Category: Laritza Diversent

The news of the declarations made by Gerardo Hernandez, one of the 5 heroes of the Cuban Revolution, has had a real impact.  The spy who is imprisoned in the United States proved that his own government is lying.  He acknowledged the fact that the shoot-down of two “Brothers to the Rescue” aircraft, carried out by Cuban Air Force pilots in 1996, occurred over international waters.

Since then, he has anxiously waited to hear the Cuban government’s version with respect to his declaration.  On December 31, in the press note section, the Granma newspaper made reference to a letter sent on the 28th by Belgian representatives and senators to U.S. members of congress.  This letter expressed concern for the “fate of the 5 Cuban anti-terrorists.”  This occurred one day after one of the spies made a declaration proving that his government had, without any justification, shot down two aircraft over international waters.

On January 1, Granma published four “messages from the 5 heroes.”  Three of these were signed by Antonio, Rene, and Fernando.  The fourth, which was dated December 15, includes the signature of all with a special recognition for Gerardo, assuring that in his case, “evil has the upper hand.”  This is a sign that they are preparing the grounds to justify his conduct.

I must admit that I received such news with much joy.  Once again, life has demonstrated that human nature is above any ideological conceptions.  It is time to question to whom Gerardo was being loyal: the magnanimous Revolution or the assassins who gave the orders to end the lives of four of his fellow countrymen.

I ask myself: how is it that the cause of the 5 is so boasted about throughout Cuba and among all its committees of solidarity spread out through the world?  Nothing can justify the events which occurred on February 24, 1996.  It can only be called one thing: State-Sponsored Terrorism.  The Cuban government lied, and will continue lying, in order to  achieve impunity.  I do not believe that the declarations made by Gerardo will make them change their position in any way.

Nevertheless, the assassination of the four Cubans is heavily weighing on the government’s shoulders, especially on the shoulders of the Castro brothers: the ailing Commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and the President of the State Council, who are the same person.  Perhaps this is why he did not publicly attend the inauguration of the new Brazilian president.

Up to not so very long ago, there was only one man who was willing to pay for him.  Twelve years ago, the historic leaders had promised him that he would return, despite the fact that he was being sentenced by the American courts to a life sentence for planning an assassination.

We must acknowledge that they did try absolutely everything.  For each one of these spies, they jailed 15 dissidents, to simply use them as trading currency later.  Desperate or not, Gerardo grew tired of waiting and decided to fight for the most prized possession of any human being — freedom.

One week later, the people of Cuba do not know the disturbing confessions made by the chief spy of the Wasp Network in Miami.  It’s as if nothing has occurred, despite how transcendental his declaration was.  It seems that the star which represents the 5 will remain intact for some time, despite the fact that one of its tips has shattered.

Photos: Omar Santana

Translated by Raul G.

January 18 2011

A typical Cuban day is synonymous with a journey full of dangers. Not because of the gain or loss of a business, nor the ups or downs of market prices. Instead, because one must resort to illegal activities in order to survive.

The Cuban population tends to instantly consume whatever they get their hands on. For those who tend to be thrifty, one month’s salary could last them a week. As for the rest (which is the majority), between contracted debts, electricity, and the purchase of rickety subsidized food quotas, that salary is spent in less than 24 hours.

So then one is forced to live off of “inventions”– a word which in Cuba means “to live from whatever appears”. Or from whatever can be found daily, whether it be legal or illegal.

To live “the Cuban style” means to buy and resell absolutely anything, keeping in mind that such an action could be considered a crime of “reception of stolen goods”, speculation, or monopolization. It also means to turn to the black market, which always has a better stock than the state market and which always has more affordable prices.

It means to keep your eyes wide open because in each block there are eyes which are constantly watching, even though those eyes (which belong to the members of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution) are very well aware that no one can live off of the earned salaries.

The “watchers” tend to be suspicious of neighbors with higher economic income. They automatically think that such wealth comes from remittances sent by relatives abroad, or because they live off of “inventions”, or in other words, illegalities.

For the authorities, such a presumption is valid. The improvement or increase of quality in a citizen’s life is a sufficient cause to unleash a confiscation process against them under the pretext of “illicit enrichment”. In this case, the charge of the proof is inverted. It is the individual who must prove to the authorities that their assets do not stem from illegality.

Besides, Cubans have the duty of denouncing the events which transgress the law. The failure to fulfill such an obligation is listed in the Penal Code as a crime. It is all designed and arranged very well. In order to facilitate its job against illegalities, the government created a complex network of anonymous denunciations. Such denunciations are usually products of envy, personal grudges, or low levels of ethics.

The prosperity of one neighbor may worry or bother other neighbors who have accumulated years of frustration and find themselves in a stagnant kind of life. And the thing that pushes one to “snitch” could be something like an argument due to music being played very loud, a dispute among children, a disagreement over the limits of an adjacent property, or simply if someone does not like another person because they are rude and does not say hello to anyone.

In other instances, snitching is used to obtain impunity. People who think like that exist in every neighborhood, and their philosophy is something like this: “I engage in illegal business, so that’s why I take part in denunciations and snitching on what others do, so that I am allowed to continue my own illegal activities.”

It’s a very difficult and twisted concept to grasp, especially for foreigners. But it is something that has become normal in Cuba. In a matter of necessity, of survival. It’s one of the main sources which inform the authorities and it is known as “operative secret work”. For revolutionary justice, a denunciation is proof of irrefutable culpability.

