14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 14 September 2024 — It is difficult to guess that behind a quiet soccer game or a conversation between friends sitting on a bench in José Martí Park, in Cienfuegos, there are various ways to “earn a living” among children who are barely 15 years old. The “business” begins after four in the afternoon, when the teenagers arrive at the park, still wearing their school uniforms and making sure that no stranger interferes or invades their territory.
“Here we form a big group and play at anything we can think of. Most of the time we bet money, because it’s very boring to play without winning anything. A very clear rule between us is that losers have to pay. That’s how things are settled,” says Marlon, who at just 14 participates in the bets that are being arranged in the park.
Although it doesn’t seem like it at first glance, Marlon and many of his friends come from families in a bad financial situation, and they have learned to “resolve” things any way they can. “We collect empty soda and beer cans to sell them; we bet on cockfights in clandestine cockpits; we make money with the first thing that appears. We do it or we go hungry,” the teenager tells 14ymedio.
Playing soccer is one of the ways that young people prefer to earn “a few pesos,” and with bets, Marlon has incorporated other habits into his routine that his friends copy. When someone wants to stop the game for some reason, several players go to the rusty metal chairs in the park. Then, the smoke that the cigars give off can be seen from the roundabout or the small Arc de Triomphe. “I learned to smoke here, and from time to time, we consume anything else we can get. This is becoming a man: sharing with friends, without being afraid of anything,” Felix explains, putting his foot on top of a punctured soccer ball.
The activity of young people in José Martí Park is not limited to betting. The frequent passing by of some tourists has not been overlooked by the boys, who rush to ask them for money as soon as they have the opportunity. “A while ago a lot of yumas [Americans] came here. I ran away from school at noon and always ended the day with at least 10 dollars, but this has gotten so bad that not even the pigeons come anymore,” laments the tenth grader, with his uniform’s blue shirt tied to his waist.
At the other end of the park, in front of the city’s cathedral, some girls dressed in the basic high school uniform talk about the best way to quickly sell clothes and shoes. According to Laura, one of the teenagers, she has to leave soon, because her mother is sick.
Experience in “business” has made “clear” to her and her friend their future plans. “What you have to do is look for a foreigner to get out of this country. In the meantime, we sell on Revolico the things that my cousin brings from outside,” she says. Among the girls the possibility of continuing studies after finishing the ninth grade is excluded, because, as they conclude, in Cuba “people are condemned to die in poverty.”
A similar disenchantment is experienced by Marlon, who as a child liked to act and interpret characters in school events. “I wanted to make my own puppets and act, but neither of my parents could support me to study that career, nor do I have anyone to help me get into an art school,” he says.
With night approaching, the soccer game stops, and the girls, still dressed in their mustard uniforms, decide that it’s time to leave. They will go home for just a few minutes to bathe, eat something and return to the street again. Felix passes in front of the students, proposing to see them later on the Malecón. “Sure, but you have to buy us something. We know that you have money,” says Laura with a mischievous smile on her lips.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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