Since I have just returned from a trip to Cuba, and given the myriad of questions I am facing, I am putting my fresh and genuine thoughts in writing:I traveled with the authors Gilda for a full week of three to five talks and presentations every day. Speakers included authors, publishers, musicians, visual artists and university professors of literature, women's studies, urban planning and political science. We stayed in Havana for five out of seven nights and traveled three and a half hours to Trinidad, a small city, where we stayed in people's homes. (As a form of business, many add a room or two to their homes, complete with private bathrooms.) In the first presentation, a political science professor was clearly on the government's side. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay While he acknowledged many of the country's problems, he attributed them to the U.S. embargo and not to the government's failure over decades to help his country. people and the economy thrive. In fact, while recognizing that a new model must be sought, capitalism was not an option because it created “social injustice”. In the following days it became clear that the greatest social injustice, in reality, lies precisely in Cuba's double currency. After the revolution of 1959-1960 – a process that lasted almost three years and not a sudden coup – Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union and its economy. It built an economy based on the Russian ruble, but above all on the barter of goods with the Soviet Union. In the barter system, ever-changing nonmonetary values ​​had nothing to do with sound fiscal policy. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cuban economy found itself struggling and gasping for air. Suddenly, the only stable source of income came from remittances: money sent by expatriates living in Florida to their families in Cuba. To this day, remittances are by far the main source of the Cuban economy. Old American cars in Havana are a trademark of the city. However, since remittances are in dollars, the CUC – the Cuban conversion of a dollar – is worth 27 times the value of the “national peso,” called CUP. Therefore, a dual system has been established, which exists side by side. Cubans are paid in CUP, thus earning 27 times less than those who receive remittances or are employed in the tourism sector where they are paid in CUC. Tourists can only use CUC, while Cuban state workers receive their salary in national pesos and can only use it to purchase basic necessities, except it is insufficient and does not allow small treats. (An ice cream cone that costs $2.50 is out of reach for someone making $50 a month.) If ever there was a glaring social injustice that leaves college professors starving while hotel bellhops thrive, it is exactly this one. Indeed, due to this huge income gap, scientists, doctors, academics and skilled professionals have abandoned their professions to become tour guides, hotel clerks and doormen. Our tour guide, Christopher, had studied nuclear physics when he switched to a language major so he could work with tourists. Our group of twenty-five tipped him at least $50 per person weekly, for an estimated total of $1,250 in a country where a government employee earns $50 a month. (Our bus driver received half of this amount, which is still a huge sum.) We have heard several times how a bartender earns in one evening what he earns in oneuniversity professor or doctor in a month. Housing: One of the first steps of the revolution was to nationalize all private property, starting with condominiums and private mansions. Whoever lived in an apartment in 1959 became its owner. And the servants, gardeners and chauffeurs became the immediate owners of the homes where they had served the masters. However, the government retained ownership of each building as a whole as well as the land on which it stands. As a result, even if an inhabitant owns his apartment, he does not own a share of the common areas: the surface of the building, the corridors, the stairs or the waste area. Maintaining them was the government's responsibility. Needless to say, with an impoverished economy, the buildings fell into complete and utter abandonment. The idea of ​​giving villas to former service employees did not take into account the fact that these people did not have the means to maintain such structures. they are breaking down, as the many buildings that still bear the marks of past glory are decaying: not just peeling plaster and spreading dark mold, but missing windows, broken terraces and gaping rooms whose walls have crumbled. In some places, you see a feeble attempt by the tenants to save their home by building crude floor supports, but these pathetic attempts often fail: on average, three buildings collapse every day – a thousand a year – and that number will increase as they increase. buildings fail as time passes. In every street you can see buildings that look like photos of a bombed city. The brain drain of young professionals and educated people seeking economic opportunities abroad has resulted in a population of which 30% are over the age of 60. grow up to 40% in the next decade. From a housing perspective, this means older people are unable to climb stairs to upper floors in buildings that have