There is one reality: daily life not only forces you to violate the law, but it also offers you some “paths” to take to lighten your own load. It doesn’t matter if it’s to achieve impunity, but it is a necessity to give out information about the lives of others.

In sum, “my stuff comes first” is the maximum slogan of national survival. It is essential for living “the Cuban way”.

Translated by Raul G.

January 7 2011

Forty-three year old Ana Luisa Millares, a native of Holguin province, has been living for less than 8 years in a neighborhood in the capital. No one knows how, in such little time, she was able to get a phone line and a mission in Venezuela. She returned with all sorts of electrical equipment and with sufficient money to construct her house in less than 12 months.

Quite a few neighbors are actually bothered by the increased quality of life of Mrs. Millares. In an entire lifetime, many have not been able to achieve what this woman has. With a very disrespectful tone, and behind her back, they call her “the Palestinian”. This nickname has always been used by those who were born in the capital to refer to people who come from the Eastern region of the country.

Migration, mainly from the countryside to the capital, is determined firstly by difference in economic and social development from different regions of the country. Meanwhile, the government overlooks the Eastern natives, and they undertake the work which people from the capital reject.

Very little is spoken about this, if anything at all. At present day, there exist no sociological analysis which explain the mistrust of Eastern-born Cubans by Havana natives. In fact, legal norms installed by the government put in place to halt immigration to the capital, like the case of Decree 217 from the Executive Committee Ministry, actually promote this apathetic sentiment.

Some explain the situation through historical events. According to what they say, when the guerrilla fighters, who were mostly Easterners, arrived to Havana in January 1959, they destroyed the capital. As they became the dominant group, they took over all the best land and property of the city for themselves and for each of their family members. Since then, the situation is as the song by Los Van Van says, “Havana can’t take it anymore”.

Among Havana residents, there exists another hypothesis to explain this situation. Some suggest that it is an issue of idiosyncrasy. This notion states that Eastern natives are generally staunch supporters of the government, and at the same time the most hypocritical ones. In order to avoid the fury of inspectors from the Department of Confrontation because of her illegal structures under the Municipal Housing Direction, Ana Luisa assumed presidency of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.

To back up such a thesis, they mention that the main government members of the island nominate and choose themselves through Eastern territories. Also, it is a reality that Eastern residents are the ones that mostly make up the repressive force against the people of the capital, the police. Such a job is rejected by capital natives, even before the Revolution triumphed.

This has even been acknowledged by the President of the State Council, Raul Castro, in his speech given during the closing of the first parliamentary session of 2008, when he assured that “if Easterners don’t come to take care of those in Havana, then robbery will thrive.” This phrase has more than just one interpretation.

In truth, it is the government itself that encourages migration from other regions of the country towards the capital. Castro, also the top General of the Military, asked, “Who will construct and build in Havana if people from all over the country don’t come, especially those from the East? Even teachers must be brought from the interior provinces, especially form the East. And I think the capital is the one which harbors most inhabitants.”

This situation has led to the phenomenon that in Havana, the capital of all Cubans, Eastern natives are more vulnerable from a sociological point of view. In fact, some attitudes can be considered as xenophobic. In all of this, the government is the culprit. On one hand, they halt migration by violating fundamental rights of people, while on the other hand they promote it, at their convenience.

Translated by Raul G.

January 2 2011

It is the third night that Roger Martinez, a young man of 35, comes home drunk. His wife cannot handle this situation any longer. She had to ask her neighbor for two eggs to accompany the white rice she made for her children’s dinner. Meanwhile, she wonders how her husband manages to get money to intoxicate himself nearly every single day.

Daily, Roger goes out to search for a job, but a self-employed job. He’ll clean a backyard, he’ll do some construction in certain homes, etc. He does not have a specific occupation, but he does anything in order to live day to day. For him, working in the street means more income than he would make with a monthly salary. All in all, however, it is still not enough to get by.

Before, when he would lay his head on his pillow, he would think of the different ways he could resolve the economic difficulties that awaited him the following day. He had to figure out a way to pay for all the electrical appliances given to him during the “Energy Revolution,” to continue supporting his children, to get food, to repair the house, etc.

Now, his situation has only worsened. To work for himself and at his own risk he needs a government license. The Tax Administration Office of his municipality has required him the guarantee to be a grocer, dependent of the centers which deliver the subsidy quota, that way he will be accredited that he is not a “debtor of the nation.” On the contrary, they will not let him operate as a self-employed citizen.

Martinez now finds himself in a dilemma — in order to work legally, he has to settle his debts with the State. The problem lies in the fact that he does not know how he will get more than 10 thousand pesos to pay for all the appliances given to him by the benevolent Battle of Ideas. He can barely even guarantee food for his children.

He has no other option but to work illegally and to incur one of the legal violations that come along with self-employment. Infringement is punished by a fine of 1,200 pesos, and that’s just for taking part in activities that are “legally authorized” without presenting the proper documentation which certifies him as a self-employed worker.

Roger wonders where he will get the money from if this happens. His problems do not diminish, instead they grow. The only solution for the time being is to not think. Either way, the only alternative to survive is to run the risk and work “on the left”*, as they say out on the streets.

His day starts at 6 AM in the bar at the corner of the street. At that time, he gulps down his first drink of the day. He ends up stumbling and talking to himself on the way back home. Drinking alcoholic beverages has become his main attraction, as a way to not face his frustrations and weakness. An escape from the harsh reality, a remedy to not have to think.

Translated by Raul G.