A Cry for Freedom in Cuba
By Javier Herrera
HAVANA TIMES – One-hundred-and-fifty-five years ago, the famous patriot Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y led the so-called Grito de Yara (Cry of Yara), that resounded all over the island of Cuba, thereby formally launching our independence wars. Let me explain why I say “formally”. Different uprisings were already happening across the island, against Spain’s colonial rule of Cuba and in pursuit of freedom for slaves.
Patriots like Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, Belisario Alvarez, Vicente Garcia Gonzalez, Francisco Maria Rubalcava, Felix Figueredo, Donato Marmol, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, Jaime Santiesteban, Isaias Maso, Vicente Aguilera and Maceo Osorio, based at Masonic Lodges, that served as meeting spaces where they’d conspire against Spanish rule. From there they decided to resort to an armed insurrection to achieve Cuba’s independence, choosing December 24, 1868 as the day to start the rebellion.
Carlos Manuel de Cespedes was impatient and decided to move the date forward to October 14th. The discovery of the conspiracy and the arrest warrant issued against Carlos Manuel drove up the date even more.
On October 8th, Cespedes summoned the rest of the patriots to his ranch La Demajagua, where they met in large numbers. At that time, they were writing up the Manifesto of the Cuban Revolutionary Junta, in which they outlined the objectives of the uprising, and they declared the island’s sovereignty.
On October 10th, given the imminence of Spanish authorities acting, the cry “Viva Cuba Libre” was sounded, and slaves on this ranch were given their freedom. Leading 147 men, the honorable Cubans took up arms and began the 10 Years War.
The war that began in the east of the country in 1868 spread across the entire country and it ended ten years later, without having managed to achieve the objectives it had set out, as a result of different political malaises within rebel troops, such as regionalism, autocratic leadership and other internal divisions.
One of the conquests of the first Independence war was freedom for every slave that took part in this armed struggle, and freedom was gradually granted to every slave until the awful practice ended and some economic rights were granted to Cuban landowners.
Despite these conquests, they didn’t manage to achieve their main objective, and this resulted in patriots involved in the war continuing to conspire and prepare a new uprising. This happened in 1895, under the ideological leadership of Jose Marti. Marti managed to unite Cuban patriots that fought in the first wars, putting aside their differences, and focusing on the main objective. This second insurrectionary phase, called the ‘95 War, finally defeated the Spanish Empire’s rule in Cuba, thereby initiating Cuba’s Republican Era.
And, now…?
One-hundred-and-fifty-five-years after our revolutionary feats, Cuba is under a semi-slavery regime yet again. The only big difference between the island’s submission this time and that imposed in Spain, is that it isn’t a foreign state that is exercising its ruthless power over citizens… this time, the oppressive entity is the Cuban Communist Party, made up of Cubans who have taken ownership of economic, political, and social life on the island.
The Cuban regime is now selling the labor of its doctors, teachers, athletes, and other professionals to different countries. While it’s charging fair prices for the work of these Cuban professionals, the latter are being paid ridiculously low wages that are barely 20% of what the regime often collects.
Workers that work sweat, blood and tears in the country’s interior do so in precarious conditions and for wages that are a joke and aren’t even enough to feed them, to the extent that a Cuban today consumes less carbohydrates and protein today than a slave in Cuba in 1870.
Any attempt to protest the current slavery situation is brutally repressed by law enforcement forces (slaves too but paid a little better). In their never-ending hubris, the Cuban Government isn’t content with just physical repression, which include beatings from pro-government mobs, torture during detention and other violations of basic human rights, they also turn to criminal and legal persecution, locking up anyone who dares to raise their voice and sentence them to many years in prison for fabricated criminal charges. In doing so, violating their rights to freedom of speech, freedom of communication and even their freedom of movement both within the country and their ability to leave. Just like the Spanish regime in Cuba, there are quite a few Cuban patriots who are currently in exile against their will and without any legislative act that supports them.
But just like over a century ago, the cry for “freedom” has been sounded on our island again, with the words “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life). On July 11, 2021, a large group of slaves of the regime today were pushed by their hardship to take to the streets and demand the freedom they need for any country to prosper. Just like the Spanish Empire, the Cuban regime brutally repressed this libertarian cry and today, over a thousand Cubans are in jail and are being harassed for their views.
