The Cuba You Don't See

"i'm from Cuba, but i'm also from the Earth."
i share his void. i share his dreams. we should be able to share this earth.

sharing this earth is definitely right.

if the US lifted its embargo and Cuba opened up trade with many other countries that the US stymies from doing business with Cuba, I wonder if the conditions there would greatly affect their infrastructure and would, thus, make the government more lenient with their citizenship and educational travel (which seems to be the problem of this one individual).

everything else he said paints a positive picture of Cuba.

Thank you for putting this out there. It shows some of the positive things about Cuba, as well as the negative.
I was in Cuba in 2004, and this pod shows the overwhelming sentiment I got from the Cuban people I was with. People there are very resourceful and can improvise a solution to just about any problem. They are well educated, housed, and have access to free medical care, but they want to be able to move beyond the borders of their country. I know of many Cuban artists who get travel visas, and begin a life in another country, only going back when they have secured a way for them to travel freely beyond Cuba.

More positive things should be shown about Cuba, because when I went there, I saw more similarities, than differences between Cuba and the US in terms of the flow (or should I say the control) of news and information about each other. For example how much does the average person in the US really know about life in Cuba. Is the picture they have realistic?

fascinating... thank you.

thank you for sharing this, the images paint a fascinating picture along with the dialogue. the information helped me see the complex balance between freedom and constriction. best of luck to the young man, hope he can find a way to see it.

Great pod, the interview feels very personal and intimate even though we don't see his face. GREAT WORK!

this is a great pod because it shows the positive and the bad side. I spent time in Cuba (living with a family in Havana) and in the Dominican Republic. Both countries are poor, but Cubans have access to social services, and you don´t see kids drugged or sleeping on the streets. And the abolition of racial differences is amazing. But the country feels stagnant, there is nothing to eat (even in restaurants), nothing to buy, no internet, no transportation for Cubans. . .
It will be interesting to see what happens. I don´t think people will give up their health care and education without a fight--if Communism has given them one thing, it is an amazing ability to organize themselves.

I also think this an excellent pod. Demonstrates the resilience of a country that STILL faces trade embargo by the mighty US. Isn't it time for the corporacrats to finally end that shit? After all...we ARE best friends with China now...

realizing I knew jack shit about our "policy" with Cuba, figured I better look it up and find...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms-Burton_Act

thoughts?

Yep, it's the real thing. That is where I'm from and what is shown here is the real thing. Now I'm in US. I can't believe the insanity of some people. How dare they believe that Cubans would trade personal freedom for a visit to a doctor that cant' prescribe you medicine because there is none. Education without freedom is the greatest prison there is!

I can't afford medical insurance here in the US but I would never trade that for the freedom I have in this country to be who I can be, to reach for dreams, to not depend on a nanny State that tells me what to think, what to watch, where to go, where to live.... Where you live in fear that you will be turned in to the government because you told your neighbor you are fed up with the way things are.

Wake up! Communism has failed every where. It always starts with some idealistic populist movement that says the government will be just and take care of all your needs.... eventually you become his prisoner as they start to control everything including movement, expression and thought.

What is going on today in Cuba has nothing to do with the embargo. One of my cousins works high up in the the government drives a new Mercedes. Tourist restaurants all have food. There are two Cubas, one for Cubans and the other for the Government elitist and tourist resorts. My uncle worked for one of those resorts. He has a PhD in finance and was the lead Cuban employee of this Spanish resort. The resort paid the government $6,800.00 per month for my uncle's salary, he in turn received $548.00 and he was fortunate as most doctors only make around $200 per month.

You want to know why you don't see the face of the film maker? Because he would be hauled away to a work camp for years for doing this pod. By the way, that is why you don't see drugged out people in Cuba, they just don't put up with it. It's not because the people are so educated, it's because you'll just disappear.

Sorry for the rant.... my country was taken away by a lie that way too many American are starting to believe in!

