Category: Juan Juan Almeida

On 24 February, with several ministers and representatives from both nations, Cuba and Angola celebrated the thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Commission, which confirmed the need to establish and/or expand their bilateral and cooperation commitments in some sectors, such as planning and finance, education, construction, transportation, culture, energy, water, agriculture, geology and mining, fishing, urban planning, industry, communications, health and the biopharmaceutical industry.

The reasons why Angola is rejecting these Cuban aid workers are lost among various versions from sources that have preferred to remain anonymous. Among the problems mentioned are the payments for the services of the Cuban professionals, among other possible reasons.

The relationship between Angola and Cuba began in 1960, and was sweetened in 1961 when then-Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós met with MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola) representation at the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade and offered to provide, with charitable spirit, the Cuban experience.

The link began to take shape on June 25, 1975 in Maputo, when the late Angolan President Agostino Neto met with Armando Acosta, who presided over the Cuban delegation to the festivities for the independence of Mozambique. It was at that moment that Neto asked Acosta for urgent help  to train thePeople’s Armed Forces of the Liberation of Angola.

But it was not until 15 November 1975, when the first Cuban ambassador to Luanda, Oscar Oramas, signed the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries with then-Angolan Foreign Minister José Eduardo dos Santos. From then until now, there had never been an incident that could tarnish bilateral relations.

The Cuban medical mission began in Angola at the same time as the Cuban troops arrived. During the conflict more than 450,000 Cubans passed through Angolan territory, among them doctors, teachers, engineers and soldiers.

This deplorable proceeding will go down in history, and certainly not as a glorious moment. This reminds me of the catchy chorus from a song by the Spanish singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina, which goes: “For lies, those of reality. You promise everything, but give nothing…”

I understand that clever people take advantage of the ignorance of others, that scholars have opinions, and that talk show guests talk. But the video was made in February. It is now September, OnCuba is still in operation and the Weekly Packet’s programming is still being distributed. In a dictatorial nation such as this, calling Díaz-Canel a vice-president is as dubious as calling Kim Jong-un’s barber a hair stylist.

Too bad for Díaz-Canel. For someone who can be as imposing as a Spanish galleon at full sail, he comes off as a marionette, someone who seems to forget that in Cuba it is the Party that, for the moment, holds power.

The second-secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, Dr. José Ramón Machado Ventura, made it clear to him when he decided not to grant Cuban legal status to the Che Guevara Foundation due to simple personal problems with his family. To date, the late guerilla leader’s former home remains nothing more than a legal studies center. The same thing happened to a foundation established by the famous Cuban singer Pablo Milanés, which he also shut down under the pretext that it was encouraging tendencies more suited to a capitalist lifestyle.

One has to remain hopeful and look at the facts before coming to any conclusions about the future of Cuba. It does not necessarily matter whose head wears the crown but rather who holds the scepter and sits on the throne.

What is clear is that, with barely five months to go before that fateful day in February 2018, there is still no real successor to the current leadership.

Currently, there are some 28,000 health professionals in Venezuela, but the number could be quickly augmented in the coming days.

In less than 15 days they have processed more than 2,000 Cuban health workers, among them nurses, intensive care and medical emergency physicians that come from the health system of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). An act that, for some, seems to be the underside of humanitarian aid.

The collaborators come from all provinces of the country, although the processing center is in Havana.

“Whether from the FAR or not, the Cuban health workers that the UCCM has sent to Venezuela are not a political party and do not occupy leadership positions in any of the spheres of Venezuelan sociopolitical life,” according to a source in the Cuban medical sector.

The informant said they all go as doctors, nurses or health-related people, “willing to provide excellent medical care and care for patients with the same respect and love they learned in school.”

“Guns kill, medicine opens a path that has no going back,” the source added.

However, it is striking that according to a document distributed from 21 August, doctors from the FAR were cited, as a matter of obligation, and as subordinates, to form part of the Bolivarian Sovereignty military exercise that began in Macarao, on 26 August.

In a context like that of Venezuela today, no one can camouflage themselves under a profession that holds an important space in the life of Venezuela.

“In the UCCM we have the responsibility to guarantee the fulfillment of the commitments made by the Cuban government in the field of international medical collaboration. For this reason, the fact that Cuban doctors, processed by UCCM, are part of this or any other military exercise, constitutes a flagrant violation of the peace and medical cooperation agreement — to strengthen the historic bond of friendship between both peoples, and to work In order to promote and promote the economic and social progress of the two countries with the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean — which was signed on 30 October 2000 in Caracas by Cuban Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías,” the informant said.

