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, trip and submit a notarized affidavit for each Kawama airport — as the old aerodrome is Manzanillo and Baracoa airports, and the gen- customer, clarifying their reasons for travel now named — served from 1966 to 1971, in eral state of Cuba’s air transportation system. and certifying they are visiting the island for one of the approved purposes, the suit states. AAAS SCIENTIFIC DELEGATION VISITS CUBA Peter C. Agre, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Nobel laureate in chemistry, headed a non-governmental U.S. delegation to Cuba to discuss science policy. The Nov. 10-13 visit included meetings with leading Cuban scientists and policy officials, and was aimed at exploring research issues and multilateral science venues that might be conducive to U.S.-Cuba scientific cooperation. The trip comes as scientists in both nations are urging expanded bilateral scientific ties. Other delegation members included Anth- At less than 15 miles from the resorts at ony Rock, Larry Wilkerson, Steve Clemons, Varadero beach and 10 miles from Matanzas (127,000 dwellers), VRA is Vaughan Turekian, Patrick Doherty, Anya the closest Cuban airport to South Florida Landau French and Maximillian Angerholzer. and one of the newest in the island. Details: Peter Agre, President, AAAS, 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: (202) 326-6400. URL: www.aaas.org. 12 CubaNews ❖ November 2009

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) says The Obama administration said in April that BUSINESS BRIEFS online communications foster democracy and it was easing sanctions on Cuba, partly by should be restored. allowing companies such as AT&T to get CUBA’S 2 CURRENCIES LIKELY TO MERGE SOON “Ensuring the flow and access to informa- licenses to operate TV, mobile-phone or satel- The Cuban peso and the convertible peso tion available through the Internet and similar lite-radio services in the island nation (see (CUC), “Cuba’s main units of currency, will public sources is consistent with the policy CubaNews, May 2009, page 1). soon be fused for the purpose of simplifying interests of the United States,” OFAC Director “With that in mind, we are deeply con- the economic operations conducted by the Adam Szubin said in a letter to the Center for cerned that instant-messaging services for population and visitors,” a Cuban diplomat Democracy in the Americas, a group that Cubans and persons living in other countries told Mexico’s econsulta.com, in a report opposes sanctions on Cuba. under U.S. sanctions have been discontinued,” picked up Nov. 2 by the Miami Herald. The company-imposed blackouts show how Stephens wrote in a May 29 letter to Treasury The paper pointed out that this statement is U.S. trade restrictions can conflict with diplo- Secretary Timothy Geithner. not official and comes from a relatively low- matic goals, said James Lewis, an analyst at ranking diplomat — Alcides de la Rosa, Cu- the Center for Strategic and International GRANMA: 26% OF STATE FARM JOBS REDUNDANT ban consul in Veracruz — but that “it’s an in- Studies in Washington. One of the major ills of Cuba’s state-run dication the changeover is being planned and “We want people to be able to communi- farm sector is “the excess of nonproductive will come en breve,” in other words, real soon. cate,” said Lewis, who administered U.S. personnel,” Granma conceded Nov 10. The peso convertible was introduced in 1994 export control rules in the 1990s. “But in the The Communist Party newspaper put the and formalized in 2004, when the U.S. dollar normal course of business this stuff is on number of redundant employees in the state ceased to be accepted in hard-currency autopilot. The sanctions system rolls on and farming sector at 89,000, or 26% of the total. stores. One CUC is the equivalent of US$1.08; generates an answer that is no.” “The urgency to increase production of food an exchange tax raises its cost to US$1.18. The United States began an “interagency and reduce imports has accelerated the solu- The peso nacional, also known as CUP, is a effort” to make sure electronic communica- tion of this old program, which engenders fraction of the CUC; 24 CUPs equal one CUC. tion is available in nations facing sanctions “to bureaucracy, raises costs, hampers productivi- The CUP is used to pay wages and buy the extent permitted by current U.S. law,” ty, creates disorder and prevents the worker domestic products. Szubin told Stephens in the letter. from improving