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Seeing the Future through the Eyes of the Child: Representations of Youth in Post-Soviet Cuba Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Mahar, Kaelyn Rae Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/09/2021 16:16:49 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/579287 Mahar 1 Abstract The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought with it significant changes within Cuban institutions and the country’s outlook on the future. The period following the collapse of Cuba’s primary trading partner was euphemistically called the “Special Period in times of peace,” as this period was characterized by the negative effects it had on social programs and people’s livelihoods. As a result the Cuban government began to allow for more capitalistic practices, which brought about many new challenges including an increase in inequality. A literary boom that took place during the “Special Period” has offered a critique of the government for the way in which it has failed to follow through on its promises. A common trope that has emerged out of this literature is the abandonment of the child through lack of support from Cuba’s main institutions, especially education as well as growing inequalities that threaten the child’s future. This portrayal of the abandonment of Cuba’s children has appeared alongside a growth in inequality within Cuba that feeds into the further separation of the youngest generation from the pre-Soviet way of life. Through analysis of texts produced in the post-Soviet period: Conducta (2014) by directed Ernesto Daranas, Todos se van (2007) written by Wendy Guerra, Suitehabana (2003) directed by Fernando Pérez and Habanastation (2011) directed by Ian Padrón, which function as case studies of a broader trend, it is shown how the abandonment of children in the post-Soviet period represent anxiety for the future of Cuba. Introduction The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 had a disastrous impact on Cuba’s economy and institutions, leading to the economic crisis of the 1990s that has been euphemistically called “The Special Period in Times of Peace.” In the midst of this Special Period a boom in literary and cultural production emerged within Cuba. This literary production was termed el nuevo Mahar 2 boom cubano [new Cuban boom] and referred to a rapid production of fictional work by Cuban authors in contrast with earlier years (Boughton 10). El nuevo boom cubano made way for critics to analyze why this writing had come about in such a quick fashion and what significance it held in the post-Soviet experience. These works have been scrutinized for their meaning and investigated by many authors. Critics of post-Soviet Cuban literature have highlighted the ways in which authors have demonstrated a disillusionment with Cuban institutions since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The disillusionment of the Cuban population with the government is a general theme seen throughout many of the texts produced during this period (Loss). Other critics have touched on this same disillusionment in respect to the institutions of Cuba and emphasized the lack of direction taken by the government and it’s institutions in compensating for the economic downturn (Birkenmaier and Whitfield). In addition, critics have analyzed the anxieties worked out in the literature as a representation of fear for the future (Casamayor). I aim to further add to this analysis while viewing the representation of the child in post-Soviet literature as a representation of the future welfare of the island as a whole. I argue that post-Soviet literature and film often addresses the destabilization of the Revolution’s institutions as well as anxieties about the future of the nation through the figure of the child. This is explored through representations of the child’s abandonment and early maturation due to lack of community, family and institutional support in the post-Soviet context. These representations of loss express disillusionment with the Castro government following the capitalist reforms of the last fifteen years and the government’s perceived failure to address issues of inequality and poverty. The unease represented through the eyes of the child provides a reflective view of the aging population of Cuba due to the abandonment of youth, who generally Mahar 3 flee Cuba in search of a more supportive infrastructure. These representations of youth are coupled with an emphasis on a stagnant elderly population, thus further communicating anxieties that the future is bleak. While many of these texts present a bleak future for the child protagonists, thus leaving the reader/viewers with a sense of hopelessness for Cuba’s future, the texts that do attempt to present an alternative vision of hope call for a return to the Revolution’s ideals but do not address contemporary issues facing the country, such as inequality. I will examine a combination of critically acclaimed films and a literary text that have been apart of el nuevo boom cubano as case studies for my larger argument. These films and literary text have gained the attention of the international community for their critical view of Cuban institutions. In the film Habanastation (2011) directed by Ian Padrón, inequality and the abandonment of the child are the primary themes. The film depicts two boys from vastly different backgrounds created by the growing inequality on the island who come together to learn from each other while demonstrating the institutional breakdown. Conducta (2014) directed by Ernesto Daranas, presents a young boy struggling against the early maturation that is forced upon him as he is not supported by any of his surrounding institutions. Chala the main character of the film lacks support from his family and receives no help at school where he is punished for his behavior. The film Suitehabana (2003) directed by Fernando Pérez, especially highlights the anxieties for the future due to the extreme lack of representation of children throughout the film and the high percentage of elderly Cubans. Finally, in Todos se Van (2007) written by Wendy Guerra, the abandonment is expressed through a young girl, Nieve, who is forced to stay in Cuba even as all the people surrounding her leave. Soviet and Post-Soviet Context Mahar 4 In order to understand the post-Soviet Cuban context to which these texts respond, we must first look back at the history of Cuba during the Soviet period. During the decades that Cuba and the Soviet Union held a strong bond Cuba became very dependent on the Soviet Union as a trading partner. This relationship fluctuated and eventually fell apart with the break-up of the Soviet Union. Relations date back to the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. Prior to this revolution a dictatorial regime led by Fulgencio Batista had been in place. Under Batista, Cuba had support from the United States and traded almost exclusively with the United States. The revolutionary forces had support from the Soviet government while the U.S. supported the Batista government. In the immediate wake of the revolutionary forces’ victory in 1959 the Soviet Union had little change in their policies towards Cuba. However as U.S.-Cuban relations continually deteriorated the Soviet Union backed the new government increasingly. The economic benefits for Cuba began in 1959 when the Soviet Bloc began to buy Cuban sugar and in early 1960 a trade agreement was signed between the two governments in which the Soviet Union promised to buy Cuban sugar and to provide them with inexpensive loans and technical assistance into the future. As Cuba-U.S. relations broke down it was a crucial move for Cuba to establish close relations with the Soviet Union. In 1970 a historic task was assigned to Cuba, to have a harvest that yielded ten million tons of sugar. However, the country fell short of its goal and the subsequent forgiveness of the failure to meet the trade demand from the Soviet Union only strengthened the ties between the two countries. As the newly established government fought hard to end American imperialism on the island the Soviet Union picked up quickly where they left off in terms of dependency and pseudo-colonialism. Immediate cultural, technological, economic and military transfer took place; many young Cubans were sent to the Soviet Union t train militarily. Thousands of students traveled to Mahar 5 the Soviet Union each year to study and professionals flocked there to master their studies. This type of cultural exchange created a generation that felt at home in the Soviet Union and who would have a special nostalgia for it once the break-up occurred. They also lived in a reality painted by what would be coined “Socialist Utopia.” This “Socialist Utopia” represented the progress that Cuba was making in terms of bringing housing to the rural areas, sending youth away to school in the Soviet Union, increased access to economic funds for the government and on many other visible fronts. However, it was a false utopia because the false sense of security came predominantly from favored trade with the Soviet Union and not from the Revolution itself. The Soviet Union invested millions of dollars in building oil refineries on the island in order to further bolster their economy and make the valuable trade asset, making it hard to deny the dependent nature of the relationship with them on any grounds.