They Are Not Extraterrestrials, Just Extraordinary People!
HAVANA TIMES – I always worry about vacations because everything seems to get worse. Due to the extreme heat of July and August, there is a greater demand for water, and the supplies seem insufficient and even scarcer. The increased electricity usage, with more people watching TV, listening to the radio, or using music equipment, combined with the unresolved breakdowns of thermoelectric plants, makes the unbearable blackouts even more frequent.
Transportation, which is challenging on any day of the year, becomes even more complicated due to the number of people out on the streets. These are just a few examples of the difficulties, and many other problems are entangled as well. For these reasons, once again, I am grateful for having survived the summer.
But it would also be unfair not to acknowledge the bright side of things. Many children are happy to be free from school, which they don’t always enjoy, and alongside them, other people appreciate the necessary break that these days offer. The pace of life takes on a different, summery vibe. Although many activities that were once common, like the carnivals, couldn’t be enjoyed this year due to the crisis, there are still moments to be grateful for.
One of these happy occasions is the one I want to share.
I belong to a project called B06, which was created by a group of young people dedicated to charitable work. They coordinate donations of clothing, medicine, and toys for children in vulnerable areas. They organize cultural activities in these communities, distribute food and snacks to people experiencing homelessness, and support low-income families with babies in the hospital, among other actions.
On Saturday, August 31, they held a book sale. These books are collected through calls for donations from anyone who wants to contribute their books, which are then sold to raise funds, mainly to help children in vulnerable conditions.
From 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at San Jose Park in the city of Holguín, right in front of the Ibero-American House, and alongside other entrepreneurs offering their products, B06 was there with its books at very affordable prices, spreading joy and hope.
In other places where civic initiatives are respected, or even encouraged, this might seem like a normal occurrence. In any context, it is important and necessary, and it deserves recognition and appreciation.
However, in the case of Cuba, where throughout its history only actions by the State or the Communist Party have been supported and approved, this takes on added value. Individual awareness regarding cultural, social, and economic growth tends to be overlooked unless it is backed by government approval. The same mechanisms that aim to perpetuate the Communist Party’s absolute control prevent the formation of associations or institutions that could foster this. Naturally, this experience has not gone unnoticed by the people of Holguín.
It’s immensely satisfying to see the young people carrying out this activity, as well as those who come to buy books knowing that the proceeds will support a charitable cause. Others come to donate their books to keep the project going. This is undoubtedly a transformative and revealing act in our society.
We are talking about a country facing its worst crisis since 1959, where the current hostile economic conditions leave us asking a dire question: What will we eat tomorrow? And this, of course, is compounded by the social and political challenges, which are suffocating. It seems to leave only one alternative: to leave the country and embrace another nationality, because living in our homeland seems impossible.
In this unique country, with its socio-political characteristics —so controversial and problematic for decades— millions still don’t know what it means to take a civic initiative. Many can’t even consider it unless they see the hand of power involved. And rightly so, because this is how the system governing the nation has been structured: a state that has made us believe that everything must begin, develop, and end with them.
It is in this setting that B06 operates. I am truly proud of the group. Thanks to them, I feel a sense of much-needed relief amidst deep exhaustion. This kind of action, as far as I know, has no precedent here. Social projects like this have always been carried out by churches, primarily. For example, Caritas, from the Catholic Church, or by workplaces and mass organizations, which, of course, belong to the government. But a project born from the citizens themselves? I had never seen that in my locality.
We are grateful for the existence of B06. It shows us that a new mindset is emerging, one that recognizes that everything cannot be centralized around the interests of those in power. History has shown us that it’s not effective to stifle individual thought and action. There can be no common good without the conscious participation of everyone, regardless of political, religious, or ideological positions.
B06 reminds us that we have a responsibility to ourselves and to others. The shared good is the best good. And neither the State nor Power, whatever it may be, should or can say or do everything. Every Cuban can testify to this.
For this reason, I believe that a group of men and women who have come together of their own free will to carry out these actions is wonderful news. It’s extraordinary. And, of course, I agree that especially in these times, we must celebrate it in our country. Bravo!