his income,” Granma said. In his first speech as president, Raúl Castro Microsoft, the world’s largest software The Ministry of Agriculture Ministry hopes said in February 2008: “We are examining, for maker, ended access to Windows Live Mes- to slash at least 10% of superfluous jobs and instance, everything related to the timely senger, its instant-messaging application, last halve the number of managers, the daily said. implementation of Comrade Fidel’s ideas year, to meet its “obligations to not do busi- Since 2007, the government has closed 83 about the ‘progressive, gradual and prudent ness with markets on the U.S. sanctions list,” state agricultural enterprises and re-organized revaluation of the Cuban peso.’ At the same spokeswoman Kate McGillem told Bloomberg. 473 work units. time, we are delving deeply into the phenome- non of the dual currency in the economy.” IRAN EXTENDS HUGE CREDIT LINE TO CUBA Regime blocks access to Revolico website Iran has agreed to grant a 300 million-euro popular website of classified ads that in the past prohibited access to pages they ($445 million) line of credit to Cuba to finance has given Cubans a taste of the free consider “counter-revolutionary,” includ- quick-return projects, says the Tehran Times. Amarket has been blocked, Reuters ing blogs critical of the socialist system. The deal will boost Iran’s credit line to Cuba reported Nov. 1. “Apparently someone doesn’t like peo- from the current 200 million euro ($297 mil- Cubans trying to access Revolico.com, ple buying and selling stuff. But there is lion) to 500 million euro ($742 million.). which says it has more than 1.5 million always a way,” said Luís, a computer afi- The agreement was signed between officials page views a month, are being diverted to cionado who’s been circulating an email of the two countries — Iran’s Minister of the search engine Google. explaining how to bypass the filter. Industries Ali Akbar Mehrabian and Cuba’s “If I type the address and press ‘enter,’ I It’s not clear where Revolico.com is Minister of Transportation Jorge Luis Sierra get redirected. If I Google it and click, I based but it is hosted out of servers in the — at the end of a joint economic cooperation get redirected. What is going on?” asked U.S. An administrator contacted by Reu- committee meeting in Havana. Sandra a 30-year-old government employ- ters outside Cuba said the site is aware of Mehrabian said the line of credit will also ee who, like several others interviewed, the filter problem and working to fix it. provide Cuba with facilities for buying Iranian did not give their full names. The use of content filters is growing goods and engineering services. Cuban computer experts say an Internet around the world, says The Open-Net Initi- In a similar agreement last year, both coun- content filter is preventing access to the ative (www.opennet.net), an academic pro- tries agreed to expand their cooperation Craigslist-like site, which has emerged as gram monitoring online censorship. across basic industries such as mining, trans- a booming virtual free market in the “We have just finished our testing in 71 portation, construction, banking, health serv- socialist nation with a tightly controlled countries and have found evidence of con- ices, medical, biotechnology, agriculture and economy where consumer goods tend to tent filtering in close to 40 countries,” said animal husbandry. be scarce and expensive. Ronald Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab Last year’s trade volume between Iran and On Revolico.com, Cubans with Internet at the University of Toronto and co- Cuba was 213 million euro ($316 million), access can buy and sell anything from PC founder of The OpenNet Initiative. according to the Iranian agency Fars News. memory sticks to a 1950 Plymouth. Official statistics claim 13% of Cuba’s 11 “There you can find all the things the million people have Internet access, and INSTANT-MESSAGING SERVICE IS OK WITH OFAC government sells you at brutal prices and most of those only to email and a local The U.S. Treasury Department is urging freely pick exactly what you want,” said intranet of approved sites. companies like Microsoft Corp. and Google Alberto, who recently used Revolico.com The filters on Revolico.com come after Inc. to resume instant-messaging services in to buy a computer not available in stores. Cuba recently blocked the use of the free Cuba and other countries subject to U.S. trade The Internet in Cuba is controlled by call service Skype.com in what industry sanctions, Bloomberg News reported Oct. 30. state monopoly Etecsa, a venture between sources said was a purely commercial Microsoft and Google cut off the use of in- the Cuban government and Telecom Italia. decision to keep Skype from cutting into stant messages by citizens of Iran, Syria, Cuba Whether the state is blocking the site revenues for long-distance calls through and Sudan, saying U.S. regulations prohibit was unknown, but Cuban authorities have the phone system. the required downloads. Now Treasury’s November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 13