Over the last few years, the self-employed have shown themselves to be that part of Cuban civil society that can accomplish more than any political party. They have very positive social impact, help the community and generate employment while their purposeful entrepreneurial ingenuity fascinates the population. It is precisely because of these achievements that they are always under the watchful eyes of suspicious members of the status quo. The reasons for their recent actions against the restaurant, however, are not very clear.

The investigation, which is being led by the attorney general’s office, has not come to any conclusion. Technically speaking, there are no problems nor have any financial irregularities been uncovered. Nevertheless, even though there were no violations that would warrant legal action, the passports of José Raúl Colomé, Osmani Cisneros and some of their relatives were confiscated following a cursory conversation.

Located at 205 29th Street between avenues B and C in Havana’s Vedado district, Starbien became a favorite of local customers and foreign tourists alike. As a result of an unusual fusion of attentive service, a distinctive, innovative cuisine and a setting in the middle of Havana, many consider it to be one of the best restaurants in Cuba.

The real motive behind Starbien’s closure is obscured by rumors among government loyalists and sources who prefer not to express an opinion for fear of putting themselves in jeopardy. But there is a clue in this unique case, a missing link that suggests this is something between a punishment, a scolding and a settling of old scores.

“Everyone wants the truth but few are being honest. Criminal sanctions in this country always have two sides: the spoken and the unspoken,” says a source close to the investigation who uses the pseudonym “El Misteriso.”

“It’s not hard to figure out that this sort of prosecution without trial will end in some sort of agreement,” explains the anonymous source, “because it follows no legal logic. Given that there are no criminal charges in the case, it’s very clear that confiscating the passports and reviewing the restaurant’s finances are not actions aimed at either the owners or the employees of Starbien. Nor is it a case of corruption or violation of the regulations governing private sector restaurants. Financial audits by ONAT indicate there are no irregularities. Therefore, I would call it a settling of scores. The order came from above and was aimed at retired general Abelardo Colomé Ibarra who, as we all know, fell afoul of the younger brother of the Agha and was forced to resign his positions as government minister and member of the Council of State in October 2015, citing health reasons.”

“There is no better way to ruin a father than to trample on his son,” concludes the informer. “It’s a question of semantics. How to milk a plant to get soy milk.”

Resolution 279, which was adopted by MINSAP in 2014, outlines procedures for training and providing human resources associated with providing medical and health services abroad.

The to-do list was distributed to attendees at the meeting, which began at 8:30 A.M.in the main meeting room of the Central Medical Cooperation Unit (UCCM), and consisted of a set of measures aimed at increasing control over Cuban aid workers on medical missions.

At the meeting officials were also informed of directives from the minister of public health, Roberto Morales, to the heads of Cuban medical missions overseas and analyzed the reasons behind the recent rejection by the Angolan government of 189 Cuban aid workers.

According to reports, ANTEX, the Cuban military-run company which provides services and training for joint ventures with the Angolan government, has prepared a new contract to be delivered to the authorities of the African nation.

Some key points of the meeting are as follows:

Political work

Due to the alarming increase in desertions and deactivations of personnel in various missions, it is suggested that a more careful selection of candidates be made.

Pay increased attention to aid workers. Revitalize meetings at the municipal level and pay personal attention to the relatives of those who have died while on a mission.

Review the annual personnel rotation plan

Due to numerous cases of non-compliance with the rotation program, it is necessary to review the current situation regarding shortages of specialists in Venezuela.

As a participating aid workers, directors should record how new resources from the Revolutionary Armed Forces are being used. Also, directors should review compliance with the personnel rotation plan in Brazil and provide information regarding recent changes to the collaboration agreement with that country.

Priority is being given to achieving 100% compliance in current cases. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that directors coordinate with State Security to expedite the approval of candidates.

189 Cuban aid workers’ applications returned by Angola

According to ANTEX, the factors that led to the rejection of aid workers included suspicions of desertion, incomplete documentation, confiscation of contracts, complaints about service provided and conflicts over billing. However, a new dispatch of qualified personnel is being readied and will be assigned as soon as possible to fulfill the commitment to the African sister nation.

