© 2007 Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute awards long-term fellowships to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country, or region outside the US and to share that understanding with a wider public.
Institute of Current World Affairs - Home Page

Below is a hobbled text version of a PDF document.
In order to read the actual document please click the link below and register if necessary.
(One-time registration is free and very quick.)
Read article

8/1/1999 - Differing Views by Paige Evans

Differing Views HAVANA Cuba August ByPaigeEvans July anniversary Castro rebel attack Moncada armybarracks alsomarkedthethree weekanniversaryofmyarrivalinCuba That afternoon awhite hairedCuban AmericannamedTonystoppedbymy Havanahome I donlyknownTony forten Thoughwe agreedvehementlyaboutmanythings asympatheticbondhaddeveloped betweenus Wewere after bothU S citizensinCuba Earlier whenthe cashI dbroughttoCubabegantorundangerouslylow IphonedTony thefriendofanAmericanI dmetenroutetoHavana dbringmemoneywhenhecame toHavana Tonyunderstoodthe complicated logisticsbetweenthe U S andCuba everyday transactions international money transfers exist between neighboring enemy nations stowed underwear traveled Canada ensuring arrival inHavana Rafael sweet tempered Cuban Tony We wentfirst search agood cigar stopping internat ional hotels placesopenover theholiday untilTonyfound something satisfy craving We Sylvia state owned publishinghouse working illegally Tony editing collection articles about Cuba In youth Sylvia ardent Revolutionary cades later still loyal Communist Party member Anyone position authorityhadto Thoughdivorced Sylviawas still1Mngwithherex husband asneither anywhere This situation though uncomfortable notuncommoninCuba acountrywithanexceptionallyhigh divorce severehousing shortages Sylviaoffereduscoffeeandlemonade Iaskedformilkinmycoffee Sylviaexitedtothekitchen Tonyreprimandedmefor Hetoldmemilk costlyinCubaandmostpeopledon thave Chagrined ItrailedSylviainto kitchenand toldher Iwantedlemonade instead After finished drinks Sylvia driver escorted nearby Roberto nalists Sylvia commissioned write articles Tony sbook Roberto Juanita rushed arrived It excruciatingly living offered scant relief TwoothercommiSsionedauthorswere alsothere Carolina chain smoker thinning disarming scowl Marco attractive youngermanwith intense All three writers state runnewspaper Granma whereMarcoisRoberto Carolina sboss The inRoberto livingroomwasthickwithten asTonyopenedthemeeting Tonyintroducedhim Rafael thenhe explained hisownclose lationship Cuba jokes things The writers remained silent guarded None laughed At Sylvia suggestion Tony their believed wouldn tfollowthroughonrewrites ifpaid inadvance I wondered whether might account writers distance reserve Afterthepreliminaries TonycritiquedRoberto ticle onCuban architecture Hepraised Roberto treat ofCuba architecturalhistorybutquestionedwhy discuss current developments project future Inresponse Robertogrowled Whatfuture Tony argued things Cuba seemed chang money starting Roberto rebutted Youhaveto liveinCubatounderstandpessi Tony countered thatheunderstood ficultiesinCubaandmightentitlehisbook NoEs Facil ItIsNotEasy acommonCubanrefrain TheconversationthenturnedtoRoberto articleon sports Robertobelieved thatCubansportshadbecome overlypoliticized Castro hardsportsfan investedhugeresourcesovertheyears intotraining letes Cubanathleteshave fared around world andthegovernmentlauds sports asoneofthe greatsuc cesses Revolution But matter principle Communists refuse remunerate athletes creasedsalaries offeringthemotherperksinstead spacious apartments This mount ingdiscontentamongCuba athletes whowitnessthe mountains ofmoney sports figures around world anddemandsimilarbounties forthemselves Manyfine Cubanathleteshave consequently defected countries thatallowthemgreater mobilityand financial WhenTonycritiqued Carolina articleonCubanlit erature calling overly broad Carolina