DEMOGRAPHICS Pew: Cuban-American exile community by the numbers

he Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Washington-based Pew Research Cen- T ter, has released some statistics con- cerning Cubans living in the United States, obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2007. According to compiled figures, the nation’s 1,609,000 Cubans form the third-largest popu- lation of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 3.5% of all Hispanics in 2007. That puts them well behind 29.2 million Hispanics of Mexican origin and the 4.1 mil- lion Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin. Among the findings: Cuban-Americans are older than the U.S. population and Hispanics overall. The median age of Cubans is 40, con- trasting with a median age of 36 for the gen- eral U.S. population and 27 for all Hispanics. “Cubans are the most geographically con- centrated Hispanic origin group. Nearly seven in 10 (68.7%) live in Florida,” says the report. Also. 25% of Cubans aged 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 12.6% of all U.S. Hispanics. The complete Pew report can be viewed at http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/50.pdf. Poll: Most Cuban exiles now support travel to Cuba for all Americans uban-Americans favor allowing all to travel to Cuba, echoing sup- Channel to the Mexican border. The sharp decline is evident in the port for such a policy change in bills pending in Congress, number of Cubans intercepted at sea and on land. Caccording to a poll conducted Sept. 24-26 by a South Florida firm. According to the Miami Herald, in the 12-month period between Oct. The survey showed a significant shift from a 2002 poll that suggest- 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008 — the federal fiscal year — almost 2,200 ed only a minority supported such a policy, said El Nuevo Herald. Cubans were interdicted in the Florida Straits and almost 3,000 landed The swing from 46% in favor of allowing all Americans travel access on area beaches. But in the 12-month period that followed, fewer than to Cuba in 2002 to 59% in the new poll was surprising, said Fernand 1,000 Cubans were stopped at sea and barely 600 made it to land. Even Amandi, executive vice-president of Bendixen & Associates, a Miami the number of Cubans arriving via Mexico is down: 5,621 in fiscal 2009 firm specializing in multi-ethnic research, which conducted the poll. versus 10,030 in fiscal 2008. Currently, only Cuban-Americans have unrestricted access to Cuba. Possible reasons for the decline, say U.S. officials, experts on Cuban Meanwhile, fewer undocumented Cubans are leaving the island for affairs, recently arrived Cubans and community leaders: the U.S. reces- the United States — not only through the traditional route across the sion, stepped-up enforcement in the Florida Straits, Mexico’s tough- Florida Straits but also through the newer route across the Yucatán ened migrant policies and less restrictive U.S. Cuba policies. 14 CubaNews ❖ November 2009 BOOKSHELF Veteran Cuba-watcher Bardach ponders life ‘Without Fidel’ BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA fathered at least nine children, mostly sons. are the loudest proponents of keeping the nn Louise Bardach, an investigative The oldest was Fidelito, one-time head of embargo against Cuba. journalist who’s covered Cuba since Cuba’s nuclear energy program, born to his Bardach also recalled Raúl’s role in reunit- A the early 1990s for CBS’s “60 Minutes,” first wife, Myrta Díaz-Balart; another five ing Fidel with his first wife Myrta, who previ- Vanity Fair, the New York Times and the sons with current wife Dalia Soto del Valle (all ously went into exile in Spain during the rev- Washington Post, has just published a book, born in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, including Anto- olution, while Fidel took custody of Fidelito. “Without Fidel” (Scribner; ISBN 