Full Name, Specialty and Home Province of Personnel Approved for Upcoming Travel Overseas:

Carlos Emilio Alvarez Segrera, MD, Geriatrics, Granma

Fernando Raúl Rivero Martínez, MD, Neurophysiology, Granma

Rosaida Marrero Rodríguez, MD, Pediatrics, Holguín

Orlando Araujo Herrera, MD, Endocrinology, Havana

Carlos Demetrio Zamora Espinosa, Immunology, Havana

Adonis Montero Barrientos, MD, Neonatology, Las Tunas

Alejandro Virelles Pacheco, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Granma

Silvio Valdés Avila Vera, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Guantánamo

Tania de la Caridad Fernández Nuñez, MD, Microbiology, Mayabeque

Nolberto Rafael Monteagudo Garces, Hygiene and Epidemiology, Las Tunas

Caridad Luisa Mejias Mayo, MD, Microbiology, Las Tunas

Maile Paez Padrón, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Artemisa

Keyly Fernández Garcia, MD, Ophtalmology, Havana

Milagro Sánchez Sarduy, RN, Ciego de Avila

Dolores Enriqueta Colet Figueredo, RN, Granma

Bessel Dieguez Ortiz, Licensed Clinician, Ciego de Avila

Asuncion Fortunata Rodríguez Morris, MD, General Surgery, Havana

Guadalupe Soliman Díaz, RN, Artemisa

Cecilio Vladimir Díaz Noda, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pinar del Rio

Madelyn Urquiola Mariño, Lab Clinician, Pinar del Rio

Lien Gómez Estacio, MD, Human Anatomy, Villa Clara

Arle Luís Ramos Arencibia, MD, Human Anatomy, Pinar del Rio

Rodney Kidman Nieves Armas, Licensed Lab Technician, Cienfuegos

Mabel Guzman Anglada, Licensed Biologist, Holguín

Rosa Coralia Cisneros Reyna, RN, Holguín

Osmani Becerra Peña, RN, Cienfuegos

Daisy Iliana Luaces Carballo, MD, Psychiatry, Havana

Luisa Bello Zamora, RN, Granma

Giorbis Watson Veola, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Guantánamo

Griselda González Salazar, Secretary-Lecturer, Havana

Angélica González Medina, MD, Dermatology, Guantánamo

Leonardo Naranjo Aguilar, Licensed Lab Techinician, Granma

Ivette Mulens Ramos MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Havana

Alina Caraballo Díaz, Licensed Biologist, Sancti Spiritus

Carlos Tablada Cobiella, Telecommunications Engineer, Granma

Gladys Barbara Barberis Pérez, MD, Cienfuegos

Iliana Otero Rodríguez, PhD, Stomalogy, Pinar del Rio

Yainet Medina Magaña, RN, Havana

Adolfo Cruz Carrera, Special Education, Sancti Spiritus

Barbara Fortunata Salabarria Remedios, Licensed Clinical Lab Technician, Sancti Spiritus

Martina Sabina Jiménez Suárez, Special Education in Biology, Cienfuegos

*Translator’s note: As part of a program which generates hard currrency for the Cuban government, Cuban medical personnel are sent to overseas medical missions in developing countries for fixed periods of time. Their services are provided to patients free of charge and costs are covered by the host country. However, increasing numbers of Cuban medical personnel are defecting to other countries before their terms of service have expired and before they can be replaced. The Cuban government has tried, without great success, to stem the exodus.

On numerous occasions General Raul Castro has said he intends to step down as president in February 2018. After having been in power for twelve years (ten as president, two as acting president during the illness of his brother Fidel), the eighty-six-year-old is in declining health. Remaining as head of the Communist party until 2021 would seem more like a ploy to guarantee immunity from prosecution than a step towards maximizing his control over the country or influencing the direction of government.

“I just came back from a meeting where they outlined all the things that we must do to raise public morale for the upcoming elections. People have to be happy because on this occasion they will be choosing those who will choose the next president, which seems redundant,” says a provincial CDR coordinator who prefers to remain anonymous.

The CDRs were designed to hold neighborhood meeting during July and August, assuage any doubts about the elections and make sure there are no unexpected proposals from unforseen candidates by paying attention to their constituents’ “revolutionary condition.”

Communist party and government officials are touring the island, meeting with local officials and party members and assigning them tasks in an effort to encourage an effective voter response. According to one source, the battlefield of ideas continues to be the main frontline.

