a has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and hum

The last few days have been extremely interesting. I am not a political expert, but in a city like Havana you can?t help but be confronted with politics. Everywhere you see billboards with political slogans, monuments of heroes that were significant in Cuba?s history, pictures of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, and the Cuban Revolution as well as the present economic circumstances are omnipresent topics of conversation.

Cubans are a fiercely proud and independent people and more than anything they insist on preserving their national independence and sovereignty. At various times throughout history Cuba was dominated by the Spanish, the English or the Americans and since the Cuban Revolution in 1959 Cubans have had self-determination for the first time in history. Obviously, Cubans avowed political enemy is the US goverment, but I have heard numerous people say that they have nothing against the American people, their issues are with the US government, and in particular the embargo and the travel restrictions for Cubans living in the US. Apparently, relatives of Cuban families are now only allowed to travel to Cuba once every 3 years, so the policites were tightened significantly by the US government in recent times.

The results of the embargo and the economic shortages are visible everywhere, buildings are crumbling, there is not enough construction material, hospitals are lacking in equipment, and personal income is extremely low (eg. between $ 8 and $20 a month...). As a result, everybody is forced to open a little side business. During the last few days I have heard that it is extremely common in Cuba to steal resources from the State since all economic activity including retail is nationalized.

People steal cosmetics, hygience products, cement, wood, computers, cigars, everything that is not absolutely nailed down. Then they sell the products privately under the table. It is strangely ironic that in a Communist country, everybody has turned into an entrepreneur... The phrase that I have heard is ?hay que inventar?, you have to invent things - be creative in order to survive.

This mentality manifests itself in some very obvious ways: yesterday Pedro and I tried to get into the Partagas Tobacco Factory since I wanted to go on a tour. The security guard told us that an employee had died and that therefore the factory was closed. Then, under his breath, he asked us if we wanted to buy a box of cigars. How amazing: the security guard protecting the tobacco factory is selling (stolen) cigars on the black market.

The number and types of private entrepreneurial schemes is too large to mention. Only a few are legal, for example the paladares (private restaurants in private homes), the casas particulares (bed and breakfasts) as well as various types of private taxis. But apart from this small number of officially permitted private enterprises, virtually everybody in this country has turned into an entrepreneur. Any person that owns a car, and car ownership is extremely restricted here, uses it to give a lift to people, picks up passengers at a street corner and drops them off 20 minutes later in return for 10 Pesos, all money made under the table.

On the other hand, Cuba has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and huma

nemy is the US goverment, but I have heard numerous people say that they have nothing against the American people, their issues are with the US government, and in particular the embargo and the travel restrictions for Cubans living in the US. Apparently, relatives of Cuban families are now only allowed to travel to Cuba once every 3 years, so the policites were tightened significantly by the US government in recent times.

The results of the embargo and the economic shortages are visible everywhere, buildings are crumbling, there is not enough construction material, hospitals are lacking in equipment, and personal income is extremely low (eg. between $ 8 and $20 a month...). As a result, everybody is forced to open a little side business. During the last few days I have heard that it is extremely common in Cuba to steal resources from the State since all economic activity including retail is nationalized.

People steal cosmetics, hygience products, cement, wood, computers, cigars, everything that is not absolutely nailed down. Then they sell the products privately under the table. It is strangely ironic that in a Communist country, everybody has turned into an entrepreneur... The phrase that I have heard is ?hay que inventar?, you have to invent things - be creative in order to survive.

This mentality manifests itself in some very obvious ways: yesterday Pedro and I tried to get into the Partagas Tobacco Factory since I wanted to go on a tour. The security guard told us that an employee had died and that therefore the factory was closed. Then, under his breath, he asked us if we wanted to buy a box of cigars. How amazing: the security guard protecting the tobacco factory is selling (stolen) cigars on the black market.

The number and types of private entrepreneurial schemes is too large to mention. Only a few are legal, for example the paladares (private restaurants in private homes), the casas particulares (bed and breakfasts) as well as various types of private taxis. But apart from this small number of officially permitted private enterprises, virtually everybody in this country has turned into an entrepreneur. Any person that owns a car, and car ownership is extremely restricted here, uses it to give a lift to people, picks up passengers at a street corner and drops them off 20 minutes later in return for 10 Pesos, all money made under the table.

On the other hand, Cuba has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and hum

ommon in Cuba to steal resources from the State since all economic activity including retail is nationalized.

People steal cosmetics, hygience products, cement, wood, computers, cigars, everything that is not absolutely nailed down. Then they sell the products privately under the table. It is strangely ironic that in a Communist country, everybody has turned into an entrepreneur... The phrase that I have heard is ?hay que inventar?, you have to invent things - be creative in order to survive.

This mentality manifests itself in some very obvious ways: yesterday Pedro and I tried to get into the Partagas Tobacco Factory since I wanted to go on a tour. The security guard told us that an employee had died and that therefore the factory was closed. Then, under his breath, he asked us if we wanted to buy a box of cigars. How amazing: the security guard protecting the tobacco factory is selling (stolen) cigars on the black market.

The number and types of private entrepreneurial schemes is too large to mention. Only a few are legal, for example the paladares (private restaurants in private homes), the casas particulares (bed and breakfasts) as well as various types of private taxis. But apart from this small number of officially permitted private enterprises, virtually everybody in this country has turned into an entrepreneur. Any person that owns a car, and car ownership is extremely restricted here, uses it to give a lift to people, picks up passengers at a street corner and drops them off 20 minutes later in return for 10 Pesos, all money made under the table.

On the other hand, Cuba has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and hum

to buy a box of cigars. How amazing: the security guard protecting the tobacco factory is selling (stolen) cigars on the black market.

The number and types of private entrepreneurial schemes is too large to mention. Only a few are legal, for example the paladares (private restaurants in private homes), the casas particulares (bed and breakfasts) as well as various types of private taxis. But apart from this small number of officially permitted private enterprises, virtually everybody in this country has turned into an entrepreneur. Any person that owns a car, and car ownership is extremely restricted here, uses it to give a lift to people, picks up passengers at a street corner and drops them off 20 minutes later in return for 10 Pesos, all money made under the table.

On the other hand, Cuba has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and hum

a has achieved tremendous accomplishments, for a small, third-world Carribean country. Close to 100% of Cuba?s population is literate, public education is available to everybody. Black people and women in particular have benefited from the effects of the revoluation. The health care and education system are among the most developed systems in the 3rd world, and Cuba?s life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the best of the world. In addition, post-revolutionary Cuba has also dedicated itself to promoting sport and athelticism and today Cuba excels in many different sports (track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, fencing and others) on an international level.

However, on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that Cuba is still a dictatorship, a totalitarian regime and human rights and personal freedoms are restricted here. There is a palpable paranoia here among people in that they are afraid of publicly criticizing the regime. And organizations like the CDR, the Comite de la Defensa de la Revolution, often act as watchdogs and informers on the people. Travel is extremely restricted, or impossible, and there are no official methods of criticizing the government.