Old cars, the best
rum and the best cigars. That's Cuba. And salsa music! Since 1990, Cubans havenít
been able to afford basic necessities with their income. The countryís in
economic ruins. Weíre lining up hoping
to get something. Our model of
socialism hasnít worked. Theyíre supposed to
be selling chicken here. Weíve been in line since
yesterday to get some. When the store opens at 9, everyone knows where
their place is in the line. Things are bad. Anything
else would be a lie. It wasnít supposed
to be this way. A year ago, the Cuban
government decided it was time to fix the country's
economy. The Economy Ministry
came up with a plan. We decided to eliminate
one of our two currencies, and to stabilize the exchange
rate at 24 pesos to 1 US dollar. This restructuring was necessary, and
it required some economic adjustments. Thatís why we also had to
increase salaries and pensions. That's what happened in
theory, but not in practice. Cuba still runs on two -
or even three - currencies. Thereís the Cuban peso at the official
rate, and at the black market rate, which gets you almost
five times more pesos. Inflation is
constantly rising. The "dollar stores" of the
old days have returned. These shops only accept
foreign currency and bank cards. They don't
take cash. It's the Cuban people who are
paying for this financial chaos. It resulted in the population
getting significantly poorer. Real wages fell even though
nominal wages were increased. Purchasing power
has gone right down. Limes are
sold per piece. It's expensive to get them
in from the countryside. My prices are high because
everythingís more expensive now. I hope things
get a bit better. As Cubans, all we can do is hope that one day things
will be the way we want. Thereíve always
been crises. Some big,
some small. Weíve always
had them. Which was worse? This one. Sometimes they lie right to our faces but the people
believe it less and less. People realize that the
official talk is nothing but lies, but they
say nothing. Cuba is a country
of pretenders. The people are suffering, but
they laugh about the situation. These cars came here
before the revolution. Now theyíre part of
Cubaís cultural heritage. Thereís an old saying:
Necessity gives birth to baby boys. It's absolutely vital to
keep the cars running. So weíve had
to be inventive. Whenever there's a problem, we have to solve it using
Russian or German parts. Sometimes the cars have
parts from god knows where. This is a 1955
Chevrolet. It has a Mercedes-Benz
engine from 1980. All of us drivers are also
mechanics and electricians. Weíve always had to figure
out how to fit the parts together. The engine
compartment had to be expanded from the
inside with a hammer. The new
engine had to fit. Otherwise, it would
have stuck out this far. Didnít they have the
oil you wanted to buy? We struggle to
get products here. Freedom is good but it
doesn't fill your stomach, right? Whenís your
birthday? December. Iíll be a
103. 103! Then we will
defintiely celebrate with a bottle. Great. Great...Then
Iíll keep going. 103,
youíre still a youngster! As long as you
like women, enjoy it. Once youíre old, you canít. Esplanade MalecÛn is the
most romantic place in Havana. We made very
little money. When people go to a restaurant,
they just talk among themselves, or spend time
with their family. We don't make much. Products that are
in short supply? Chicken, meat...
Lots of things. The butchers
have no beef. Now there's
not even milk. Not even for
people with diabetes. Milk is important. We always
used to have it. Thereís a shortage
of many things. Right now
thereís some oil. There's also plenty of
chicken at the moment. There are times when everything
seems fine for a moment, then you go back
to having nothing. It keeps happening
over and over again. Itís a struggle
to survive. In this country, you can't
say the truth out loud. If you do, you could
end up in prison. If you tell the truth, you can
be locked up for 10 years. Lots of people are
too afraid to speak. Hunger. Say that you
love Fidel. People have been so
instilled with fear over the years that they're too
afraid to do anything. Theyíre like animals that have
lived all their lives in captivity. When the cage is opened
and they can see the forest, they donít
know what to do. They want to go back to where
they at least had food and water. They wonít
risk going free. Theyíll stay
in captivity. According to the media,
everything's perfect. Sometimes there's
a bit of criticism, but year after year they keep telling
us that things are getting better. Almost no one
believes it anymore. I can't afford
tomatoes. I don't eat tomato
salad anymore. How much were
