The easternmost province of Cuba is also the poorest, and the ideologues of the regime know that the greater the poverty, the greater the dependence
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, October 24, 2024 — Thanks to the theater, I was lucky enough to tour almost the entire Cuban archipelago, from Pinar del Río to Santiago, including the Isle of Pines (now the Isle of Youth). However, I was left with a debt before I was expelled from Cuba: Guantánamo. Some of my works were presented on its stages, but the performance always coincided with a trip outside the country. That aphorism that reads “know Cuba first and abroad later” has never been taken very seriously by most Cubans who have the privilege of boarding planes. So when we are far away, we are crushed by the full weight of nostalgia. Guantánamo is my loose end, my little thorn, my pending account.
The easternmost province of Cuba is also the poorest. And the ideologues of the regime know that the greater the poverty, the greater the dependence. That is why no one rules out that planned misery is one of their strategies to maintain an obsolete, impoverishing and catastrophic model. In the “elections” of delegates of 2023, for example, Guantánamo was the province with the most validated votes (92.94%).
The regime prefers to concentrate the scarce resources it distributes on the most problematic areas, the least obedient, those where the spark of protest ignites more quickly. That’s why they tend to leave the territories that show greater loyalty alone. The poverty of Guantánamo is not only the result of a geographical fatalism. Its helplessness is directly proportional to the confidence that the bureaucrats feel in the political fidelity of the region. “You don’t waste bullets on won territory,” could be a new aphorism. But all that, perhaps, is about to change.
The regime prefers to concentrate the scarce resources it distributes on the most problematic areas, the least obedient
The hand-picked dictator arrived in the areas affected by Hurricane Oscar with an army of escorts, but empty-handed. He arrived with a lot of excuses, but without solutions; with a troop of cameramen, but without supplies. Cubadebate published this Thursday: “Neither alone nor abandoned, Cuba works as a function of you.” However, in all the images that circulate on social networks, the truth slaps the official headline in the face. People did not receive Díaz-Canel with applause. In their voices you could repeatedly hear a blunt phrase: You abandoned us.
We still don’t know, for sure, the size of the destruction. Hurricane Ian (2022), category 5, left five fatalities. Oscar, with category 1, has already claimed seven lives, although it is feared that the figure is higher. Not even the response to hurricanes, which once enjoyed prestige, can now boast of anything. The disaster is total.
Some Cubans have suggested turning the Guantánamo Naval Base into a city for free Cubans. Although the idea is Macondian* and unlikely, it would be interesting to transform that little piece of Cuba, occupied by the United States, into a kind of Caribbean Hong Kong. Imagine the moral impact that a free city could cause in the very mouth of the caiman. Imagine the contrast between both sides of the metal fence. Of course, this suggestion is no more than a fantasy. But since the regime has taken practically everything from us, don’t let them also take away our ability to imagine.
No one, not even the most bitter enemy of the regime, is happy about the tragedy that occurred
I’ve never been to Guantánamo, but I have a lot of friends there. I attest to the talent, intelligence, creativity, nobility and courage of the people I know. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them today. No one, not even the most bitter enemy of the regime, is happy about the tragedy that occurred. We all hurt for Guantánamo. In exile, many Cubans are already organizing to send aid, prioritizing the most affected areas. And we are aware that a bandaid does not solve the whole problem, but it serves, at least, one injured person. That’s not a small thing. Worse would be to stay with our arms crossed or limit ourselves to denunciation and catharsis.
Cuba is fed up with political speeches. Those of us who have focused on fighting for change should avoid reproducing the regime’s talkative model. Practicing politics is, above all, doing concrete things for the people. It should be more about doing and less about talking. It should be a practice, not just simple rhetoric. It’s true that it is extremely complicated to do it from the outside. It’s true that, with any aid, there is the trap of indirectly benefiting the regime. But that fear cannot cause us to abandon those who need help.
How to force a humanitarian intervention? How to achieve it despite the obstinacy and arrogance of a dying regime? Let’s not just stay in a corner singing La Guantanamera. Doing something today for Guantánamo is the best way to do it for the Cuba of our dreams.
*Translator’s note: Macondian is a term associated with the fictional Colombian town of Macondo, which is featured in Gabriel García Márquez’s novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’
Translated by Regina Anavy
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