Viva Cuba

I appreciate and cherish your perspective TropicalMan...
it is somewhat of a comfort to know that the embargo did little to effect the life of Cubans as they did in Iraq.
We can only hope that the remaining oppressive regimes in the world will soon topple. It is interesting that you say..."a lie that way too many American are starting to believe in!"....not sure exactly what you mean but I can only hope that you're talking about our constitutional sacrifices in the name of "security"...am i right?

Also...even though the embargo on Cuba had no impact on you...how do you feel about our friendship with communist China but our policy with Cuba hasn't changed much? how does that make you feel?

It is awesome to hear voices from both sides of this one...when comparing the 2 worlds...since they are indeed worlds apart. On one hand they have excellent free education and health"care" but completely oppressed...and here in America we produce a lot of dumb people and have a greed driven health "industry".

I simply ask...hasn't our world evolved enough to have the best of both worlds? Does it really all boil down to an accounting equation?

This pod was really, really interesting. I've been learning about Cuba in a Modern Caribbean history class and th effects of colonialism, the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba, and communism.

I know for a fact that Cuba has a good education system and can train some of the best doctors, but what happens after a student completes schooling? There could be no place for him or her to go or use their skills.

A group from my school is going to Cuba over spring break to give out medical supplies and medicine. I'm really interested to hear about their trip when they get back.

To a blind eye,

In response to your question "It is interesting that you say..."a lie that way too many American are starting to believe in!"....not sure exactly what you mean but I can only hope that you're talking about our constitutional sacrifices in the name of "security"...am i right?"

Yes I partially am speaking of that. On the right side of politics, we are giving up our right for the sake of security, this ploy was used in Cuba at the begining... Lots of fear mongering around pending attacks. Pretty soon the goverment could say "in the name of national security" and haul you off to a camp somewhere.

But I also mean that on the left side of politics Americans are believing that the government will best take care of our lives... It will be our best hope for health care, our best hope for this and that.... and we give them more control over our choices. This in the end will diminish our choices so we all end up in the same line waiting for the same service by the uncaring people because all incentive and competition is gone (been to the post office lately?) So long government by the people! It's now government by the nanny's in power for the people who can't make choices for themselves. Been there done that, you don't want to go there.

Let me tell you why this pod is called "The Cuba you don't see". Because the so called progressive thinking in this country is so enamored with it's ideas of a life saving government and that its doesn't want people to see ultimate end of what that system brings.

Look, ultimately the failures in Cuba is not born from an embargo or a totalitarian dictator, it's born of taking away people's choice, their rights, their personal dreams and their incentives.

Please let's stop holding to some idealist party lines or buy all the crazy stuff professors say in our Universities about the world. Let's explore the world with open eyes, lets talk to the people in those countries, only then we will know the truth.

Thank you for listening, if I was still in Cuba, I would hauled off to jail for saying this stuff.

ChaldeaD,

Wow, if Cuba has this incredible health care system, why are students going there to hand out medicine? What does that say about Cuba's awesome health care system? Don't buy that it's because the embargo, Cuba can buy all the medicine it want from a bunch of Countries like Venezuela and others who ignore the embargo. It's just the blatant disregard for their people that keeps them in this condition.

I'm really glad the students are doing that trip and I do hope they actually get to give medicine to the non-partisan Cubans that have so little. This is one of the frustrations of the doctors in Cuba. My aunt was one. For her it was almost impossible to practice medicine because the government who owns everything won't give doctors the resources needed to treat people. So many of them give up and go to work for hotels or as tour guides.

I would be very curious if your student friends will actually get a chance to talk to the people without the government minders being on hand. If some dares speak up around one of those minders that whole family is screwed! Retaliation is severe, so they people will say all kinds of nice things about the government so they can get what they need from the outreach and not get shafted by the secret police.