your tomatoes? Eighty pesos. See, eighty. Not all shortages are
caused by the embargo. We simply don't
have enough cash. We import milk powder from New
Zealand and other far-off countries. The problem is partly
caused by supply chains. Sometimes the
ships get held up. At this very moment we have lots
of container ships stuck in ports. Then there are problems
we have to solve ourselves. Our production
chains arenít working. Sometimes we have the
products, but problems with logistics. Distribution chains
donít always work. That can lead to
situations like this one. We have to rely on the black market because we can't
survive by legal means. I just took my two
children to school. I had to pack
food for them. The school gives out lunch
but no breakfast or snacks. Itís the same
thing every day. The ration card gets you
one loaf of bread per person. The rest has to be
bought on the black market. Let's see if they have
any sausage or mincemeat. What's the price difference
between here and the black market? It's three or four
times the price. 2 kilos of chicken cost 90 pesos here,
and 350 pesos on the black market. Itís weird to call
it a black market. It's a normal
market. In stores, thereís
next to nothing. What really happens is you shop
for overpriced goods at the market. For years in Cuba, weíve
had this culture of surviving through
unofficial trade. Officially it
doesnít exist, but everyone knows about
it and has to shop there. Even the authorities
shop at the market for things you can't
get anywhere else. They exchange money and buy things
like milk powder for their kids. The list is
endless. Sometimes we wait
in line for a couple of days and there's
no chicken nothing. Once a month thereís
soap or shampoo. We get what we get. You never know. Itís really hard
to get coffee. We only get it
every now and then. Just before 9AM, the store opens
and people vie for places in the line. The restructuring happened when
the US embargo was tightened. The Trump administration
enacted over 200 pieces of
legislation against Cuba. At the same time, the pandemic
began, affecting the global economy. The pandemic brought nearly
all international trade to a halt. Countries like Cuba
were especially hard-hit. Cuba's biggest earners are
remittances sent from abroad, tourism, and professionals
working overseas. The combination of these
factors led to a perfect storm. The Trump administration listed
Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. So many banks froze
accounts that the Cuban state and Cuban
businesses had abroad. Because of that, our financial
sector is really struggling. The embargo isnít
making things any easier, but itís not the
decisive factor. Cuba is an island in
the middle of the sea, but we have a
shortage of salt and fish. Cuba has lots of arable land,
but we don't produce enough fruit to eat and
make juice. We can't blame
the embargo for that. Our model of socialism hasnít
worked, including on other levels. We can't use the US embargo
to defend Cubaís inefficiency, the lack of stimulus, or the
contrast between the official line and the way things really
are. It wouldnít be fair. It's not reality. The best thing
about this country is the people. Joy comes
naturally to us. We laugh about
our problems. Even if we don't have money, we
drink rum or smoke brand tobacco, which maybe we
got given by a friend. Thereís lots of
solidarity among us. Thankfully, we
haven't lost that yet. This is one of the most
important theatres in Havana. It's closed today. We played an
important concert here. Our bandís been
together for 30 years. It's sad: Havana used to be
a beautiful and flourishing city. Especially the
architecture and the culture. But everythingís
slowly falling into ruin. There are parts of Havana that
you can only see in photos now, because the owners are dead
and the buildings are in ruins. I hope something from the
pre-revolution Havana will survive. I was an English
lecturer at an art college. Iíve always painted,
and Iíve always loved it. I cry every day. And I don't mean
that figuratively. I shed tears. It's shocking to see
my country so dirty. The streets are broken, thereís
sewage running down them. People in Cuba say
that when Fidel took over the country,
it was like a jewel. It was clean, new, freshly
painted, with beautiful buildings. Now when you walk down the
street, it makes you want to cry. It was lovely. Everything
was beautiful. This used to be the most
beautiful building in Havana. Sure, there was a bit of drug-dealing
- but that's part of life. I'm not
interested in that. Thatís the
young people. The beauty has been destroyed:
the stairs, the roof, everything. That's
drinking water. I'm 73 years old.