978-1-4165- nio, an orthopedic surgeon), as well as his Bardach speculates that in more recent 5150-8; hardcover $28.00). long-estranged daughter, Alina Fernández, times, Fidel was in a mood for apologies and It details two aspects of Fidel Castro long born to aristocrat Natalia Revuelta in 1956. reconciliation with her during his close call considered taboo in Cuba: his personal life During the same period, Fidel also fathered with death. This may explain her recent pres- and his current medical condition. a son through an affair with an admirer, Maria ence in Havana. Bardach, a Laborde, after he was released from jail in Fidel would also not be pleased with cover- New Jersey na- 1955. Also before the revolution, Fidel had age of his health issues in Bardach’s book, tive whose best- another daughter, Francisca Pupa, whose which gives readers minute details of his known Cuba- mother remains unidentified. Just after the medical battles, after which made Fidel, in related work was revolution, during the early 1960s, another her words, “convalescent-in-chief.” her coverage of brief affair resulted in the birth of another Bardach also commented on Raúl’s side of one-time CIA spy son, Alejandro, nicknamed “Ciro.” the Castro dynasty, praising his daughter Luís Posada Car- Daily Telegraph, Mariela, a champion of gay rights who she As noted by London’s calls “a true bohemian” and suggesting that rilles, had alrea- along with those affairs, in 2007, a former dy gotten into hot of all of the newer generation of Castros, Cuban intelligence officer appeared on local she’s the best hope for Cuba’s future. water with Fidel TV in Miami to assert that Fidel also fathered over her digging No doubt, this is a must-read book for a child (born in 1970) from an affair he those who study Cuba, an island whose future into his personal allegedly had with the wife of a government history years and putt-putt economy, predicts Bardach, will official. Assuming this is true, that would be increasingly controlled by its army. after her 2002 mean Fidel has 11 offspring — a tribe indeed. book, “Cuba Con- In closing, the author issues this advisory fidential: Love AUTHOR: ARMY HAS ‘BECOME THE CEO OF CUBA’ to the anti-Castro crowd: “If you think Raúl and Vengeance in will be the end of the Castros, think again,” Miami and Havana.” During her talk, Bardach explained her she muses. “There are a bunch of new When Bardach tried to visit Cuba in 2008, focus on Fidel’s personal background in one Castros throughout the ministries. There is she was barred at Havana airport from enter- catch phrase: “In Cuba, the personal is the his son, who is a colonel, and Alejandro ing the country. political, more than in any other place.” Castro Espín, who has the two most impor- According to her own account of this inci- She applied that belief to her narrative of tant portfolios in the Cuban government — dent in magazine editor Tina Brown’s news the blood feud between Fidel and the Díaz- China and Intelligence. blog TheDailyBeast.com, Bardach had to find Balart family, whose strong political stake “There is a son-in-law who’s married to out why through a third-party Cuban official: with former dictator Batista (in its control Raúl’s daughter and who runs Gaesa, the “Fidel no le gustó su libro” (Fidel didn’t like over of his two ministries) was crushed by cash cow of the Cuban army. If you all want to her book), due to what he considered an inva- Castro’s 1959 revolution. Two of those rela- know how things are running without Fidel, tives, Lincoln and Mario Díaz-Balart, became it’s the Cuban army, which has become the sion of his privacy. ❑ During Bardach’s presentation of Without Republican congressmen from Florida who CEO of Cuba in a very simplistic form.” Fidel at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York last month, she avoided any mention of that incident, and zeroed in on Fidel’s inti- Author: Bush family has claims against Cuba mate relationships with various women and ly took a bath when Castro came to power the children that resulted from those liaisons. hose in attendance at Ann Louise Bardach’s recent New York promotion and nationalized the country? The Bush fam- Her book is divided into three parts — ily were primary shareholders [of West In- “The Long Dying,” detailing the leader’s Tfor her book “Without Fidel” were sur- dies]. