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Analysis Of ' I Am Cuba ' And ' The Rehabilitation Of Prostitutes '

Decent Essays
Bridget Hockaday
Professor Jill Lane
Cultures & Contexts: Latin America
1 October 2014
Revolution and Prostitution “I am Cuba” and "The Rehabilitation of Prostitutes" present the figure of the prostitute as a representation of Cuba 's degraded condition in relation to the United States. The Revolution was interested in the "rehabilitation" of prostitutes as a metaphor for the "rehabilitation" of Cuba. “I Am Cuba” explains the need for revolution in Cuba. The film captures the political oppression and the large disparity in wealth and power experienced by the people under the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista prior to the Revolution. In one scene, it portrays the foreign contribution to the prostitution and poverty epidemic in Havana. The American tourists degrade and dehumanize the prostitutes; the men consider the prostitutes to be “something on the side” after their drink orders, and they refer to them as “tasty morsel” and “dish.” However, one of the American tourists announces that"[he’d] like to see where these women live," and a prostitute named Maria reluctantly agrees to take the man to see her home. Here, the man encounters her poor and dismal living conditions. Her home is merely a shack. The mistreatment and abuse by American tourists on the Cuban people created lives consumed by suffering and destitution. “The Rehabilitation of Prostitutes” provides a moral perception of the efforts made by the Revolution to decrease prostitution. According to “The
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