Just like 155 years ago, Cubans are divided by regionalisms, arguments, autocratic leaderships, or political movements, and despite there being so much of a longing for freedom, we can’t agree on the means and methods to get there. We already have a Father of the Homeland (Carlos Manuel de Cespedes), and we have a National Hero (Jose Marti), who taught us that nobody is going to give us the freedom we seek, and that we will only have a fighting chance of winning if we come together. It’s time to act our part.
The cry for freedom has already been sounded, we just need to unite… like 155 years ago, we will shout “Viva Cuba Libre” again, but from the Communist Party’s empire and tyranny this time.
No problem. I understand. I wanted to ensure readers do not get the impression that today the Cuban health care system has an enviable reputation either domestically or internationally.
As a Canadian, the Canadian health care system, some would argue, is on the same par as the Cuban one with a horrendous lack of health care professionals in government operated hospitals, and patients in hospital hallways waiting for hours and hours for medical assistance. Sad.
Stephen, your comments are correct and appreciated. I was referring to the Cuban international contribution and did not comment on the terrible domestic situation. But I did call for different economic approaches so Cuba can afford or achieve too services , domestic and international, that it values.
Michael states: “ . . . Cuba still has an enviable reputation for its internationalism, particularly for pharmaceuticals and health care.” I beg to differ. Have you been to Cuba lately?
Walk into any pharmacy in Cuba today and you will certainly not encounter “ an enviable reputation “. Ask any Cuban with a simple headache or any Cuban with a serious illness requiring blood pressure medication, as an example, where exactly is the medication to alleviate the suffering in a Cuban pharmacy? Certainly not in the pharmacy down the street. And no blame is intended to the pharmacists who no doubt do their best to alleviate patients’ suffering.
Simple medications such as medication to alleviate scabies – a simple cream – is not available in Cuban pharmacies. Mothers have to invent their own serum to eradicate their children’s constant itching. You need an Aspirin for that headache, try the private store down the street where the entrepreneur trying to earn a living will sell some at an exorbitant price out of the reach of most Cubans.
You certainly do not want to get sick in Cuba and have to go to a Cuban hospital especially if you are an ordinary Cuban. In the extreme heat, if you or your family do not bring a fan, you will suffer from the excessive heat since hospital rooms are not air conditioned. Ohhh, make sure you bring your own food and bedding since the hospital may supply a meager sustenance certainly insufficient to help recuperate from a serious illness. In fact, some Cuban doctors recommend patients recuperate at home with family looking after them than suffer endlessly in a inhospitable hospital room.
Now, if you are a visiting tourist who unfortunately happens to need immediate health care and have the money – preferably in American dollars – to pay for your health care, you certainly will receive enviable care. Adequate health care that is not available for the ordinary Cuban is available for the foreign tourists with foreign currency. That is the crux of the Cuban health care system. Foreign currency is what the Cuban totalitarian government wants and desperately needs.
Those people in Cuba, and those foreign countries, with the foreign currency able to purchase Cuban health care will receive the very best Cuba has to offer. The very best Cuban doctors are “rented” to the highest bidder in the world and at the end of the day the Cuba totalitarian government pockets the much coveted foreign currency. Is this what is interpreted as “enviable reputation for internationalism”?
The Cuban government in its propaganda wants the world to believe this cynicism. However, the majority of ordinary Cuban citizens who must endure lack of medicines, lack of proper health care, put the fault squarely on the incompetent, inept, totalitarian government and as a consequence leave their homeland in droves.
You are absolutely correct in saying that the current situation in Cuba is demonstrably a sad one. Díaz-Canel will not listen to the majority of Cuban citizens because they have nothing to offer his totalitarian government except monetary expense. His government will continue to sacrifice the Cuban health care system to the highest monetary bidder in order to pocket foreign currency and the ordinary Cuban will continue to flee to foreign lands. Exceptionally sad.
So sad that it should come to this. The pride of Cubans in the initial revolution has turned to despair and the teaching of Jose Marti to protest injustice are forgotten. The many people from other countries who had hoped for continuous evoltion to the benefit of all Cuban are losing their reasons for supporting the Cuban Government.
Depite all of the problems, Cuba still has an enviable reputation for its internationalism, particularly for pharmaceuticals and health care. Continued economic reform might have provided the support for what Cuba values and needs to continue – but the pace is too slow and even cancellation of the blockade might not be enough. Please Diaz-Canel, listen to the people.
Excellent history of freedom en cuba!