Assata Shakur (sister of rapper Tupac’s stepfather) was a 1970s black activist who, after being convicted of murder and imprisoned, escaped in 1984 to Cuba. She’s been living there ever since and obligingly provides a steady stream of pro-Cuban writings.
I’m sure if there was any way the Castros could spin you as an persecuted revolutionary and use you for propaganda, they’d be thrilled to have you.
The boyfriend should come on the dope and talk to the many Cubans here. Oh, wait. We have lots of other nationalities, but I don’t think anyone from Cuba. I wonder why?
Actually, we do - lalenin is a Cuban émigré, IIRC.
Regards,
Shodan
I should have said “We don’t have anyone IN cuba.”
Thanks,
Attack from the 3rd dimension
I should have said “We don’t have anyone IN cuba.”
Thanks,
Attack from the 3rd dimension
I wonder if Cubans have money to pay Internet. Given that the big chief of the island allowed them to navigate the web, anyways :rolleyes:
It’s worse than that. Private citizens aren’t suppose to have VCR’s or DVD players. When you see a cistern on a roof you assume that it is hiding an illegal satellite dish. (Note the word “illegal”).
Intercity transit mainly consists of standing by the side of the road hoping someone will give you a ride. The place is a wreck.
This woman, Yoani Sanchez, is a prominent critic of the Castros. Here’s an article where she says she’s been beaten. If you do more research on her, she’ll detail how she sneaks away at various cafes and pays a premium to blog. Here she is as Time Magazines 100 most influential people, here she is in Mother Jones.
The only public transportation between cities that I observed was flat bed trucks.
People would wait under bridges for a truck to stop, and then everyone would stand in the back of the truck.
A friend of mine and I once rented a car in Havana , and drove most of the way across Cuba.
The national highway did not have any street signs or lights at night.
The strangest part of the journey was the hitchhikers that we encountered in the middle of the night.
Several times we would be the only car on the darkened highway, and then we would see 5 or 6 people walking in the middle of the road. When we would stop we would discover that they were policemen. The cops did not have any form of transportation, they were all walking.
We would offer the cops rides, and that is the only time in my life that I have driven drunk on Cuban rum, 200KPH, Lenny Kravitz blasting on the stereo, and with cops singing in the back seat.
(this was many years ago, and I was much younger and stupider, I would never condone drunk driving)
This is Yoani’s blog. If this doesn’t make you queasy, I don’t know what will:
“A drop slid down my leg, I maneuvered it into the hollow between my ankle and my shoe and did a thousand pirouettes so my high school classmates wouldn’t notice. For months, my family had had only mineral oil for cooking, thanks to pharmacist relative who was able to sneak it from his work. I remember it heating to a white foam in the pot and the food tinged with the golden color of a photograph, ideal for food magazines. But our bodies could not absorb that kind of fat, made for creating lotions, perfumes or creams. It passed right through our intestines and dripped, dripped, dripped… My panties were stained, but at least we got a break from food that was just boiled, and could try another, slightly roasted.”
Another things that should be mentioned is the government’s assault on religious freedom. Shortly after the revolution, the government had all priests, ministers, and rabbis rounded up and forced into exile, and the existing church buildings were seized or destroyed. The Committee for the Defense of the Revolution was authorized to spy in people’s private homes and arrest anyone who was seen to be worshipping or evnagelizing. Like most communist countries, Cuba has scaled back its anti-religious campaigns in the last few years and religious practice is technically legal. However, building new churches and synagogues is still all but impossible and religious groups still face threats and harassment.
It wasn’t too long ago that Castro finally made it legal to celebrate Christmas in Cuba. Up until, IIRC, the late 1980’s Christmas was banned in Cuba.
Perhaps they change theirs mind when the cuban politburo realized Santa is red. 
Good one. I laughed.
Thanks for all the new replies - those book recommendations and links are helpful, I’m gonna have to check that out. Although quite depressing, seems like something people should be more aware about. :\