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a lot now, health struggles; “The Fidel Obsession,” a prised to hear that the Bush family has a com- profile of Cuban exiles like Posada who dedi- pensation claim against the Castro regime for but a couple of hundred thousands dollars in cated themselves to Fidel’s violent overthrow, property confiscated after the ‘59 revolution. 1959 was a lot of money. They are on the [For- and “Raúl’s Reign,” as power is passed to In discussing Fidel’s industrious father eign Claims Settlement Commission] list.” Fidel’s little brother in relief pitcher fashion. Angel and the 40,000 acres of land he owned In her book, Bardach says George Herbert Bardach’s gossipy, celebrity story-telling in the area around Santiago de Cuba, Walker Jr. (a.k.a Uncle Herbie) managed the approach, reminiscent of TV shows like Hard Bardach also noted that two U.S. entities, Bush family’s sugar interests in Cuba until Copy, is evident throughout it, a tone that will West Indies Sugar Co. and United Fruit Co., their holdings were confiscated in 1959. She further infuriate the media-conscious dictator owned far more land in that part of Cuba and observed that from 1957 to 1960, the assets of if and when he ever reads it. elsewhere on the island. West Indies Sugar shrank from a value of $53 What most likely aroused Bardach’s curios- “Who were the leading shareholders [of million to almost nothing. ity about Fidel's family history was her 1993 West Indies Sugar]? The family of George Bardach said that, assuming the claims interview with him. When asked how many Bush,” she said. “How many people know made by the shareholders of West Indies children he had, Fidel responded “casi un that the Bush family — Prescott Bush and Sugar are settled with a future democratic tribe” (almost a tribe). Uncle Herbie, who ran the Bush financial Cuban government, that firm’s losses would That comment stuck with Bardach, and business, and both of which were tied with be nearly $330 million — with a sizeable por- influenced her to look into this more closely. the OSS and the CIA — were very involved? tion due to the Bush family. It resulted in the revelation El Comandante How many people realize that the Bush fami- – VITO ECHEVARRIA November 2009 ❖ CubaNews 15 ARTS & CULTURE Old Havana’s Calle Obispo offers authentic Cuban dance BY DOUGLASS G. NORVELL drop me off at the Tropical. And if the driver of a pond, rippling, throbbing and bumping in f you find yourself in Havana and you like to confuses it with the much more famous time to the music. dance, put on dancing shoes, head on down tourist show palace, the Tropicana, I will The music runs way past one’s bedtime. Ito Calle Obispo in Old Havana, and get return zombie-style and haunt him forever. Sweet dreams because you have seen the best, ready to boogie. Cuba’s live music scene is The Tropicana is the Las Vegas-style night- and now for the worst. one of the world’s best and certainly the most club where you sit and watch the show. The Certain nightclubs in Cuba are unsuitable affordable — as long as you avoid the fancy Tropical is where ordinary Cubans go on a for active dancers. The format is consistent: nightclubs and their overpriced “shows.” Saturday night to hear salsa bands. someone hits you for a $15 cover at the door, Cuba’s fine music education system trains talented youngsters at the Escuelas Provincial de Musica throughout the island, and funnels them into Havana’s Escuela Nacional de Mus- ica, where they leave with a university degree in music. Virtually all Cuban musicians born LARRY LUXNER since the revolution have such degrees. Performers like Omar Sosa started study- ing at the provincial music school in Cama- güey at age 5, then went on to the national school and finally lived out every Cuban musi- cian’s dream: He got to tour aboard and make good money. A few older musicians do come out of the countryside to achieve stardom, like the Buena Vista Social Club, catapulted to fame by guitarist Ry Cooder who “discovered” these aging stars in the 1980s. Is their any greater pain to befall a musician who after 40 years of beating out tunes is “dis- covered” by a visiting American? But never Dancing girls at Havana’s Tropicana: exactly the place to avoid if you want a real Cuban dance experience. mind, Ry shined them up, hooked them up with the international music scene and away At the Tropical, Cubans pay three local which includes two drinks no one remembers they went to become octogenarian musical pesos to get in, but foreigners are ushered to to mention, then you sit down for the “show.” debutantes in Europe and the United States. I a special balcony section