Voices from Havana: Cubans offer their thoughts about the future of the island
| Mexico City and Havana
The United States is turning up the heat on Cuba, renewing threats of military action and casting doubt on the possibility of reaching a diplomatic solution to a decadeslong stalemate.
Cuba announced that its oil reserves have been exhausted due to a U.S. blockade on the island. As many as 2 million Cubans are believed to have fled the country over the past five years, as the tourism-dependent economy struggled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government violently cracked down on public protests over food shortages.
In recent months, electricity outages have become a fact of life in Cuba. Food is rotting in refrigerators, schools and bus routes have limited services, and members of the public are speaking up, saying they have had enough.
Why We Wrote This
The U.S. government says Cuba is a 鈥渘ational security threat.鈥� President Donald Trump has even mentioned a 鈥渇riendly takeover鈥� of the island. Here鈥檚 what Cubans, in their own voices, say they want for the future.
The U.S. unsealed criminal charges against former President Ra煤l Castro on May 20 for his alleged orders to shoot down two civilian aircraft flown by Miami-based exiles in 1996. Mr. Castro, along with his late brother Fidel, led the Cuban Revolution that overthrew a dictator in 1959 and ushered in a communist government that has endured since the 1960s. The Trump administration has made repeated comments in recent months about the need for leadership change on the island.
鈥淐urrently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country,鈥� Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the population in a Spanish-language video released on Cuban independence day last week. President Donald Trump touted what he sees as his role in Cuban history, saying U.S. leaders have sought a Cuban transformation for six decades, 鈥渁nd it looks like I鈥檒l be the one that does it.鈥�
But what do Cubans want? How eager are they for seismic political change? Also, what aspects of life in Cuba 鈥� even under a communist government 鈥� do they want to preserve in the future? 海角大神 spoke with several Cubans living in Havana, from their early 30s to their late 80s, about their hopes and fears for what comes next on the island. Here are some of their perspectives on this moment, in their own voices.
鈥淎 spirit of perseverance鈥�
Sheila Rivero, in her early 30s, is a technology specialist in Cuba鈥檚 state sector. She lives in the capital with her young daughter, alongside her parents, brother, and sister-in-law. She鈥檚 deeply religious, and a few international travel experiences over the years have made her yearn for a different kind of life in Cuba, replete with 鈥渇reedom, dignity, and possibility,鈥� she says.
Cuba has always been synonymous with happiness, simplicity, camaraderie, delicious food, and music. Rhythm in general. But above all, for me, it鈥檚 characterized by a spirit of perseverance.
But, that was the Cuba of my past. Today, it鈥檚 falling apart. It feels sad, lifeless, hopeless. Its music is no longer what it used to be. Marginality has supplanted our rich culture. We no longer get to enjoy our good food, we aren鈥檛 even cheerful people anymore. And our long history of having a helping spirit is at risk of disappearing into a 鈥榮ave yourself if you can鈥� mentality. Everyone is just trying to survive.
I like to imagine a prosperous Cuba. Healed and restored cities. Freedom of the press, freedom of expression. Real, truly private enterprises, music made without censorship. As a mother, I want a country where my daughter can dream. I dream of a Cuba where she will want to stay, where she can live on a decent wage.
From the government, I want one thing: That it actually works. That politicians are accountable, and leaders are chosen through free elections, serve their terms, and actually deliver on their promises. For communism to be something that only lives on in history books.
My fear is that all of this from the United States will amount to nothing more than a media spectacle. That whatever agreements are reached will solve absolutely nothing. And what truly terrifies me is the possibility that a bombardment could break out here, ultimately claiming the lives of innocent people. Especially when you consider that the militarized zones within the city are close to schools, residential areas, and various workplaces.
鈥淭he very essence of being Cuban鈥�
Iv谩n Luis Arcia is an engineer who specializes in metal processing. Several years ago, he started his own car repair business. Although he considers himself an entrepreneur, investing in a piece of private land to set up his workshop, his work still relies on the Cuban government.
The way things are now is not how they will remain. I follow the news. A post-Trump Cuban society would be like Switzerland or Costa Rica or Germany. Because with the capital that will be invested in Cuba, a country that has the potential to grow exponentially, change will arrive in the blink of an eye.