The following are some of the tasks that have been assigned to party cadres and members:

• Review the personal history and attest to the aptitude and ability of every member of the provincial, municipal and district electoral commissions.
• Visit schools and check the documents and election materials that are to be distributed in each neighborhood.
• Review voter registration rolls and verify that the Address Registry has been updated in every CDR.
• Explain to, reason with and convince reliable voters in each community of the need to forcefully deal with problems caused by disturbances of public order or actions by members of counterrevolutionary groups who, with foreign funding, are attempting to disrupt the normal functioning of the electoral process.
• Recruit young people with proven leadership abilities in every neighborhood to create a corps of activists who will spread ideas, encourage action and spur participation by members of the community.
• Coordinate with representatives from public health and transportation, giving special priority to hygiene and sanitation with the goal of preventing the accumulation of trash over prolonged periods of time in underserved locations.
• Insist that delegates have direct contact with the public and that they craft compelling messages that preferably have little to do with political positions.
• Talk to voters in order to objectively and critically evaluate local problems and determine with renewed vigor the political adjustments that need to be made in each area.
• Work closely with more enthusiastic groups and demographic sectors so that they might have influence on those who are apathetic or indifferent.
• Coordinate with representatives from the cultural, transport, housing and supply sectors to optimize conditions for stability and assure widespread citizen participation.
• Guarantee blood donations, which are important and essential.
• Allow citizens to maintain orderly conduct, work together to assure that the elections take place in a peaceful atmosphere and participate in the opening and closing of the polls.
• Monitor compliance with the assigned tasks, the Election Law and directives from the National Electoral Commission.

But according to a report, “Performance of the Economic Plan during the First Half of 2017” issued by the Cuban Medical Services Company, the country earned 27% less from overseas heath care services compared to the previous year.

Desertions, love affairs between employees and foreigners, illness, lack of discipline, changes in crude oil prices, extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates and unforeseen political developments are among the causes for this sharp decline.

The document lays out a group of measures mission directors must take to prevent desertions and defections. One measure involves increased control and monitoring of workers’ behavior such as checking the websites they visit.

The memo indicates that one of the websites most frequently visited by workers hoping to leave their missions early lists job opportunities in Europe: www.jobandtalent.com.

Heightened propaganda campaigns to attract foreign patients to Cuba, increasing the number of medical missions and reestablishing those that have closed are among the strategies that, it is hoped, will increase MINSAP’s hard currency earnings.

The work of mission directors in Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Gambia, Haiti and Qatar was recognized at the meeting. Special mention was made of Brazil, where 1,230 general comprehensive medicine specialists arrived at the start of this month, and Jamaica, where the mission will expand its workforce on August 3 with the arrival of internists, radiologists, primary care specialists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, biomedical engineers (anesthetic, medical gas, dental) histopathologists and oncologists.

The XVII Meeting of Cuban Heads of Missions culminated with a dinner for the participants and extended congratulations to other workers who, though not directors, are carrying out the mission.

The guidelines highlight the degree of concern Cuban leaders have over events that could be triggered in Venezuela, which has undergone more than one hundred days of street protests and growing tensions within the nation’s institutions.

The memorandum stresses the need to carry out “security meaures” at Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers (CDIs), which were established in 2003 to ensure emergency medical care and greater access to health services for the population. Approximately six-hundred CDIs are currently in operation throughout the country.

The directive also instructs all personnel to remain on duty from July 29 to July 30 at CDI facilities, which will be under the protection of forces from the Venezuelan National Guard.

CDIs have recently been the targets of aggression by demonstrators, and Cuban medical personnel, who are seen by some as agents of propaganda for the Venezuelan regime, have received threats.

Below is the text of the MINSAP memorandum obtained by Martí Noticias:

Upon orders from our country’s most senior leaders, you are being informed of preventive measures to be carried out from July 27 to August 3, a time period coinciding with elections for National Constituent Assembly on July 30.

1. Medical mission workers must be prepared to make travel arrangements with Cubana de Aviación, which has scheduled extra flights from July 21 to 25.

2. It is essential that security measures be put in place at every CDI. Administrative Guards must be reinforced.

3. For the time being, surgical procedures scheduled for this period are postponed.

4. Preparing a schedule of blood donations for July 23, 24 and 25 is of the highest priority. (Members of the Young Communist League and the Cuban Communist Party.)

 5. Every CDI must set up a command post and report any incidents that occur in its populated area every two hours.

6. Protection for every CDI has been coordinated with the Venezuelan National Guard.

7. All personnel must remain at their CDIs from Saturdy, July 9, until Monday, July 31, before they may return to their homes.

