Tuesday, 20 July 2004
Cuba: Hasta la Victoria Siempre (Always until Victory) - KHORRAM COUNTRY -THE COMMENTARY
By Babak Khorram, for The Commentary
VARADERO, CUBA - Republica de Cuba, as its official name states, is the largest island in the Caribbean, lying just 150 kilometres south of Florida. Cuba has had a long and turbulent history since Christopher Columbus paid his first visit in 1492. The land was claimed for Christian Castilian Spain despite having a large indigenous population. But the Spaniards made short work of that, as disease and maltreatment destroyed Cuba's Amerindians. Then, in order to have the land worked, the Spanish brought slaves from West Africa. Since then, Spanish, Amerindian, and African races have combined to give Cuba its unique culture and people.
Following the lead of other New World colonies, Cuba began its fight for resistance in 1868, culminating in the Spanish-American War of 1898. After America's victory, Cuba was given its independence in 1902. Since then, the United States has had considerable influence over the Caribbean nation. From the early thirties to the late fifties, the mafia became involved in Cuba's internal affairs, as witnessed in the epic movie The Godfather Part II. American gangster's, such as Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano planned to build Casinos all along Cuba's northern coast. Several mafia meetings were held there, including the one that called for the hit on Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, founder of Las Vegas.
In the late fifties, Cuba, under the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, faced rampant corruption. Batista, a stooge of the United States's government and the mafia, had numerous critics, including the young Fidel Castro. In 1959, Castro led a rebel army, which included the legendary Ché Guevara, to victory. From the beginning, Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union and the rest of the socialist bloc. The discovery of nuclear missiles by US reconnaissance, led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust. Since the downfall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has faced economic hardship, which has worsened because of an economic embargo placed by the United States. These two factors have forced Cuba to reopen its tourist industry as means to gain foreign capital. I am one of those tourists who is fortunate enough to pay a visit to this magnificent nation.
There is much to be said about Cuba's natural beauty, no small words from a man who's used to living in, arguably, the most beautiful part of the world. White sand beaches surround the island, which are further surrounded by pristine turquoise waters. In the countryside, the land is precipitous and covered by sugar, tobacco, and coffee plantations. Cuba's major cities, including its capital Havana, have a dignified beauty to them and all across the city one can hear the sounds of salsa, mambo, Cuban jazz, and the Buenovista Social Club. From Santiago de Cuba to Havana one can hear famous songs such as "Candela" and "Guantanamera," the latter based on poem by national hero José Martí.
The people of Cuba are warm and friendly, making it hard to believe that the island nation is a so-called "state sponsor of terror." In my mind the closest thing to terror in Cuba is perpetrated in Guantanamo Bay, which is incidentally leased by the United States for $3000 a year. Although, relative to Canada, Cuba is a poor nation it has no signs of absolute poverty-no malnutrition or health care crisis to speak of. In fact, it has one of lowest illiteracy rates in the western hemisphere, which has been confirmed by outside observers (namely, UNESCO). Moreover, education is compulsory until grade twelve and is free from kindergarten to completion of a doctoral degree.
The capital, Havana, is the most populated city in the Caribbean and is blessed with an abundance of culture and history. A wall, originally meant to deter pirates, guards a good portion of Havana from the Atlantic Ocean. Dispersed throughout the city are cafés and bars, which provide excellent espressos and rum-based drinks. The great American writer Ernest Hemingway frequented some of these bars during his stay in Cuba. In the new part of the city lies Revolutionary Square, where protests and marches occur, usually led by Fidel Castro in his trademark military fatigues. The city is also interspersed with rum and cigar factories, which are, quite possibly, Cuba's most famous exports.
Without a doubt, Cuba is a complicated country, but in my mind it is a spectacular place. For the past fifty years, it has refused to bow to the world's last remaining super power, despite a crippling economic embargo. The undisputed leader of Cuba continues to be Fidel Castro. Say what you want about him, but acknowledge that he is a survivor; he has outlasted American presidents thirty-four to forty-two, and will probably outlast forty-three as well. But Fidel Castro does not care what we think about him, or what President Bush may think about him. When Fidel Castro was sentenced to jail (after his first botched revolution in 1953), he fired at the judges, "history will absolve me." I think history has "absolved" Fidel Castro. After all he has brought pride and justice back to an honourable people and a great country.
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Questions and comments may be sent to: bkhorram@thecommentary.ca
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