“Cuba is Not for Us Cubans”

An implicit testimony:

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were Cuban, but you’re American! Let me give you a hug still. Your country is much better. My father left us. He is in a much better place, in Miami. I was born here in Havana. My daughter and I stay here. We belong here. But yes, the United States is better. The good public health is not enough. As you can tell by the looks of things, it just isn’t enough. We need more. I don’t know about the next president being better. We Cubans are tired of hearing the same thing over and over. I wish to be able to see the snow that you guys are getting now. But, this country is like a prison. I know that that’s a dream. But, I still have to work, my friend. I still have to live my life. I’m not like you. I don’t have money to eat at the restaurants. Right not it’s raining and cold. I don’t have a jacket to wear like you do. I try to go to the free events here in Cuba because I don’t have that much money. But, don’t worry about me, my friend. Do not worry about all that. Enjoy your visit here. There are some good things about Cuba although we still need a change. The people are very caring and friendly here. We have a good community. And yes, public health is good. However, the government still needs to give us more.”

I term this testimony “implicit” because I do not believe the people, on whom I’m basing this testimony, intended for it to be such. I believe these individuals were simply expressing their feelings and releasing some frustration about the state of Cuba. I actually decided to put three voices into one for this testimony. From the beginning until the discussion on public health, I relay the words of a drunken woman whom I was talking with one night out for Salsa dancing. The woman seemed to be in her forties. From the topic of public health to where the speaker compares himself to me, “the rich American,” are the words of a young man that my colleagues and I have befriended. He is 22 years old and studies theatre. He is quite an ambitious young man. The discourse on the difference in how a Cuban lives in comparison to an American was taken from a conversation I had with a young man while we were out on a date. He was 22 years of age, just a year my senior. And finally, when the speaker wishes for me to enjoy my time in Cuba, we return to some words from the young man studying theatre. The purpose behind me pulling these three voices into one is to emphasize how some Cuban citizens have lost hope in bettering conditions for their country. They don’t believe that the government is doing all it can to improve the lives of its citizens. I have also shown that some Cubans acknowledge that foreigners, such as me, are able to enjoy themselves more in their excursions to Cuba than the natives. I was fortunate that these individuals didn’t hold animosity toward me due to this fact and were still willing to open up to me in our conversations. One will notice that I have not included any questions. For instance, the comment by one of the speakers that Cubans are tired of hearing the same thing from the government came after I asked if the notion that Fidel Castro’s nephew-who is supposedly next in line to be the leader of Cuba (after Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother)-was going to improve the conditions of Cuba was true. I decided not to include the questions because, frankly, they are not so crucial. Many Cuban individuals, as I was hoping to exemplify with the individuals I have discussed, will continue to discuss the politics of their country without a question or any other type of initiation. This further elicits the agitation of some Cubans with their country’s system. A popular slogan in Cuba is “Cuba para los Cubanos” (Cuba for the Cubans). However, I have presented a testimony where the Cuban feels that Cuba is not for him.