US-Cuban Politics: A Lecture with Cuban Academic Jorge Mario Sánchez Egozcue

Each morning while in Cuba, our Baltimore City College scholars and teachers have been participating in lectures by esteemed intellectuals and academics in fields such as gender and race, contemporary Cuba, architecture and political climate and history of the US and Cuba. In preparation for our trip, I have been reading a book that I highly recommend, called “Trading With the Enemy” by Tom Miller. This book was top on our suggested reading list from Spanish Studies Abroad (our travel group), and I have greatly enjoyed reading Tom Miller’s account of his travels through Cuba in the early 1990’s, amidst the struggles of the “Great Blackout” after the fall of the Soviet Bloc.

An academic and professor, Jorge Mario, who has lectured extensively in the United States and throughout Cuba, presented this morning’s lecture. Jorge Mario has also lectured to visiting politicians who visit Cuba from the United States. As we had explained to him that our high school students were highly versed in Cuban-United States politics, to our delight he promised to present us with the lecture that he usually reserves for visiting US politicians.

Beginning the lecture with a modern history of US-Cuban relations, Jorge Mario explained the ramifications of the collapse of the socialist bloc in 1989, where Cuba was forced to interact more extensively with other countries as a result of the collapse. This huge change in trade relations resulted in an intense struggle for Cuba, but eventually the country was able to develop its' tourism industry quite extensively, which was able to pull the country out of "The Great Blackout". Trade with Cuba that developed in the 1990’s and has continued to the present are through Venezuela, China, Canada and the EU, with some trade in Brazil and the Caribbean as well, which was largely underexploited.

Today, Cuba’s social construct is best explained as a “European” or 1^st world population in a 3^rd world economy. This resulted in many young professionals migrating from Cuba, and with an aged population, Cuba is now close to a “no-replacement” level.

As a result, the Cuban government has sought the voice of public opinion, with the aim of “Prosperous and Sustainable Socialism”. The Diagnostic Agenda includes 313 guidelines, which are all suggestions from the public forum. As of May 29^th, the United States has taken Cuba off the state-sponsored terrorism list, which was a huge step for US-Cuban relations. In this year alone, over 390 private restaurants have been opened in Cuba, which is a huge step for the economy and tourism industry of the country.

Cubans remain wary of these new US-Cuban political developments, however. After 54 years of the same policy, 11 presidents, and an embargo cost of 1.3 trillion dollars of the US, the embargo won’t fall so easily. The law hasn’t changed, only Obama’s order, which could be reversed by the next US president in 2017. The law that was created by Bacardi lawyers in 1996 will be very difficult to dismantle, and would require 212 votes in Congress to be removed. 

Will an army of American mojito drinkers descend on “La Habana” in the next year? What development strategy will the Cuban government take to avoid the “spring break frenzy” that descended on the Yucatán Peninsula, and many islands in the Caribbean? With a compensation for nationalized properties on the table; 7 billion in claims from US companies, namely Colgate, Coca Cola and Office Depot, and 181 billion in counter claims for the cost of damage done by the embargo on Cuba, it seems unlikely that the US-Cuban relationship will be strong as soon as the American public seems to expect. 

Cuba: El Tanque - Casa Cultural Comunitaria

Monday was day 7 of our 10-day trip with high school students through “La Habana”. As was similar to each day in our trip, we visited four community projects throughout the day, as our “People to People” visa with Cuba left very little wiggle room in our schedule. This jam-packed schedule played to our benefit, however, giving us many more opportunities to meet outgoing native Cubans who were going to incredible lengths to preserve their cultural heritage and raise their communities to even greater heights.

Our first community project on Monday was a visit to “El Tanque: Casa Cultural Comunitaria” which was named for the hollowed out water tank that stood in the middle of the cultural center. As our dynamic guide informed us, El Tanque stood on land that was a landfill before construction began for the community project.

The art around El Tanque was incredible, and done by famous Cuban artists in many different mediums, for an eclectic and vibrant look. Our guide explained that the cultural center was used for community classes and workshops for children and adults alike, and that his course in English Literature was to begin the following day. Our tour of El Tanque was rounded off by a tasteful performance of a few Cuban classics, with a band led by El Tanque’s chorus director, and accompanied by singers and dancers from the student art community.

In a return trip, El Tanque would definitely be worth a repeat visit! In the future I would love to include students in a half or full day set of workshops with the talented artists from El Tanque, in addition to the performance and tour. Any chance for a hands-on opportunity throughout the trip was welcomed, and this visit would have been a great chance to gain skills and strengthen relationships.

Cuba: Pedro Pablo Oliva and "The Great Blackout"

Our first stop in the town of Piñar del Río was to visit the home of Pedro Pablo Oliva, one of Cuba’s most prominent artists. Pedro’s home doubles as his art studio and gallery, where his most famous works are displayed.

On arrival we were met by Pedro’s brother, who gave us an unoffical tour of the gallery as we waited for our Pedro’s niece to arrive. Pedro’s brother was in his 80’s, and had some incredible stories to tell about their family life growing up in Cuba before, during, and after the revolution. He regaled us with stories of Pedro’s inner guilt regarding José Martí, Cuba’s national hero. As children, Pedro and his brother were told that by their grandfather that he was the soldier that killed José Martí in battle. According to Pedro’s brother (our guide), due to the guilt that this presented to the boys as children and through their young lives, Pablo continues to paint José Martí in each of his paintings, in an effort to assuage this guilt that he feels for the fall of Cuba’s national hero.

 As soon as Pedro’s niece arrived, the tour officially started, and we were explained in detail each of the aspects of the gigantic piece, “El Gran Apagón” or “The Great Blackout”.  Known as Cuba’s “La Guernica”, “El Gran Apagón” depicts a surrealist view of the distrust and fear associated with 1990’s Cuba after the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1989. As the country plunged into darkness, it lost resources and power, as well as information and connections to the world outside of the island. During this time, Fidel Castro ordered for large bomb shelters to be built underground, in the event of the feared raid from the United States that was largely thought to be imminent. Not only was this a blackout in the literal sense, but also in the figurative sense, in that intellect and information were largely in a blackout in this time as well.

Speaking with Pedro Pablo Oliva's niece after the tour (pictured in the center)

One of the highlights of this visit was the personal feel to what could have been a cold and impersonal tour. From being invited in to Pedro’s home, being regaled by stories of boyhood during the revolution from Pedro’s brother, or the warm welcome we received from Pedro’s niece, we left Pedro Pablo Oliva’s house with a warm feeling of inclusion into a movement much bigger than ourselves.