Cuba 2021: Poverty That Some Call Charm

Cuba 2021: The Malecón Photo That Divides Between Charm and Misery

A snapshot of Havana's Malecón, with its peeling facades and the sea in the background, has become the latest flashpoint in the debate over Cuba. Some see in the scene an authentic paradise, while others see only the result of 65 years of regime. The scene from the film 'Juan of the Dead', where with the city burning a character says, "No, I see Cuba as always," perfectly sums up the perplexity.

Charm as an Alibi

For a part of the nostalgic left, Cuba is the last bastion against globalization: children playing in the street, music on every corner, neighborhood life. "The globalization that destroys cultural identity hasn't arrived," they argue. But the other side responds bluntly: children don't play video games because there aren't any, and the streets are a showcase of need, not happiness. Poverty is not picturesque when it is permanent. And the tourist who sings the praises of the regime rarely ventures into deep Havana, the one of the slums and substandard housing that some testimonies describe with enormous harshness.

Money Rules Even on the Island of Equality

The revolution promised equality, but reality has imposed nuances. The legalization of dollar stores, where you can find everything, has created a visible gap between those who receive remittances from abroad and those who depend on a ration book. Cuban society, says one analysis, is no longer egalitarian. Meanwhile, the debt to Spain keeps growing: in 2015, 1,709.9 million euros were forgiven, and since then it has swelled again. The regime that denounces imperialism has no problem asking for sacrifices from its own people.

Blockade, Embargo, and Other Semantics

The discussion about Washington's policy toward the island is a terminological minefield. For some, it is a incivil blockade that suffocates the population; for others, a limited embargo that mainly affects U.S. citizens, because Cuba trades with half the world. "If there were a real embargo, it wouldn't be full of dollars," one writes. There are arguments for all tastes, including the one who recalls that Franco's regime voted against the embargo and that there was mourning for Franco on the island. History, as always, is more complex than the slogan.

The Timelines of the Revolution

Irony runs through the thread with a question: how many years must we wait for socialism to work? The most patient point to the 65 years that have passed as if they were few. "It's too soon to see the result," they say with a smirk. But the data, if looked at without prejudice, do not support them: a country that produces everything and is unable to provide sugar to its own population has a problem that no economic theory will solve in the short term. The question is not whether the regime will fall, but what it will leave behind.

The curious thing is that amid the debate over whether the island is paradise or hell, suicide rates in Cuba are at a minimum. Some say it's because people fight every day to survive and have a reason to live. Others wonder if it's not because the regime won't even let them leave. The next time someone talks about the "charm" of Cuba, perhaps it would be wise to ask if they are willing to stay there for a few weeks. Without a return ticket.

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