Cuba’s ‘grandchild generation’ demands change but condemns the president’s reforms as a sham
‘We cannot afford to buy our own homes and have to live in social housing, which is not fit for animals. We want to succeed by ourselves’
Most Cubans still whisper when they talk about politics, but Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara’s voice carries across the foyer of the Cuban Museum of Contemporary Art. “It’s a sham. The Communist Party remains the centre of everything,” he says in reference to tomorrow’s referendum on reforms that are supposed to open a new post-castro chapter in Cuba’s history.
As he talks, two men approach pretending to take photos of the sculpture behind. Cuban spies are either badly trained or their appearance is deliberate intimidation. “You get used to it,” says Mr Otero Alcántara. “These two are my regular shadows.”
Cubans are expected to voice widespread opposition when they vote on the reforms to the constitution.
In theory the programme of changes would loosen the regime’s hold on its population. It would maintain the Communist Party as the country’s guiding force, but also recognise private property and acknowledge the importance of foreign investment for the first time.
It will impose age and term limits on the presidency, after late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul ruled the country for nearly six decades. And it will introduce the role of a prime minister.
But critics say the changes, instigated by president Miguel Díaz-canel, are simply cosmetic.
Mr Otero Alcántara, a dissident artist and activist, is among them. “There are no plans for open political participation and no guarantees of freedom of expression,” he says.
He points to unrelated heavyhanded new censorship rules. The proposed Decree 349 would require government approval for artists, musicians, writers and performers who want to present their work to the public, including in private homes.
“Censorship has always existed in Cuba, it exists now and will continue to exist,” says Mr Otero Alcántara.
Cuba’s government has used its monopoly on public spaces, transportation and traditional media to launch an all-out campaign for approval of the new constitution. But analysts still suggest opposition could reach a quarter of the vote.
Almost a year since Mr Díaz-canel took over as president, from the Castro dynasty, there are still hundreds of political prisoners locked up, according to Human Rights Watch.
Mr Otero Alcántara was jailed for several days last year after leading protests against Decree 349. It was his fifth prison sentence. “They try to break you. Fear is their weapon, but I won’t let them win,” he says.
In old Havana, men in fedoras smoke cigars and play dominos against a backdrop of the city’s almost derelict colonial architecture. Several people were killed last year as crumbling balconies gave way and crashed on to the streets.
Elena, 88, swaying in her rocking chair through a haze of smoke in her living room, is at first uncomfortable talking to a foreigner about politics.
“Fidel was our saviour. Our hero. This new chap is nobody. I wouldn’t even recognise him if he walked through the door right now,” she says.
She lives on a state pension of £7.60 a month and says her favourite coffee costs almost £4, which leaves her less than half her income to buy food.
Laura, 32, is Elena’s granddaughter. A hotel receptionist, she belongs to the so-called grandchild generation.
“We’re the generation that have had no benefit from the revolution. The free healthcare and education get worse every day. We cannot afford to buy our own homes and have to live in social housing, which is not fit for animals. We want something else. We want to succeed by ourselves.”
Much to her grandmother’s annoyance, Laura says she will not be voting in tomorrow’s referendum as she does not believe a new constitution will change anything.
“The system needs an overhaul and that simply isn’t on the table,” she says.
Amid recent widespread criticism, the government has said it is listening to its citizens. It is reconsidering Decree 349 and has shelved plans to further restrict entrepreneurship, but President Díaz-canel cautioned on Twitter that this should not be confused with weakness.
Mr Otero Alcántara, the artist and activist disagrees. He believes these small victories against the government will lead to something bigger.
“The people saw we can create change through protest and action,” he says. “Together my generation can and will change Cuba… eventually.”