argued impossible todothe topicjusticewhenshe couldn certain literary figures governmen recrimination Many major Cuban writers mentioned In government theydo notexist LikeGuillermoCabreraInfante oneofourmost important writers After country wrote criticizing Cuba So longer exists Or Zoe Valdes whois livinginFrance Herbooksare verypopu allover world butthey arenot inhernative Cuba If I mention these authors article I could losemyjob Carolinaspokewithmountingurgencstabbingthe filterless cigarette emphasis In ticle Cuban music I cannot mention Celia Cruz manyotherkeyfigures Imustpretendtheydonotex Tellme Howcan IwriteanarticleonCubanmUSic withoutmentioningthelegendaryCeliaCruz HowCan I write article onCuban cinemawithoutmentioning Tomas Guiterrez Alea whose filmGUANTANAMERA themanwith thebeard publicly denounced IquietlyaskedRafaelwhetherAlea sfilmswerepro ducedbyCuba state runmoviecompany Henodded explaining filmmakers musicians gener allybeenallowed freerreignin their criticismthanjour nalists other writers Counter Revolutionary writers Zoe Valdes andGuillermoCabreraInfantenolongerexistintheeyes ofCuba totalitariangovernment andtheirworks officially mentioned marketed Like though works these other banned available Cuba thriving black market Pi rated videotapes ofAlea films canbeboughtorrented fromsmall scale privateentrepreneurs andZoeValdes books broughtinto thecountry byvisitorsfromabroad arewidely circulated Marco spoke first He described Granma editorialmeetings wheresubjectsandpoints ofview forupcoming articles dictated start eachweek Robertointerjected Granma doesnotpub articles about U S publishes articles against S AsMarcoexplained Granma editorsand writers understand subjects perspectives permissible tailor their articles accordingly Juanita emergingfromthekitchencarryingatrayofsyr black coffee demitasse practiced censorship The writers joked about calling journalism By meeting atmospherehadwarmedup significantly OnlySylviaremainedsilent shewasclearly uncomfortablewiththeturntheconversationhadtaken Rafael whispered This difficult position Sylviatobein Sheworksinanofficialcapacityandcan openly critical government She perceivedasveryloyaltotheParty Andshe istheone whoca meeting Tonytold thewritershe didnotwantanyofthemto jeopardize theirjobsordoanythingillegal The factthat entire projectwas illegalwas different matter Cu banlawforbids citizens toearnmoneyOutsideoftheir salaried Cubans forced alter sources income order survive The Cuban governmentisawareofthissituationandgenerallyturns ablind small scalemoney makingschemes Still Tony U S citizen writers rectly After finished giving notes stepped BPE discreetly Sylvia agreed which along writers their rewrites finished When Tony Sylvia peared Juanita carried Cuba Libres Cokes squeeze which everyone drank The meeting broke goodbye kisses exchanged around Over dinner thatnight I askedRafaelwhythe feltfree criticizethegovernmentinfrontofSylvia aCommunistParty member Communistsmakeupless percent theCubanpopulation Hesaidmost Cubans fedupwiththe situation their country complain openly about Indeed I struckfrom startbyhowfreelyCubanscommuni theirdiscontent eveninfrontofme anunknown U S citizen On arrival Havana Jose Marti Airport young Cuban working tourism complimented LonelyPlanetguidebookwitha single qualification The writer President His openness prised Afterwards though occurred mighthavebeentestingmeformyreaction Thenitoc curred tomehe might doingboth things genuinelycriticizingCastroandspyingforhim atthe Ayoung Cuban entrepreneur whose parents upCommunistofficialswarnedTonynotto attend anymoregatherings liketheoneonJuly26th TheCu bangovernment heargued doesn tlookwellonAmeri canstheyperceiveasfomentingdissent BeforeTonytold Ihadn tmuchthoughtaboutmyownrolein meeting I silent after But I izedthenhowverycareful Ihadtobeevenasanob serverin thisThrough The Looking Glassworld Where thingsbothwere andwerenot appeared Institute ofCurrentWorld Affairs