Havana Two Faces of the Antillean Metropolis

Patrick Symmes is a journalist whose work focuses on Latin America, particularly Cuba. He has published several books, is a regular contributor to Newsweek, and has also published articles in many occasions. Thirty Days as a Cuban was written in October 2010 as Symmes experienced life in Havana. Symmes explains how during his time living in Cuba, the degree of socio/economic inequality was relatively low. While some people were making more than others, the vast majority of Cubans were significantly poor and suffered from starvation in a daily basis. He informs the readers about the way citizens live under a dictatorship government that is literally killing them due to its arbitrary laws and unorganized economic system. The tone of this reading is informative, concise and clear. Furthermore, the author writing style helps to better understand how the dictatorship imposed in Cuba is affecting every citizen and not just a certain group. The way it’s just destroying people’s dreams and hopes of having a better future to offer to those future generations.

The Cuban revolution was a revolution of contradictions (Class notes, March 3rd). This highly debated revolution is said to have started in 1959 when Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries forced Fulgensio Baptista to flee the island allowing for a new revolutionary government, however others have argued it started in 1953 when Fidel Castro first attempted armed insurrection, or in the various failed rebellions of 1844 to 1933 (Chomsky, p. 15). Even the timeline of the Cuban revolution is prone to contradiction, as is so much and despite so many thousands of words devoted to the subject very little consensus has been gained. This topic is important because the Cuban revolution is still ongoing in Cuba, and through the march of time has endured where others have failed, remaining perhaps the most consequential revolution in history. Therefore it is important to try and examine Cuba, its origins, it’s history, and effect.

This chapter will serve to outline the Cuban revolution and its impact on social movements in Latin America and around the world. The two key leaders of the Cuban Revolution was Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Their rhetoric is still regarded as inspiration to many around the world. This chapter will look at their goals and mobilization of the Cuban Revolution with emphasis on the importance of their discourse. The symbolism of Che Guevara that the revolution brought to the forefront of the imaginations of young people is important to understanding the influence the Cuban Revolution had on future revolutions. The Cuban Revolution and the writings and speeches that it produced are filled with instructions for future movements. It is these

Marifeli Pérez-Stable looks back at the Cuban Revolution through a sociological lens in her book The Cuban Revolution. Pérez-Stable claims that Cubans held national independence and social justice as goals ever since the end of the nineteenth century. Radical nationalism remained important in Cubans’ view of themselves and their ideals. Thus, Pérez-Stable argues that the origins of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 lie in the independence movement against Spain and the frustrations from the unfulfilled goals they had kept since before the turn of the century (Pérez-Stable 1998, p 4).

At first glance, Cuba is a paradise, surrounded by green terrain and shimmering oceans, yet internally the fight for power takes over the country. In the 19th century, many had the desire to be in power, although the two that influenced history as we know it were Fulgencio Batista and Fidel Castro. Both of these leaders weren’t ideal, as they both had faults to their governments. In fact, their conflict among each other changed the history of the Caribbean. Castro and Batista’s conflict was based upon the disagreement of their goals for the country of Cuba, as well as who their allies were.

Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean, 90 miles south of the Florida Coast. It has had a contentious and violent history since it was claimed by Spain in 1492, but now has a 99.8% literacy rate, an infant death rate lower than many developed countries and an average life expectancy of almost 78 years (CIA, 2012). In 1959, Fidel Castro led a successful revolution and deposed Fugelico Batista, who fled to exile in Portugal. This had quite an effect on American foreign and economic policy because up until Castro, America owned all of Cuba's oil production, 90% of its mines, and 50% of its cattle, sugar and railroad industries. The capital city, Havana, was a tourist destination for Americans, and the U.S. Mafia shared power with Batista by controlling the islands drug trade, prostitution and gambling industries. This economic disparity continued to enrich many Americans and a few Cuban business owners, but resulted in a huge gap between rich and poor, lack of social services, and a crumbling infrastructure on the Island.