that costs $10. But This show starts with a master of ceremo- myself “discovered” the fine music at Café they can still get to the dance floor down a nies who cries out something like “Who’s from Monserrate early one evening. stairway. Argentina?” Then “Who’s from Mexico” and Arriving at the dance floor, the tourist joins TAKE ME TO THE TROPICAL, NOT THE TROPICANA then every other country in Latin America — several hundred of dancers on an open-air having been tipped off by table attendants. Café Monserrate sits at the west end of dance floor bordered by a stage where, on my At each mention, national groups whoop, Calle Obispo just a few short blocks south of last night there, Azucar Negra played memo- shout or beat on the table according to their the Granma exhibit, where Fidel’s original rable music. local customs while the band hits a few bars of invasion boat is dry-docked in a port. Plenty of something like “Evita” (Argentine) “Las cold beer and $3 entrées await the customer. AN OLD HAVANA NIGHTCLUB WORTH VISITING Mañanitas” (Mexican) or the all-purpose bull- The live music starts early and the place is Azucar Negra, who’s in and out of Cuba fight music for anywhere else. mercifully open-air to dispel smoke, and give these days, is salsa, Cuban big-band style. The patriotic shouting continues, and then street Cubans a double hit of entertainment, The band sports a bank of electric violins and just when you think life is not worth living, listening to the music and watching tourists more horns than a bullfight, squealing and here come the performing dances who only try to look cool while salsa- dancing. bleeping all at once. make things worse. The house band at Café Monserrate, Son Azucar Negra has a drop-dead beautiful The professional requirements for becom- Asi, belts out Cuban country music, known as female vocalist squirms and hops in time to ing a performing dancer in a Cuban nightclub son, with a strong danceable beat. Along with music while singing. Looking out over the show rival those for a fast-food assistant man- the inexpensive food and drink, there is no crowd, which on a Saturday night runs in the ager in the United States. If you can sit up and cover charge. As an added bonus, it would be hundreds, the dancers resemble the surface take nourishment in the morning, you’ve got absolutely impossible for anyone I have ever the job. The dancers run out, do a routine, run met to be the worst dancer on the floor. Have NOTICE TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS back in for a quick change (everything but the you ever seen the British dancing? shoes), then out again to shake and stumble. As soon as the band takes a break, jump up Although CubaNews is still available in Watching four of these dances in a row actu- and head further down Calle Obispo to find a printed form, most of our subscribers have ally caused me to experience a mild seizure. Cuban juke joint on every other corner. chosen to receive only the emailed version At the Havana Club (alongside Hotel Meliá), All have the same format as the Monserrate because it’s faster, less expensive and easier circus performers supplemented the dancers. and you can hit four or five of them before on the environment. But who wants to watch jugglers riding unicy- arriving at the national cathedral. If, however, you’d also like to get the hard cles when in Cuba? Yes, Bishop Street ends at church head- copy of CubaNews delivered to your address To sum up, look for the good music in little quarters. Say some nice things to God at the as before, email us at [email protected]. places. Avoid the big places with a show. ❑ cathedral, then go home and take a nap to be Note: There’s a $50 annual charge for this fresh for the Salon Tropical. service to cover printing and postage costs. Freelance writer Doug Norvell, an occasional Now I don’t to go to heaven when I die, just contributor to CubaNews, is based in Nauvoo, Ill. 16 CubaNews ❖ November 2009