But I'm still active. Can I say
something? In the time of Batista, my
grandparents were millionaires. They had livestock. The livestock was
seized in the revolution. Everything
was taken. The state also intervened in
the things that were good in Cuba. My grandma taught
me how to survive. I have my
drink here. Thatís life. This is Cuban rum. I use a mixer, because I'm old and
my throat can't handle neat spirits. Battles have been fought
and sacrifices have been made. The government is showing
people the military leadershipís work. We were revolutionaries and
we really believed in our cause. I didnít gain anything
materially from the revolution. But it gave me a lot
emotionally and spiritually. That's very
important. Fidel was very
charismatic. I remember him once saying
in a speech that - one day milk would be given out
practically free of charge. I have good news. Yesterday, a white cow
produced 89.9 litres of milk. I remember
feeling happy. There would be enough milk
for everybody - if not for free, then at least at
a very low price. We only have milk for
children under seven. If youíre over 65, you get a kilo
of milk powder every 11 days. If you have money,
you can buy things. Products are
very expensive. Prices and salaries don't match,
neither in stores nor in the market. The prices have
risen too much. We donít
deserve this. Chicken. Thereís
chicken here? The store has
some today. Here they sell
according to ration cards, unlike in other places
or in the dollar stores. This is state-run. You can't
film here. This is like the old times - when we
ate proper meat and had plenty of it. No filming. Since the end of socialism,
i.e. from 1990 to now, Cubans havenít been able to afford
basic necessities on their income. Theyíve always needed
a second income. People do something
else alongside their job. If you have a car, you
can be a taxi driver. Some start their own businesses,
others get remittances from abroad or write articles for
foreign newspapers. I'm talking about daily
necessities, like electricity, water, food and clothing. These are things a Cuban
hasnít been able to afford on their salary
since 1990. There are two queues: one
for currency and one here. In there you have to pay
with an MLC currency card. The situation in
Cuba is complex. The problems arenít only economic
but also political and social. Over the years, we've seen a big
increase in poverty and inequality. The latest developments have
strongly exacerbated the situation. Life is very
difficult. The economy should have
been restructured earlier, in a period when things
were good, not during a crisis. I don't know why
it wasn't done then. I suspect some people in the
government opposed the reform, because they were afraid that the
horrible collapse of the Soviet Union might be
repeated here. Shoes cost
7,000 pesos. How many months do you have
to go without food to buy shoes? Or you have to have
relatives in the United States. You canít buy
them on this salary. A phone costs
20,000 pesos. I'm young, but I
don't have a phone. Soviet-made cars are still
driving the streets of Havana. There are lots
of Ladas in Cuba. To Cubans, itís fair to say
a Lada is an excellent car. With all the problems there are now,
Ladas have become quite expensive. This 1983 model could
cost 30,000 American dollars. It sounds crazy - and it
is - but that's just how it is. Whatís not holding up quite
so well is the Soviet-modeled social security
system. It's been 30 years
since socialism fell. In that time, two generations
have been born in Cuba. They donít believe the
promises that change will come. I think the situation
with the Cuban system is the worst itís been
in its 62-year history. This system of bureaucratic
socialism and single-party rule relies on a monopoly
of information. And that doesn't
exist anymore. The internet, alternative
media and social media have unleashed a huge
conversation that wasnít there before. Are those
popsicles? Cuba is a country
with a lot of contrasts. On the one hand,
thereís the official media, and on the other hand thereís
what you see on the streets. Some people trust
the official version. They watch state TV and
read official newspapers. And others donít. Now, instead of talking
about whoís left the country, people talk about
whoís stayed. People used to ask who had left:
Somebody went here, another one there Now, they ask
how many are left. It's sad. I laugh because we
Cubans laugh at everything. But it's sad that
people have to emigrate because of a situation
they didnít create. Leonardo Padura is
Cuba's best-known writer. His books have sold millions of copies
and been translated into 30 languages. Theyíre not available in Cuba,
even though many people read them. I know that some
people read them. Some people
don't like them. I mean, youíre interviewing
me for a television programme. In Cuba, I haven't appeared
on television for years. I assume Cubaís leaders have also
read my books and didn't like them. Padura's main character is
police officer Mario Conde. Conde isnít blind to the
problems of Cuban society. At a time like this, Mario Conde
would probably be quite tired of life and politics
in Cuba. A little while ago it
seemed that Cuba had a more or less
well-organized opposition. Now this opposition movement has
practically completely disintegrated. The situation is starting to get very
similar to what it was a year ago. It's never a good idea
to return to the past, when you should be
looking to the future. If I met Mario Conde and
he asked me what I think or anyone else for that matter - Iíd
say that there's nothing we can do, except try and defend as best we
can the freedom that exists within us. During the
past year, dissatisfaction and frustration
have spread like never before. Since 2020, weíve started
seeing cracks in Cuban society. The situation in Cuba
has seemed unstable. People have experienced too
much misery and uncertainty. All my books contain
observations about the real world. If I'm able to
see something, then the authorities
should also be able to see it. Itís their job to see