You can ask any Cuban on the street, you don鈥檛 have to go looking for them. I was at the bank today and there was this really long line and someone shouted, 鈥淗ey, we really need Trump to get here already,鈥� and everyone started laughing. I mean we鈥檙e waiting for the United States. It鈥檚 an open secret: We have our hopes pinned on Trump.
But my fears? I fear that with an economic opening, things like guns and crime could flood in. I also fear that someone like me, who has spent his entire life in Cuba working hard and pushing ahead, might suddenly see someone else arrive with less knowledge but more resources. I鈥檓 an engineer, I鈥檝e spent my life studying, yet someone could come along with $40,000 or $50,000 and make an investment that leaves me without the capital to compete. Here I am, someone who stuck it out, and then I鈥檇 have to work for them?
Anyone with even a little capital is going to grab the biggest slice of the pie. I believe we need to set a quota, not necessarily a hard limit on investments, but specifically on foreign investments. Just consider an average person in the rest of the world and the savings or loans they have access to. That鈥檚 the fear: That Cubans might be relegated to the background while some foreigner comes along and leapfrogs right in front of us. If our country ends up parceled out among people who aren鈥檛 Cuban, the very essence of being Cuban will be lost.
鈥淭otal abandonment鈥�
El Chino Libre, a Havana resident of Chinese descent, asked to use his nickname out of fear of reprisals for sharing his feelings about this moment in Cuba. The professional chef tried dabbling in small, entrepreneurial restaurant projects over the past decade, but each shuttered, he says, due to arbitrary obstacles and regulations placed on Cuba鈥檚 small private sector by the government. More recently, he has tried to make ends meet by catering for special events 鈥� including at various embassies on the island.
Cuba is its people, but we鈥檙e a people who are exhausted. In the past you might hear people talking about joy and music and the warmth of Cuban people. That鈥檚 still here, but it鈥檚 not the same. We have to wake up every day figuring out how to scrape together a meal, survive without electricity. I fear our essence as a people is slowly wearing away.
I don鈥檛 expect saviors, and certainly not saviors coming from outside Cuba. But what is clear to me is that we also can鈥檛 keep using outside factors as an excuse for everything that鈥檚 happening here. Saying 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 all because of the embargo.鈥� That isn鈥檛 the whole story.
My fear is that everything will remain exactly the same way it is and has been. That there will be no change, and that we will continue to justify the unjustifiable here. But I also have hope, including that there will be no way left to keep ignoring our struggles. That things will begin to flow freely.
This notion that everyone should have access to healthcare, to education, it鈥檚 only fair in theory. It鈥檚 something that any country, including the United States, should probably aspire to guarantee. But the problem arises when that idea evolves into a system that controls everything. It becomes a system that limits opportunities and prevents growth. And so then it ceases to be real. Access to school or medical care is meaningless if the quality of services are in a state of decay, if doctors, professionals, and teachers lack the proper working conditions. This shouldn鈥檛 be about idealizing a concept or demonizing it. We have to look at the whole picture.
When the power goes out in Cuba, I just sit here, I try to stay calm, and I wait. I start thinking about what this actually represents. When the power goes out, it鈥檚 not just a blackout. What I feel is total abandonment on the part of my government.
鈥淎 zest for life鈥�
Zoila Caridad Gonz谩lez recently became a great-grandmother. She says she would love to dote on her growing family, but that she spends a large chunk of her time instead standing in line for medicine and state-rationed groceries. She speaks about Cuba as if she鈥檚 reciting poetry 鈥� with rhythm, cadence, and emotion.
Idiosyncrasy is the very essence of Cuba. We are gracious hosts, we鈥檙e sincere. I want to see Cuba return to its full potential: A joyful, vibrant community with a zest for life.
What I wish for most is democracy. It鈥檚 fundamental to any government in the world. Cuba needs urgent change, it needs to uproot communism. The people themselves should decide our future. I have high hopes about the attention from the U.S., I have no concerns. How will the U.S. government go about it? Well, I don鈥檛 think it could be any worse than this.
Whitney Eulich reported from Mexico City, and Rudy Cabrera Arcia from Havana.
