Cuba’s charms, contradictions
tourism. The exchange of US dollars was allowed, and remittances from relatives abroad became a major source of finances.
These changes may have benefited many – from Airbnb hosts to taxi drivers – but they have also exacerbated inequality, both within Havana, and between Havana and the rest of the country. “There are two Cubas: one of tourists and elites, and another for the rest,” laments Julio, 30, a university researcher who earns 30 CUCs (around $28) a month, “the price of a meal in a tourist restaurant.”
Most Cubans – the 90 percent who work for the government – make money through the bolsa negra (“black pocket”): earning extra out of their original job, like factory workers pilfering rum or cigars; customs officials asking for “tips” from passengers bringing in dozens of iPhones; or doctors soliciting gifts from patients. Universal healthcare, a pillar of the socialist promise alongside education, may remain good, but it’s not really “free.”
In 2010, Fidel’s brother Raul announced more reforms, and Obama’s visit five years later raised prospects of more change. Nowadays, however, people still feel a lot of constraints. Because of sanctions, basic goods are often difficult to procure. One has to turn to the merolicos (street vendors) who know their way around the black market. Traveling abroad is now allowed, but finances and visas are difficult to secure. Then there’s the fear of being under surveillance or of one’s business being suddenly confiscated. Cuba, after all, remains under authoritarian rule.
Even so, there are forms of resistance. Internet access may be prohibitively expensive, but the Habaneros have paquete semanal: a “weekly pack” with all the news, TV shows, songs and even app updates downloaded by techsavvy locals who also circulate classified ads with the paquete, making it a source of information exchange.
When I ask about their future outlook, the answers I get are usually of cautious optimism. “Es complicado,” says Olivia, 27, a doctor who now works as a tour guide. “But I think things will change. They have to. A government can only survive if it can guarantee the two things that every person needs: money and freedom.”