never had elevators, nor do they have the resources to find suitable housing when their buildings succumb to the elements . The isolation of the elderly is another social injustice that will surely increase. Education: Amidst this misery, free education is still a priority for the Cuban government, covering not only elementary school through seventh grade, but all the way up to all levels. through degrees for those who wish. Cuba boasts 51 universities, a large number for a population of 11.5 million. Furthermore, the education system favors specialized training in the arts, and children as young as five who show promise are sent to schools of music, dance and circus arts. Visual arts are taught throughout the school year because the country has a great appreciation for art, and at the age of eighteen, those who wish can attend dedicated art academies. Additionally, students who show interest in music, dance, writing and art, but not enough to attend specialized schools, are offered all of these after-school courses for free. As a result of the high level of education, Cuba's second largest industry is “brain export,” which is academics and scientists who travel to other South and Central American countries to work or teach. Unlike expats who left for the United States and Europe never to return, these professionals return home to Cuba having earned a decent income. Many repeat such assignments abroad every few years. Cuba's third largest industry is pharmaceuticals, medical research and biotechnology. The country takes pride in developing and producing a range of specific medicines. (It was not clear to us how the tests are carried out and what standards are applied, especially since, with the dissolutionof the trade and economic embargo towards the end of the Obama administration, talk of medical tests by US pharmaceutical companies in Cuba became relevant.) Agriculture, which could have been a strong industry in this fertile land, is unfortunately seriously neglected. The supply of fruit and vegetables during our stay, even in good restaurants, was relatively poor: green beans were only canned. No cauliflower, carrots, asparagus or broccoli. A visit to several grocery stores turned up no staples such as peanuts or dried fruit. Mango, pineapple and guava are available, but there are no apples, pears or grapes, nor bananas. Short supply. Driving through the center of the country from Havana to Trinidad we saw sugarcane fields, but no corn or wheat. No livestock are raised and therefore the meat is imported. In Trinidad, located half an hour from the sea, there was no fish during our two-day stay. Rice, beans and potatoes appear to be the main staple food. Courtyard of a house in Trinidad, Cuba, that rents rooms to tourists. Due to the economic struggle of all Cubans, everyone must resort to other creative means to survive. They call it “La Lucha,” a word that translates to “fight.” Each person must find a path to his “Lucha” in the form of entrepreneurial service or production. Perhaps more than being deprived of political freedom, Cubans lose dignity due to ongoing economic hardships that force them to abandon their natural tendencies and interests (e.g. science) to carry tourists' suitcases. Interestingly, despite the shortages and poverty, the crime rate is very low. Havana is safe at all hours of the day and night, as are tourists' possessions. The Cuban people are pleasant and seem at ease both among themselves and with foreigners. Some of my traveling companions attributed this to the power of Cuban music, but it seemed to me that music could only serve as a veneer, not a panacea for a life of frustration, deprivation and humiliation. US politics. In my research for one of my novels, China Doll, I learned that our government uses one of two approaches towards hostile nations: engagement and containment. The pledge argues that the exchange of knowledge, culture and business practices demonstrates how capitalism works while instilling Western values ​​when it comes to human rights. (e.g., in China, factory supervisors use beatings as a disciplinary tool which is, of course, banned in US-owned factories). Containment argues that a country like China which calls itself “The Sleeping Dragon” is dangerous and its ambitions for expansions should be carefully watched. (Cutting corners, unscrupulous China has been buying research and development from the West, and what it can't buy, it steals.) China has controlled Pacific Rim nations to the point that these countries must adhere to China's interests when doing their business. decisions. This vision of US politics helped me understand the containment policy that we have pursued for decades, interrupted in 2015 with Obama's visit to Cuba and his declaration that we were close. Unfortunately, this beginning of a policy of engagement also supports the current government, which oppresses its people, controls the press and stifles criticism even if it comes in the form of the art it so reveres. With the upcoming elections in early 2018, instead of maintaining a “kumbaya” sentiment, which only strengthens the current autocratic one-party government and makes it more acceptable to its people, the United States is repressing such support. This is where I found the states new guidelines.