Please tell your class mates thank you for doing this great thing!

thank you for that TropicalMan! well said!
We definitely do not want our freedom of choice to disappear but on the topic of health "care" many people (being over 30million people and rising) can't afford any "care" at all and that doesn't seem like the noble actions or trend that a "super power" should represent. I agree that totally state run health"care" would be a nightmare but I do sympathize with the people that need medical attention and can't afford it. On other threads related to health"care"...people have argued that a competitive market would provide more choice but with all that is capitalistic...greed comes into play. Should "business" be the deciding factor if your skull is split or if you are terminally ill with a known curable disease? We have seen suggestions of raising coverage for medicaid while also having "free market" solutions for the rich to choose their care providers. Is this such a bad idea? At least we could "claim" our poor are taken "care" of?

btw...you never answered my question about our much esteemed olympics host China...
I would love to hear how you feel about that still...

ablindeye,

The healthcare thing is a tough one. I think we need as many choices possible and as many ideas to all compete. I believe that one type won't fit all, we do need many different choices, some of your ideas should be part of the choices. Just no government mandates, only opportunities.

On China... Yeah, it bugs me. On the surface they are not as oppressive as Cuba, their people have more opportunities to prosper, but they are still not free. I do have to give it to the Chinese, they have taken more of a road to engagement with the US rather then Cuba's road to entrenchment. Just last week Raul Castro went off on another anti-American rant... the more things change in the world, the more they stay the same in Cuba.

I wish Olympics where only held in countries that upheld liberty and human rights, but then sometimes having that much influx of people into an oppressed country give the people there an opportunity to see others in the world, maybe here other perspectives that enlightens them against the government propaganda they have grown up with.

So I guess you can say I'm ambivalent about the China thing...

Did you see scenes like this in Cuba?
http://current.com/items/76291202_wild_animal_market
maybe this is what the people of the world are interested in visiting China to see?

China has a pretty long record of human rights violations. The only reason we are friends with them is for slave labor and laxed environmental regulations. I don't know anyone that can argue with that notion. I would be more than happy to point out plenty of pods or links to prove my point if needed.

i can tell you one thing..i agree that all those partisan ideologies being completely outdated...we are consumericans run by corporacrats...but i will say this...
If i lived in Cuba...i'd be more worried about the US deciding to "liberate" me the way they have "liberated" Afghanistan and Iraq. Which really doesn't amount to much more than population control in my eyes....

Really good pod, lots of young cubans share his ideas, we all want to know how's the world out there. And We all deserve it. Let our talent spread.

This is a good pod, specially for the discussion it's raised. The problem is things are never as simple as an opinion.

Sure, Cuba, and the cuban regime, have a lot of problems. Since the fall of the Soviets, the island hasn't had any significant source of income. I see it as two sides of the same card: while the US paid the bills of military dictatorial regimes during the 60s, 70s and 80s, USSR paid the communist bills.

Latin American countries are paying back those bills now, by supporting the 1st world "needs" (such as fast food, heating oil and high-spending cars), with no education, no health, no food for themselves. Free market hasn't been that big of a savior for 3rd world countries.

It's always easy to shout against the odds while you're sitting on a warm and comfy couch. I'm not defending Cuban government, as I'm sure they have their ticket on this, but if Cuba didn't have a single win on this game, the US wouldn't be so eager to have them "freed".

Freedom, democracy, choice, those are very relative terms when you pay them cash. The problem is always the same: power.

Long live the Cuban people,Things will get better my brothers and sisters.

Great vid! It destroys the myth that Castro has improved Cuba. All he has done is opress his people and brought misery to a beautiful island.

Cubans act like they support the government or they'll be thrown in jail. All movies that have clips of Cubans shouting "Fidel, Fidel" and "Viva la revolucion!" are videos of people who would as soon tell Fidel to go to hell if it wasn't for the fact that they'd be thrown in jail...

It was refreshing to see a video that looks at the real Cuba. Thanks Current!...

Take away the embargo on Cuba. Fidel wants the embargo because it provides the government with an excuse as to why the country is in the condition in which it is.

Take it away and the government won't be able to hide behind its lies anymore and have to actually do things for its people... or risk a revolution.