Stirring the Melting Pot and How We Got Gitmo

The United States tried to upset Cuba's melting pot from jump. From the beginning, there was a movement to annex both Cuba and Puerto Rico, despite Spain's ownership of both islands, as well as repeated attempts to get the Cuban government to “dehumanize” its Negroes, by implementing jim crow laws and other forms of discrimination routinely practiced on the mainland.



As I said before, it was about the economy and the need for free labor to drive it along with the fear that whites would be murdered in their beds if, blacks were allowed to roam free. So, while rich Spanish/white Cuban slave and plantation owners may have agreed with the US, the government did not. Nor did the rebel forces moving toward independence.

Major General Antonio Maceo, Revolution Square, Santiago Cuba 

Jose Marti named Antonio Maceo, a black man as his Major General. He also used The Mambis. Fighters from the Dominican Republic, who took their name from a Black Spaniard named Juan Ethninius Mamby who fought in the Dominican war for independence and also for the Cubans in a previous war for freedom.



Marti made it clear to the US in his Proclamation of Montecristi, in which he outlined his policy for the War. He said: The war was to be waged by both blacks and whites, black participation was crucial for victory, Spaniards who did not object to the war were to be spared, and private property was not to be damaged if at all possible. The Proclamation did not end racial discrimination by any means. But it kept it from taking root and blossoming in Cuba, the way it did in America. Cuba, to this day recognizes African/Negro contributions to culture, while the United States still does not in any real sense of the word.



Cuba won its War for Independence with the help of the Americans, an outcome that have proven to be a two edged sword. Americans continued to meddle in Cuban affairs under the guise of “protecting” Americans as well as American interests on the Island. By the end of the War that included a military base named Guantanamo, that sits on a bay under an open ended lease, signed in 1903, still functioning today.  GITMO is infamous today for housing the alleged terrorists accused of plotting against America. Most people in the United States want it shut down, however it is still open and in use. The base also is the site of truly American fast food. Mickey D's is there as is Subway. No other American fast food exists anywhere else in Cuba.
 

Cannon salvaged from USS Maine which was blown up in Havana Harbor

Remnants of the War sit along the Malecon, where you can see the cannons salvaged from the remains of the USS Maine, sent in to Havana Harbor to protect citizens, but blown up as it sat in the Harbor soon after arrival. 258 people died on the ship. The remains of the ship itself sat in full view in the Harbor for the next 14 years. The bombing incident was the excuse the US used to justify its entry in the War itself.



Both Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo fell in battle, but their images are everywhere. A Marti Statue dominates Revolution Square in Havana, among other places. Marti is considered Cuba's founding father. Maceo is considered one of Cuba's greatest generals.



It is hard to describe the feelings engendered by the statue of this man, on his horse. It is a massive stone figure on a hill, located in the Revolution Square of Santiago. It simply dominates the horizon.

General Antonio Maceo

Maceo was even more controversial after death. Shortly after he was buried, he was dug up and his remains, especially his skull, were examined by a team of doctors, who concluded that his skull was “perfect.” So perfect, in fact, that Maceo could not possibly be a black man, despite his very dark appearance and his pre death claims that he was of Negro descent.



From that point on for a while, pictures of Major General Maceo were touched up. In other words, his skin was lightened to reflect his “inner whiteness.” This went on until somebody in government re-found their lost senses.



More to come...

Yes, We Have No Bananas

Where to begin. Of all the days spent in Cuba, the first day remains a blur, dominated by clearing customs, TSA and the immigration Nazis in two countries within hours is enough to jangle even the sturdiest of world travelers. There were lines and more lines controlled by non smiling or non English speaking people, not because they couldn't speak English, but because they didn't have to, since most of the people in line spoke Spanish.

View from El Morro Castle overlooking Caribbean Sea

Where I had been cautious in my packing by making sure everything fit into my rucksack and one bag, others in line toted huge packages of green plastic shrink wrapped goods to take into Havana. Some of it was identifiable as car tires, bulk toilet paper or paper towels. There were tools and plumbing parts. Things that I would later learn, are impossible to purchase in Cuba thanks to the United States 60 year embargo coupled with the fall of Russia back in 1991.

When the Soviet Union dissolved, Cuba was left hanging with no trade partners, America turned its back on Fidel Castro, ticked off because he kicked them out of their favorite playground, and nationalized and confiscated American holdings in Cuba. JFK mounted a boycott and tried unsuccessfully to assassinate El Presidente a number of times over the years in retaliation.

Stuff like that makes for some harsh feelings to say the least. With no one to trade with, the island fell into decay, so to speak, unable to sustain itself. While it is recovering, total recovery has been an arduous process with some things still in short supply, as the United States continues to sulk about losing its Caribbean playground, while paying more attention to the feelings of the displaced, rich white Cubans in Miami than the brown ones in need in Cuba.

This Cuban scenario is similar to the one played out between the US and Haiti when it sought its independence from France. The US allied itself with the white Europeans fearing a slave backlash on its own turf. US actions continue to reverberate today in modern times as both Haiti and Cuba are left to struggle while the US turns a deaf ear and shrugs.

Another thing in short supply that took me and Marie by surprise was the fact that there was a banana shortage. A banana shortage in a place sometimes referred to derogatorily as a “banana republic.” A place that supplies the fruit to the rest of the world. But there was a good reason for the shortage.

Balcony view in Old Havana

Seems Hurricane Sandy blew all the ripening fruit off the trees when she hit the island, so plantains and bananas were scarce. The same held true for coconuts too. Sandy did a number on the island. If we didn't see actual destruction, we saw red roofs on buildings. The red a sign that it had recently been replaced. We saw whole neighborhoods of red roofed homes and buildings during our travels, especially in and around Santiago de Cuba, which is at the opposite end of the island from Havana.

I was blown away by the “oldness” of everything. The cars, American mainly, dating back to the early 50's, yet still running. The buildings harking back to precolonial times, still standing, still useful, still occupied. Some painted and renovated while others were in varying states of decay and disrepair. Old faded decadence covered over with new, vibrant paint. Brilliant colors guaranteed to offend any housing or condo association in the US that can't see past beige or white or other boringly neutral colors of American status. Old, decayed, but clean. Very clean.

La Ferminia Restaurant Havana, Cuba

Tapas serving at La Ferminia

Following our city drive through, we were taken to La Ferminia a restaurant that served Tapas style. Back in the day, when the wealthy, primarily white Cubans fled Havana in the wake of the revolution, they left their belongings, their homes, their cars and all of their stuff. Those homes became “found” materials and were eventually put to other uses. Many of these homes were transformed into restaurants. They became what are called Paladars. It's like going to dinner at a friend's house, where your friend hires servers and a band to entertain you. Comfortable.

More to come..