Before coming to Cuba, I had a very limited understanding of the country\u2019s political structure; I simply knew that it was a communist society that rejected United States capitalism. Little did I know that this fundamental piece of knowledge affects every aspect of life in Cuba. Enduring faith in the Revolution of 1959, coupled with a vehement clinging to \u201csocialism,\u201d makes for a country with as strong nationalistic tendencies as that of the US and an utter denial of any problems that the people encounter daily.<\/p>\n
As mentioned in a previous post, there is no advertising in Cuba. Instead, no matter where you go, you\u2019ll see propaganda praising the Revolution, Fidel, or Mart\u00ed, or denouncing the US embargo. The most common phrases are \u201cHasta la Victoria Siempre,\u201d \u201cViva la Revoluci\u00f3n,\u201d \u201cYo Soy Fidel,\u201d and \u201cBloqueo: El genocidio m\u00e1s largo de la historia.\u201d The last one is especially strong. Not only do these phrases pervade every street corner, they pervade the news. Nearly daily, the front story of the main newspapers, La Granma (named after the boat that revolutionaries Che Guevara and Fidel and Ra\u00fal Castro used in their attempts to overthrow the Batista regimen) and La Juventud Rebelde, talks of something related to the legacy of the Revolution, Fidel, or Mart\u00ed. The same goes for news on television. However, as quick as Cubans are to criticize the US in conversation, they do not do so directly in their news sources. Any articles reporting happenings in the US are very objective, except when they report other <\/em>countries harshly criticizing the US. The Cuban papers themselves do not take a stance.<\/p>\n Due to the prevalence of so much propaganda, it\u2019s not surprising that Cubans are unwilling to discuss any challenges or failures that have arisen since the Revolution. In some respects, having a socialist society has been incredibly beneficial for Cubans. Education is free and guaranteed up to age fourteen; health care is advanced, specialized, and free as well; rent and bulk foods are highly subsidized. Then again, there are cracks in all of these systems.<\/p>\n In terms of education, everything is regulated by the government. Yes, it\u2019s fantastic that Cubans, regardless of province or wealth, all receive the exact same education, learn the exact same curriculum, and take the exact same tests. But there is no open discussion. There\u2019s no room for debate, nor room to discuss topics, opinions, or perspectives that stray from that of the government. Moreover, after the guaranteed years of schooling, students go on to pre-University and University, which they must repay through 3 years of social service. And getting into University is no breeze \u2013 the highest marks are required, and even then there is a waiting period.<\/p>\n In terms of the health care system, there are also drawbacks. Health care is split into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. There are family doctors that live in neighborhoods as primary care providers, followed by polyclinics. If you can\u2019t find a doctor with the right specialization in the clinic, you\u2019re referred to a secondary provider that can get to the heart of your problem. All of the divisions are overseen by the tertiary level, the Ministry of Public Health. This all sounds very nice and organized, especially when you consider how many specialists are found in the country \u2013 doctors not only work in every health field imaginable, but they also are found in drug rehabilitation and psychiatric centers, domestic violence support centers, maternal health care centers, etc. The issue: as much as the system proclaims itself to be equal for all, it all depends on your neighborhood. Some neighborhoods don\u2019t have a known family doctor; some have clinics with very few resources. Without these two aspects of primary health care, receiving secondary health care becomes very difficult. On top of this, doctors are paid very little by the government; you can earn much, much more as a taxi driver, tricking tourists into paying exorbitant fees. One doctor we met was willing to concede that there are problems. It was refreshing to hear a Cuban actually admit to a desaf\u00edo in the country, even if it was \u201cThe system isn\u2019t perfect, but it can be perfected.\u201d The main takeaway is, though very diverse and attentive, the health care system is not as accessible as it professes to be.<\/p>\n Basic needs such as housing and food are provided under the socialist regime, but there are even problems there. The government rations food based on each family\u2019s size and needs, but the rations are not sufficient. In addition, people here never \u201ccomprar,\u201d or buy food, they must \u201cbuscar,\u201d or look for food. Our host mother blames the field workers and restaurants for the struggle. The farmers, she says, do an insufficient job, and the restaurants buy up all of the good food, such as cheese. The latter might be true, but the workers are simply not cultivating enough food because of the government. With a fixed salary, they have no incentive to work longer and harder to cultivate more food. As for housing, it\u2019s virtually guaranteed \u2013 there are really no homeless people here \u2013 but it comes at a cost. There aren\u2019t enough houses. Three generations of Cubans often have to share single floors of homes, and buying a house is nearly impossible. It\u2019s no wonder that so many Cubans leave the country once they\u2019ve finished their education; as a young Cuban, you can\u2019t gain much independence if you\u2019re still living with your parents and grandparents. This emigration then exacerbates another problem. 20-30% of the Cuban population is age 60 or older and population growth has nearly stopped in the last four years.<\/p>\n Despite all of these problems, Cubans will very rarely admit to any issues. If you try to pry them with questions, whether carefully phrased or not, they\u2019ll either change the subject, blame someone else or some other country, or continue with all the positive aspects of the topic. There is only one political party here, and contradicting it in any way is dangerous. (Ironically, the government claims itself to be a democracy \u2013 yes, you\u2019re free to vote for anyone, but the candidates all represent the exact same values.) The party knows who goes out and votes; furthermore, there is suspicion of secret police still crawling around the streets, listening in on conversations.<\/p>\n Initially, I was uncertain about my view of socialism, since all I was hearing was its successful implementation in Cuba. Yet after a month, I\u2019ve seen and heard its flaws, and am no longer so sure. That\u2019s not to say that I\u2019m so proud of how the US is run and that I think its political system is wholly better. In fact, that\u2019s where my frustration lies. We Americans are so willing to criticize our government and debate issues, and Cubans are willing to as well \u2013 but not when it comes to their own country. Thus, it\u2019s basically useless trying to have a discussion on politics with Cubans, when both sides can openly denounce the US, but never Cuba. I hope that in my last few weeks here, I can come closer to some meaningful discourse, but after so much struggle, I won\u2019t expect it.<\/p>\n *If I\u2019ve gotten some facts wrong here about different aspects of Cuba\u2019s government, I apologize; I\u2019m only going off of information I\u2019ve taken from conversation, not various books or internet sources. I may have misunderstood or mixed up some components.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Before coming to Cuba, I had a very limited understanding of the country\u2019s political structure; I simply knew that it was a communist society that rejected United States capitalism. 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