8. It is extremely important to educate the public on the political and ideological importance of these elections.

 9. Instructions were given to every head-of-mission and legal affairs officer during the last audio conference.

10. Perform and provide evidence (in photos) of a political act in commemoration of the events of July 26.

Even Russian president Vladimir Putin has been more restrained than the Cuban government, noting that “the crisis in Venezuela must be resolved in accordance with Venezuelan law.”

According the newspaper Granma’s overwrought gobbledygook, deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba are demanding respect for the legitimate rights of the Venezuelan people to continue building a social system that advances the Bolivarian Revolution while simultaneously recognizing the efforts of the Venezuelan government to bring about peace and understanding.

This is a smokescreen. As Cuba’s leaders see it, the current, boorish Venezuelan president in office today is simply as a result of another man’s health problems. Once he has served his purpose, he becomes disposable and the “kind-hearted” opportunist who knows how to take advantage of the situation will be the only thing standing in the way of Nicolás Maduro and his hold on power.

Like the king who only makes promises that benefit his kingdom, the Cuban government , which knows its allies all too well, is attempting to achieve several things with this declaration.

The first is to focus on the conflict within its own borders and avoid intervention by international organizations.

The second is to flatter — this always works — an out-of-control tinpot dictator with no credibility in order to manipulate his emotions and hold onto power in a country also happens to have large reserves oil, gold and uranium.

The third is to mediate a resolution to the critical, systemic political crisis caused when Nicolás Maduro obstructed the country’s National Assembly by hinting at support for a possible (and perhaps already selected) alternative government to which he could assign an undue degree of power in the hopes of calming the opposition. This would also technically fulfill agreements to hold talks while satisfying certain minimal expectations for reviving hope in the Bolivarian nation.

The professionals surveys, continues the order, “must state their willingness to travel to the brother Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and, if they are outside Havana, will have to travel in the coming days to the capital.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces will deal with the paperwork and the transportation. “They will not stay,” the document says, “in the UCCM.”

Curious. The Central Unit for Medical Cooperation (UCCM) is subordinated to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and has the responsibility of guaranteeing the fulfillment of the commitments contracted by the Cuban government in the field of international medical cooperation, and is where those going to serve on medical missions abroad are always housed before leaving.

As always, the information the leaves the island is generating doubts: why has it become necessary to investigate people who have something to do with the regular sending of physicians to the South American nation?

“On the flight lists for Venezuela,” comments someone who deals with the paperwork for this type of agreement, “none of the names of the supposed collaborators appear. The majority of the flight lists we handle, are vacationers who are in Cuba and are returning. But there’s an explanation, maybe the doctors you are referring to are leaving or will leave on private or military planes.”

Lacking answers to why this is being handled this way, another Ministry of Public Health official comments:

“We are taking out of Venezuela the Cuban health workers who have already completed their missions, even if those who will relieve them have not yet arrive, and now they are surveying military doctors who are working in civilian hospitals, to put together a group of workers to send them urgently to Venezuela.

“This is not usual. The FAR residents, specifically, are doctors not very high up in the hierarchy, they are mostly lieutenants or majors, who do their specialities in our hospitals and, later, when they are specialists, return to their units.

“There is no difference between a civilian and military doctor. The objective must have military purposes, or the Armed Forces are using their doctors to guarantee some kind of secret that they don’t want to divulge.”

“The general,” the employee adds, “is not coming here to learn more about the subterranean riches of the Cuban archipelago, which is our reason for being. He is coming to see Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Pompeii, The Hobbit, Spiders and other 3D movies he brings with him, as though this were his private screening room or neighborhood movie theater.”

“What goes around comes around,” he sarcastically notes. “The Palacio del Segundo Cabo has reverted to its original use as military fortress. Raúl Castro might show up at any hour of the morning, noon or night. Security around the site has been tightened, with uniformed military personnel present. They have even removed the horse-drawn carriages and 1950s convertibles that tourists like so much. Military-run businesses in the area are suffering but, with Habanaguanex in charge…”*

According to the official online encyclopedia ECURED, “in commemoration of Europe Day on May 9, 2017, the permanent exhibition spaces in the Center for Interpretation of Cultural Relations between Cuba and the Old World were inaugurated in the renowned Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The building’s restoration is a major project made possible with funds from the European Union and with the direct involvement of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The most up-to-date technology has been used to create a beautiful center that will allow for exploration of cultural, historical, literary and artistic phenomenon but, more importantly, of our shared communal legacy.”

During the opening reception and in the presence of Cuban officials and foreign diplomats — among them was Herman Portocarrero, ambassador and head of the European Union delegation — Dr. Eusebio Leal, Historian of the City of Havana, referred to the founding of Europe, based on deep and solid traditions, and made a timely reference to the collapse of the Roman Empire and the formation of a new era.

