Ghost Institutions Grow in Cuba
HAVANA TIMES – My cousin has a son about five or six years old. A few days ago, her husband went to the Cultural Center to enroll him in a discipline and help him develop some artistic skill. When he arrived at the center and asked in which area he could enroll the child, the answer was none. There were no theater instructors, no singing teachers, nor anyone to teach guitar, drawing, or how to work with clay to make crafts. There were no teachers at all.
When my aunt told me about this, I couldn’t believe it. This experience wasn’t even lived during those grim and monstrous 1990s, the so-called “special period.” Back then, I myself participated in an amateur theater group called “Arenas,” during that dreadful crisis. On weekends, the paintings of the children in the class were displayed in front of the institution. There was a mural with each of these calls and the course schedules with the names of the teachers who would lead them. This no longer exists.
The institution has a guard who opens its doors at eight in the morning and closes at five in the afternoon, with a receptionist in the large empty hall, a small wooden sofa, and a few chairs scattered here and there. It saddened me deeply to learn this.
The challenge keeps growing. Other bad news arrives, adding to daily anxieties like the rising prices of food, clothing, shoes, and basic necessities, the serious problem of dealing with long, unregulated power outages, the shortage of cooking gas, poor transportation, public health, and education also in nearly total disrepair, along with a bureaucracy that makes even the most basic things difficult… The truth is, later we face other bitter realities. Like these ghost centers.
Training spaces that we always thought were guaranteed now show themselves as empty, with nothing to offer, no matter how much sense they once made or still make in our society. Due to low wages, the meager salaries paid in these positions within the Ministry of Culture, no one or very few people choose them.
The consequences of this sad cultural reality in the country will be disastrous. While, under more urgent pressures, like those mentioned above, their importance might not be immediately obvious, their significance is as vital as any other need. Culture, in any country, in any people, is fundamental. Like education itself. They are what nourish the spirit, generate purpose, and allow for a full existence with human meaning, truly dignified.
The expression “man does not live by bread alone” is not an outdated idea from a distant past with nothing to say today. On the contrary, it is a reality that has accompanied us since we became a civilization. And not caring for this kind of wealth is as disastrous as not caring for the development of the economy. The crisis in Cuba goes beyond the economic, social, and political. And this should alarm us. Not to fuel complaints, suffer victimization, or become immobilized, but to seek alternatives that help us overcome them, one way or another.
Cuba has long been a beacon of artistic brilliance, a land where music, poetry, literature, and dance pulse through the very fabric of society. From the electrifying rhythms of son Cubano and salsa to the profound verses of its poets, the evocative brushstrokes of its painters, and the mesmerizing movements of its dancers, Cuba’s cultural legacy is nothing short of extraordinary. It is a nation that has gifted the world with unmatched artistic treasures, shaping Latin American identity and contributing to the global cultural tapestry.
To allow this wealth of creativity to fade into silence – to let institutions that once nurtured talent stand empty, void of instructors, resources, and purpose – is to accept an irreversible loss, not only for Cuba but for humanity. Culture is not a luxury; it is the essence of a people, their identity, their voice. It is what inspires, uplifts, and gives meaning to life beyond mere survival.
What the Cuban government fails to recognize, just as it has with so many other aspects of governance, is that preserving and fostering culture is not simply an internal matter. It is not only about national pride or giving young Cubans something to aspire to; it is also about Cuba’s role in Latin America and the world. The richness of Cuban culture belongs to everyone, and its erosion would leave a void that cannot be easily filled.
Now, more than ever, urgent action is needed. The government must restore, fund, and prioritize cultural development. It must provide educators, artists, and institutions with the means to continue their invaluable work. To neglect this is to betray not only the Cuban people but also the legacy of a nation that has, for generations, inspired the world. Cuba’s artists, musicians, and visionaries deserve better; and so does the world.