Cuba: Shops Closed Until the US Dollar Arrives
With a simple sign taped to the glass, the shops at the Habana Libre Hotel eliminate the national currency.
By Natalia Lopez Moya (14ymedio)
HAVANA TIMES — The notice is handwritten and stuck on with adhesive tape, like so many decisions in the Cuban economy: “Closed. To be reopened soon in USD.” There is no logo, no stamp, no further explanation. Only those words visible through the glass doors of the shops on the ground floor of the Habana Libre Hotel. Outside, El Vedado goes on with its routine of slow traffic and peeling facades; inside, commerce readjusts itself to climb aboard the dollarization wagon now rolling across Cuba.
The corridors without customers and the main entrance sealed off are the latest chapter of the shopping center located in the very heart of Havana. In previous times, the retail complex went through every possible stage, from glamour and exclusivity, to wear and tear, until reaching the most alarming deterioration. Now it sets off down the path of foreign-currency sales, a route that leaves behind those who only have access to the Cuban peso.
In Cuba, dollarization not only redefines what is sold and how it is paid for, but also the quality of the establishments. The US currency arrives accompanied by new lighting, efficient air conditioning, employees with freshly issued uniforms, and higher-quality products. It is to be expected that the reopening of the Habana Libre galleries will come with the corridor leaks already repaired, without the dirty cardboard that a year ago tried to cover puddles on the floor, and with the musty smell that emanated from the place finally solved.
On the threshold of a doorway, with a sign slapped up in haste, today’s Cuba is explained. A country where repairs, newness, and beauty only arrive through fulas (USD). Where shops fallen into disgrace can emerge from ruin only through those bills bearing the face of Washington or Lincoln.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.