A Jehovah’s Witnesses Store Appears in Holguin, Cuba

By Lien Estrada

HAVANA TIMES – While serving coffee, my aunt began to talk about a new store that had opened, where everybody working there were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was astonished.

Since 2010 when Cuba’s Communist government gave permission to open small businesses, you can easily find cafes, gyms, bars, hair salons, or stalls selling all kinds of items, but I’d never heard of a Church project. Much less one undertaken by those who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, a group the government has always greatly opposed, due to that religion’s attitudes against patriotism and war. These stances clash with a culture that has experienced so much spirit of struggle, combat, and resistance against enemies. For that reason, those belonging to this religious group have suffered greatly.

The news made me very happy. The fact that this type of business is now arising is a sign that a new conscience is beginning to emerge in the country. I promised myself I’d go visit, at the first chance I got.

That was not an easy task, because the store is quite far from the city center – we could even say from the city itself. If you don’t go in a private car, you need at least two different types of public transport to get there. The last one leaves you on the highway; to the right, the street where the business is located branches off. It may well be the only paved road in that area, financed by the project directors. According to remarks from a local Jehovah’s Witness, after learning from the government how much it would cost to pave the road, they ordered its construction as soon as possible. This also benefited five other small businesses that are located along the same road.

The locality is called San Rafael, and the establishment is the San Rafael Super-Rapid Shipping and Distributing. At the first opportunity – as I had promised myself – I went to see the place created and operated by a religious group that had once been the target of so much persecution and oppression by the same Cuban government that has ruled the country for the past six decades. That background made this an interesting event.

The locale has different departments: shoes, clothing, personal hygiene products, meats, groceries, etc. I approached the store and asked if it was true that everyone working there were of the same faith. They answered that 80% were. For example, the so-called Samurai, those working security, weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses, but very strong and tall men who are experts in security. Some were at one time top-level martial arts athletes, like a gentleman they introduced me to who had at one time been Hugo Chavez’ bodyguard.

When there were open jobs to fill, they first took applications from the brothers and sisters of the Jehovah’s Witness community; if they couldn’t find an ideal worker there, the job offer was extended to those who aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses. Purchases at the store could be made using bank cards or cash, with a discount offered for buying in quantity. In some cases, the prices are more moderate than those found in other places.

I told them how happy their project made me. We have to be grateful for such initiatives in a society where many of the government establishments only accept the MLC cards, in which funds can be deposited only from outside the country. Even so, we find that these shops aren’t even well stocked with everything needed.

That’s why I’m one of those who believe that we should welcome such businesses. Effectively, the Jehovah’s Witness store is out there. Functioning. And what a good thing that it is!

More from Lien Estrada’s Diary here.