*Translator’s note: In 2016, profitable tourism-related businesses such as hotels and restaurants in restored sections of Old Havana that had been operated by the Office of the Historian were taken over by the Habanaguanex conglomerate, led by the Cuban military.

Tiuna Fort is an enormous military installation, the most important in Caracas, and also in Venezuela which, among other things, is the headquarters of the Ministry of People’s Power, the General Command of the Army, the official residence of the vice president, and sports, cultural and financial facilities. It was in this urban complex where, in apartment 10-F, the young Cuban doctor lived.

Several officials from the Homicide Division of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC) came to the scene of the tragedy. The prevailing narrative is that Teresa made the tragic decision to kill herself because she found, on the cellphone of her husband, also a Cuban doctor, compromising text messages involving another woman. However, on her personal profile on Facebook, the deceased young woman appears as single.

That night, troops from the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and Cuban officials who have not been identified, put Teresa’s body in a van, took it to the morgue and did not allow members of the CICPC to preserve the scene of the tragedy nor to collect expert evidence.

The next day, Wednesday, three Cuban citizens came to the morgue in cars with official plates with the intention to accelerate the paperwork to collect the cadaver of the Cuban doctor. They accomplished this the same day and at four in the afternoon, after establishing contact with high level officials of the Bolivarian government and the representatives from the Cuban embassy.

“Normally what happens,” my interlocutor continued to explain, “they close the box in the morgue and send it to Maiquetia [the International Airport]. There, they finish the paperwork, and with the first flight they head to Cuban, accompanied by two officials dispatching the coffin and then the family members. In extreme or strange situations, the deceased is simply buried and they don’t even allow them to hold a funeral.”

“What they don’t want to reveal,” my informer breathes deeply and adds, in a tone appropriate to the shocking confession, “is that Teresa maintained a close relationship with a military man, an official with the National Guard who was captured by SEBIN for being involved with the right and the opposition marches against chavismo. They used the girl as an informer, she couldn’t refuse, because it would mean cancelling her mission, expulsion, threats and a ton of other things. She felt cornered with no alternative. She couldn’t do anything other than betray her friend and, in an act of honor, with a certain touch of ethics, she committed suicide, or she was pushed to suicide.”

The body is already in Cuba, having left on Thursday the 15th in an A320 airplane of Cuban Aviation on the Caracas-Havana route.

Apparently, and this could not be confirmed, patient Raul Castro refused general anesthesia for fear of bad intentions. The truth is that the operation on the president was performed by a Cuban eminence of cosmetic surgery, a celebrity of the guild, of whom I will only say that he is an assistant professor and first class specialist in plastic surgery, because I want to protect his identity from future attacks or implacable witch hunts. Some time ago he had problems at CIMEQ hospital, and later started to work in one of the most well-known teaching hospitals in Havana.

General Raul Castro is a man of particular appetites that grew over time, the influence of alcohol and a real frivolity. It is normal with this surgery to try to correct the traces of a person’s excesses, without exaggerating or abandoning his disagreeable natural aspects. However, he is not the first president, nor will he be the last, who tries to improve his image using surgical techniques.

Plastic surgery (“plastic” derives from the Green “plastikos” which means to mold or give shape) is the medical specialty that deals with the correction or restoration of the form and functions of the body through medical and surgical techniques.

In 1994, while Libya was faced with an international embargo, a group of Brazilian doctors traveled to Tripoli via Tunisia, to perform a hair implant and neck surgery on the now deceased Muammar Ghaddafi.

In 2011, the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi underwent a long cosmetic surgical procedure on his jaw which, according to reports from his personal doctor, lasted more than four hours.

Argentina’s former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner also succumbed to vanity and was remodeled with the help of the scalpel.

And although the Kremlin spokespeople insist on the contrary, one only has to look at old photos and images of President Vladimir Putin and compare them to recent ones. The change is obvious.

It is normal that the Cold War raised the conflict between ideologies and the leaders of that time needed to focus on strategy and wisdom. Then, with the coming of globalization, nationalist discourses lost political strength. Now, in today’s world, several leaders, some fierce, some bullies, prostitute their political ends paying special attention to self-promotion on the internet and on social networks.

Raul Castro cannot escape the desire to look like a modern old man and subjects himself to discrete adjustments with the truculent intention of showing himself to be less despicable.