CALENDAR OF EVENTS CARIBBEAN UPDATE If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! You already know what’s going in Cuba, Fax details to CubaNews at (301) 949-0065 or send e-mail to [email protected]. thanks to CubaNews. Now find out what’s happening in the rest of this diverse and Until Dec. 4: “Inside Cuba II: A Photographic Journey Dedicated to Nestor Hernández Jr.. fast-growing region. Exhibit of photos by Hernández, who died in 2006, co-sponsored by The Exposure Group Subscribe to Caribbean UPDATE, a and African-American Photographers Ass’n. Details: International Visions Gallery, 2629 Con- monthly newsletter founded in 1985. Cor- necticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008. Tel: (202) 234-5112. URL: www.inter-visions.com. porate and government executives, as well as scholars and journalists, depend on this Nov. 19: “Is it Time to Lift the Ban on Travel to Cuba?” Hearing of the House Committee publication for its insightful, timely cover- on Foreign Affairs, Washington. Witnesses: Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey; James Cason, former age of the 30-plus nations and territories of chief of U.S. Interests Section in Havana; Miriam Leiva, independent Cuban journalist and the Caribbean and Central America. founder of Ladies in White; Ignacio Sosa, board member of Friends of Caritas Cubana; Berta When you receive your first issue, you Antuñez, sister of former political prisoner Jorge Luís García; Philip Peters, VP of Lexington have two options: (a) pay the accompany- ing invoice and your subscription will be Institute. Details: Lynne Weil, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2172 Rayburn House processed; (b) if you’re not satisfied, just Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20000. Tel: (202) 225-5021. Email: [email protected]. write “cancel” on the invoice and return it. Nov. 20-29: “Boomers Whole Cuba Tour.” Incredible 10-day program geared to mature There is no further obligation on your part. The cost of a subscription to Caribbean travelers “that spans the island from west to east and take place from the deserved luxury of UPDATE is $281 per year. A special rate of the five-star Meliá Habana and Meliá Santiago de Cuba hotels.” Cost: $2,196 (not including $141 is available to academics, non-profit airfare). Details: Zunzun Education Services Ltd., 2278 East 24th Avenue, Vancouver, BC organizations and additional subscriptions V5N 2V2, Canada. Tel: (877) 687-3817. Fax: (604) 874-9041. Email: [email protected]. mailed to the same address. To order, contact Caribbean UPDATE at Nov. 21: Cuba’s Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro to perform in Miami’s Little Havana. De- 116 Myrtle Ave., Millburn, NJ 07041, call us tails: Fabio Díaz, Hoy Como Ayer, 2212 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33145. Tel: (305) 541-2631. at (973) 376-2314, visit our new website at www.caribbeanupdate.org or send an Nov. 23: “U.S.-Cuban Cooperation in Defending Against Hurricanes,” Mardi Gras World, email to [email protected]. We accept New Orleans. Long list of speakers including Lixion Avila of the U.S. Hurricane Center in Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Miami; Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, former commander of Joint Task Force Katrina; Robert Turner, director of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority; attorney Bob Muse. No charge. Details: Wayne Smith, Cneter for International Policy, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, #801, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: (202) 232-3317. Email: [email protected]. Nov. 24: Book presentation on Jacobo Manchover’s “El Libro Negro del Castrismo” by Armando Alvarez Bravo and Pedro Corzo. Details: Cuba Transition Project, Casa Bacardi, 1531 Brescia Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33124. Tel: (305) 284-2822. Email: [email protected]. Nov. 30-Dec. 2: CCAA’s 33rd Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean, Inter-Continen- Editor & Publisher ■ ■ tal Hotel, Miami. “This event comes at a critically important time in the region’s development. LARRY LUXNER The Obama administration is taking a fresh look the smaller economies of the Caribbean. Washington correspondent Special sessions will be held on Cuba and Haiti as well. Cost: $700. Details: Caribbean Cen- ■ ANA RADELAT ■ tral American Action, 1710 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Suite #300, Washington, DC 20036. Political analyst Tel: (202) 331-9467. Fax: (202) 785-0376. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.c-caa.org. ■ DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI ■ Dec. 4: 6th Annual Labor Conference, Hotel Palacio Azteca, Tijuana, Mexico. Speaker: Feature writers ■ ■ Olga Salanueva, wife of jailed Cuban spy René González. Details: Organizing Committee, US- VITO ECHEVARRÍA ■ DIANA MARRERO ■ Cuba Labor Exchange. Tel: (313) 575-4933 or (510) 219-0092. Email: [email protected]. Cartographer ■ ARMANDO H. PORTELA ■

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