whatís happening in Cuba. I don't know why
they can't see it. The reality isnít hidden
- it's just covered over. All you have to do is look under
the cover and you see the trash. In front of the
ìCapitolioî building, people were shouting
ìfreedomî and other slogans. People were shocked
when they saw my sign: Yes to socialism,
no to repression. That's a mixed
message. People said, There
goes another communist. They were confused
when I yelled no repression! Government supporters
liked the socialism part but were puzzled by
the repression part. Everyone was
quite shocked. When the police picked up
on my, no to repression line, I was arrested and
taken to the police station. Did you get a
fine or anything? First they accused me of
creating a public disturbance. They even talked about
spreading enemy propaganda. The final charge was a
public disturbance, that was all. But there was a moment
when I nearly lost my head. On the one hand, there was fear and on the other, a
need to express myself. That's why I went onto the
streets: I knew what I was doing. In Cuba, you can spend
years in prison for that. Itís happened
to lots of people. Of the people who took part
in the 2021 demonstrations, as many as 700
are in prison. More than 20 people got long jail
sentences of ten or even 30 years. Leonardo, who protested with
the sign, is now a marked man. Since then,
Iíve felt better. I don't have to hide anymore
to be able to say what I think. I no longer have to
whisper like before. Iíve already said everything
to the interrogators' faces. Iíve been questioned
more than 25 times. My relatives, my friends and
I have received phone calls. My friends are being watched
and put under pressure. Theyíre being pressured
to inform on me. Thatís happened to
many of my friends. It's a complex strategy:
they're not only pressuring me but everyone
around me. They're trying
to scare them. Protests are
allowed in Cuba as long as the authorities
deem the cause to be acceptable. Weíre mourning the execution of
medical students. What year was that? They are there
because they have to be. The event is organised
by the schools. They bring
people in by bus. This is the only type of demonstration
thatís permitted in Cuba. The execution of students - by Spanish
colonial authorities 150 years ago is a harmless
enough cause. But current problems - like a lack of
freedom and shortages of food are not. That kind of rhetoric
was born of conflict in the trenches
and the resistance. Itís language thatís part
of Cubaís political rhetoric. Itís about the
past, not the future. The future in
unpredictable. I think Cuba needs a future
with more mutual understanding and much
more dialogue. I and other writers as well as film-makers, theatre-makers
and painters have been critical about
the situation in Cuba. We can express a
lot about the problems of this country through our art. The spirit of this painting
is quite socio-critical. This symbolizes
power. The face clearly shows that she's
tired, irritated and disillusioned. This is her true face, and this is
a mask that she wears in public. We need change
and dialogue. Without change,
we will all die. Every one of us. I'm one of the people who needed more
time to open their eyes to the reality. It happened in 1980, when lots
of people fled via the port of Mariel. That was the first time
I witnessed violence. It was violence by the
government and the police including police
in civilian clothes. People want to buy
things, and many do. They say there's
no money in Cuba. Yes there is. There are lines a thousand
people long in front of stores. Think about what happens
when the tourists come. Everyone wants
to marry a foreigner. Everyone just has to
go out with a tourist. That's the only way to
buy something in a store. You foreigners have
money, we don't. There will be no women
left for Cuban men. When the tourists arrive,
everyone goes crazy. One for me!
One for me! Everyone wants a foreign
boyfriend or girlfriend, because itís you who have
the right money to buy things. Will you marry me? I have to go now. That's enough
filming for me! Robert! How are you? I'm renovating
and painting. Well, we lost
our drummer. Roly is gone. Why did he leave? Same reason as everyone:
He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't
breathe. When you can't breathe in
your own country anymore, you don't
have a choice. He decided it was
the only solution. He was frustrated. Weíre dependant on
foreign currency again. Soon thereíll be rubber dinghies
leaving again. The corruption is back. Medicine is being sold
on the black market. The sharks are sharpening
their teeth for us Cubans. Theyíll get lots
of Cuban meat. These 8,500
families here Who can understand this
restructuring? The situation is bad. We haven't touched
on any political issues. In Cuba, rock music has
always been an island of freedom, a way to express
yourself freely. While the rest of society is
waving flags and shouting: Fatherland or death!,
we just play rock 'n' roll. Thatís been
the difference. It made us happy. Not "made". Itís ìmakingî
us happy. I'm not interested
in politics at all. I just want to sing - and
make people dance and clap. These days, everyday life for
Cuban people is very difficult. People don't have
the money to live. The government is
trying to find solutions, but you can't keep applying
the same solutions to problems. The old unsolved problems
need new solutions. We have to
save ourselves. Not the US government,
and not charismatic leaders. Our only chance is to organize
our society from the grassroots. This country is in economic
ruins, but no one admits it. No, weíre
victorious. The country is
in ruins, damn it. You never hear: Help me,
let's rebuild this country together. All you hear are empty
slogans like Fatherland or death! and Victory! Well you can
forget that. Some people are
eating well, but I'm not.
Viva la plata
Only an idiot would think we resemble Cuba.
The only people who like socialism are the ones who have never lived under it and the predators who plan to be among those who are “more equal” than the rest.