Well, one of the questions I had on my mind during my visit to Cuba was about the cars. I told several times that most of the cars are very old (very very old!)... But the question is who can buy a car? Why are some Cubans "allowed" to own cars, while others not (in this socialist regime)?
Well, I talked about that with M at her place and she explained that cars are divided in several categories:
- Blue license plates are state-owned cars to be used by ministries employees and other government workers. They must report mileage status after using them, and cannot be used for personal issues.
- Maroon license plates are also state owned cars, but for white collar functionaries, such as ministers for example. Those were newer cars, and it seems like they do not have to justify their use with mileage reports.
- Green license plates are owned by the FAR, which is the acronym for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias - the Cuban army.
- License plates with a T in them are rented cars for tourists. Nice and newer cars.
- Yellow license plates are usually in the oldest cars, and this is the private cars category. The taxis that can be payed in Cuban pesos are of this category also.
At that point, M's father came home, and I met him. He was a CDR's activist, and he told me about the "CDRs day" which was actually that very same day. All around the island, at night, people prepared food in large pots in the streets, and danced until midnight. M's father was in his way to the party in the street. M told me that almost all neighbors contribute to the event donating 20 cuban pesos for the happening. This could be a lot of money for Cubans...
However, it seems like they do have money from abroad. They must... otherwise they cannot survive. But there are at least a few families who don't have family abroad that can send them money. And I these people must figure out other ways to survive, like exploiting their abilities. For example, I was very impressed to see in downtown Havana some stands that were selling (in foreign currency of course) cars figures made out of soda cans.
In any case, back to political issues, I also talked with M about the Cuban constitution. I showed her the one I bought in the morning in downtown Havana for 40 Cuban pesos. She showed me a updated version of it, and we talked about one of the emends that eliminates an article which allowed Cubans to form a new political party by recollecting ten thousand signatures. A few years back, the position leader did recollect ten thousand signatures, but afterward the Cuban assembly advances this emend having at least 3 million signatures supporting it. This way was completely eliminated the existence of another political party other than the Communist party in the Island. I asked her if she thinks this is democratic, and she said that it was clear to her that the emend was supported by much more people than the new political party request... What do you think?
This lead us to talk about the political repression in the island. M claims that the political inmate are people who really are a threat to security and stability in the Island, and many of them were involved in terrorist attacks. However, she argues that the opposition leader lives in his home without having any repression against him, and he is not in jail.
But repression is all over the Island, and it is easily perceivable. S told me her own story. She was then 18 years old, and she is a very nice and happy girl. She told me that in Cuba, for higher education, studying what you really want is not that simple. S wants to be an actress. That is why she applied to complete her senior high school requirements at an special arts institute. This instituted is very limited in capacity, and they admit some 5 Cubans every year out of a pool of 400. She made it to the last round with another 15 candidates. It was clear that all of them, if they reached that point of the process, were very good actors. Finally, five were admitted, and S was ranked in the seventh place. Coincidentally, the first five were family of famous actors in Cuba. The story does not end here. She was offered to join a new "program sponsored by the revolution" in which she will learn acting, and she would be able also to teach acting. This was when she was still in high school, at age 15. She accepted the offer, and to be accepted she had to sign a contract in which she committed to teach acting for 8 years in schools anywhere in the island after finishing her studies. Well, three years passed since, and she just realized that she does not want to teach acting. She does not want either to study how to teach. She wants to act. Then she decided to drop out from the program. After a few months, she saw that the salary she received from acting in another group (not related to school) was not the same one as she always received. When she asked for an explanation, they told her that she has received compensation payments, and that she was no longer working there. She became a deserter of the revolution because she drop out of the acting program. S was only 15 when she signed a contract committing herself what to do the next eight years of her life. Do anyone of you knew with certainty what you wanted to do when you were 15 years old? I certainly don't.
This story was really scary for me. The system has this large list of "deserters" that they pass it from place to place, creating incentives for you to repair what you did wrong (by firing you for example...). Being in that list can prevent you from traveling abroad, buying foreign currency and many other things which are for sure related to one owns freedom.
Now S joined another institute in which she studies pantomime and other scenic arts. She is not sure however that she will receive her degree because her name is still in that list.
The Cuban government constantly say that the Cuban people might not be rich, but they live with dignity... Is this dignity???
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