Wright points out, “Efforts to replicate the Cuban Revolution through rural guerrilla warfare had failed, most of them dismally; the urban variant of guerilla warfare, while meeting with initial success in Uruguay and Argentina, ultimately succumbed to counterinsurgency measures and to its own limitations” (p. 165). There were also the revolutions from above, for example, the actions of the Peruvian military and the elected government of Salvador Allende. These revolutions held out new hope for a few years until both came to abrupt ends. The most visible results, by the end of 1979, of two decades of tried revolution and reform were the antirevolutionary regimes that ruled nearly half of Latin America’s population and its most developed countries. (Wright, p. 165) Wright concludes the book with a mention of series of developments in the early 1990’s that signaled the end of the era of the Cuban Revolution. The fall of the communist regimes, between 1989 and 1991, in Eastern Europe and then the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived Cuba of its primary allies and critical economic support. (Wright,

Watching Mikhail Kalatozov’s film I am Cuba (1967) is a moving cinematic experience. In the beginning, the film portrays a stereotypical Cuba through a carefree party on the rooftop and the contrasting scenes of the prostitute’s destitute village and the glamorous casino. The film depicts how Cuba moves from a repressed country to an epicenter of revolution through four vignettes in which each builds momentum to the next and an overall narrator that bridges the stories. The film narrates a movement starting with how the oppressive capitalists exploit Cuba and push the people over the edge. In the second half, the Cuban people move from passivity to actions, shown by a university protest and a villager joining the militia in a revolution to overthrow the corrupt regime. Among the vignettes, Enrique’s leadership in the university student protest stands out the most. Complemented by the shift in the camera’s perspective of space in relation to characters, it is a crucial turning point where the plot changes from the focus on a powerless individual to a vision depicting the power of collective action.

These questions of sociological nomenclature are not to be disregarded in the interests of a better understanding of social phenomena, especially in Cuba, whose history, more than that of any other country of America, is an intense, complex, unbroken process of transculturation of

As requested, I have collected some pertinent information on our proposed expansion to Havana Cuba. Early preparation can alleviate anxiety and promote efficiency in our proposed move. We will develop a timeline and set goals to ensure our success. This is just a brief summary of the culture of Cuba and the more time everyone does in personal research will be beneficial.

Cuban women suffered centuries of mistreatment anterior to 1959. Corruption increased amongst tourist subdivisions in the city of Havana wherein affected women’s status. (….) Poverty remained rampant in Cuba and the majority of Cubans were lower class. There remained an astounding amount of illiterate women, with the majority resorting to work as household servants or even as prostitutes in dire situations. Household workers labored for strenuous hours in exchange were provided with crushing wages, receiving less under $1.50 USD per day. (….) Matters did not progress with desperate prostitution workers

White-sand beaches and rolling mountains, wildlife-rich rainforests and tumbling waterfalls, cigars and rum, all wrapped up in defiantly Revolutionary politics; the island of Cuba can rightfully claim to be one of the most singular destinations on the planet.

Within the next few days, I will officially be a Drama major with a correlate in Africana Studies. My love for the arts, combined with my profound interest in the study of the African diaspora and its people is what draws me to this course. There is certainly much to learn about this country from many perspectives. Much of my curiosity lies in Cuba’s expression of art as it pertains to self-identity, culture, revolutionary actions and politics. Moreover, as a Black and Latina woman, I also find interest in the different racial identities of Cubans. Throughout the numerous Latin American countries, the existence of the myriad racial identities of the people can vary; often times those of the Afro-Latinx identity are marginalized or not as widely recognized in a larger conversation. I want to know where Cuba stands on these issues that affect its neighboring countries as well as the United

For conclusion, this story describes the communist revolution and how it affected Cuba in such a horrible way it drove families apart. The story describes how no matter how hard it may get or be that you will always have your family’s back and nothing should come in the way of that. The ‘Alvarez family proved that nothing is impossible and you shouldn't give up on the people you

Background: Cuba is an island in the Caribbean. La Habana is the capital of Cuba and its biggest city. Cuba is not an industrialized country and it mainly consists of farms. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the most populated with a population of over 11 million people. Cuba is a totalitarian communist country and has been ruled by Fidel Castro since 1959. Raul Castro has succeeded Fidel Castro and is now president. In 2008 Fidel Castro renounced his presidency after becoming ill and passed his presidency on to Raul Castro, his brother and Vice President. Raul Castro now performs all roles. The country