A Portrait of Today’s Cuba
By Kamil Kenders
HAVANA TIMES – In the past, Cuba was known for having low levels of poverty and violence, but that is not the case anymore. While I do not wish to discuss the current violence, I would like to draw attention to the many people who are forced to beg for money or sleep in public spaces. It is a sad and unpleasant reality that we see every day on street corners and in doorways.
Cuba, like many other countries, was divided by class before 1959. Certain areas such as Miramar, Vedado (a neighborhood belonging to the Plaza municipality), and Nuevo Vedado were always reserved for the aristocracy, as evidenced by the imposing houses in these places. Today, most of the population living in Miramar is foreign, either because they are diplomats, conducting business, or simply visiting Cuba on vacation.
It’s shocking to see how foreigners come and enjoy our island and our tropical products when we, the locals, cannot. For them, there is always the best. I am not against tourism, it was always said to help the country’s economy and development. However, the reality is quite different.
It hurts me to witness the many hungry Cubans who have to search through the garbage for leftover food, old shoes, and torn coats thrown away by others. Cuba today is suffering from hunger and sadness, disappointment, and yearning for something that was promised but never delivered.
Yesterday, I took a walk along the Malecon, one of the few remaining places Cubans can visit without paying. I enjoyed the sunset and the sea, which was priceless. However, I was saddened to see the Gran Aston Hotel, with tourist buses parked outside and foreigners enjoying the beautiful view, food, and drinks.
A poor and dirty man with a crutch and a container for collecting money approached me. He was hoping to get enough money to buy food for the day. I gave him a bill which made him happy, but then he started asking if I had a place for him to sleep. I wondered where he would go to spend the night, perhaps he would look for a doorway. Meanwhile, it’s disheartening to see how we offer lodging to those from other countries while our people go hungry and cold in Cuba.
Read more from the diary of Kamil Kenders here on Havana Times.
In San Francisco, near my home, there is an ever-increasing population of homeless people who are sadly, not only victims of an economic system that produces big winners and big losers but for the majority of these homeless, many are victims of substance abuse. During my last visit to Havana, my anecdotal experience is that the majority of the people who are homeless, are victims of building collapses, and domestic violence. I always take an extra suitcase of old but still wearable clothes to hand out to the needy. I try to engage the people I give the clothes to as a way to mitigate what little embarrassment they may feel in receiving handouts. I have never seen one person who seemed drunk or strung out on drugs. The opposite would be true here in San Francisco. In fact, I have come across people on the street in Havana who have jobs! The poverty in Cuba is absolutely increasing. But, it seems that the increase is unlike anything that I have seen anywhere else in the world.
I agree whole heartedly! We just came back from Cuba. A beautiful paradise which seems to have become a living hell for most of the residents. . As tourists, we enjoy your beautiful and hospitality country, but feel torn and helpless at what we see in Cuba. Our guide, that we employ every time we go to Cuba, educated us about the goings on. He said Varadero is not Cuba. He took us in the back country, away from the tourists areas.
Very sad and disturbing. Yes we fill our suitcases with goods, Advil, Tylenol, etc.
But it’s so little in the big scheme of things.