November 18, 2008
No plantains, no pineapples, no human rights
Did anyone else find this Miami Herald article about how Cuban’s retain their sense of humor in spite of the devastation and hardship from hurricanes offensive?
Political oppression? Hunger? Homelessness? Never mind, because those light hearted humor filled happy natives of Cuba will just laugh it off.
Don’t worry, be happy, and joke:
First came Gustav, then Ike and now No Hay, Spanish for "there isn't any.''
No hay plantains.
No hay pineapples.
No hay sufficient amount of construction supplies to dole out for all those looking to rebuild and repair their homes.So what exactly is left?
''We still have our sense of humor,'' quipped Carlos Humberto, a silver-haired man in his 60s who rents rooms to tourists.
Now, with almost one third of the country's crops destroyed during the first two storms, plantains are hard to find.
Even tourists hoping to score plantain dishes from restaurants are told to choose another dish on the menu.
''We're able to get malanga but plantains are hard to come by,'' said Duniel, 23, who shuttles tourists around on a bicycle taxi throughout the Old Havana neighborhood. ``If you get some, they are all black, overripe.''Also hard to come by are various kinds of fruits, especially pineapples. Many of the agricultural fields where they grow also were destroyed by the storm. Carlos Humberto, the man who rents rooms to tourists, is used to providing his guests with fruit salad for breakfast each morning.
Now, he apologizes for only serving a few slices of pineapple.
''Even to get the pineapple, I had to ride my bike from market to market,'' Carlos Humberto said.
Humberto riding his bike from market to market to deliver pineapple to the tourist. What a good native, so accommodating, I wonder what his family is eating.
And what about those left homeless? Here’s the word from the (sic) president.
''We will rebuild, but logically we will not build so close to the water,'' (p)resident (r)aúl (c)astro told the afflicted residents during a recent visit to the university. "What's the point of rebuilding next to the water if we're going to have to rebuild with the next storm?''
No building near the water? Just watch how fast those areas fill up with new tourist facilities while the people are relocated away from prime beachfront property.
Apartheid in Cuba?
I’m not laughing.
Posted by Ziva at November 18, 2008 02:59 AM
Comments
Cubans are routintely treated by the mainstream media like the happy, singing negro in Walt Disney's "Song of the South." Which by the way, is no longer politically correct, since blacks correctly argue that slavery was nothing to sing about. This Miami Herald article is a pattern in the mainstream media. I can't say how many PBS specials on Cuba, or New York Times articles where the singing, dancing Cuban [and they will use offensive descriptions like "sweaty dancing"] is central to the article and any mention of political repression is nonexistent. Heck, that's what Buena Vista Social Club is all about!! They are the proverbial, enslaved singing dancing Negroes!!!
Posted by: Ray ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.babalublog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 18, 2008 08:34 AM
Ziva, I also took offense at this article, which makes it sound like the Cuban government is trying really hard to help the people by eliminating that horrible black market. The only way people have been surviving is through the black market. There is a huge problem with food right now. It is clear that the Cuban government is more concerned with maintaining power than with helping its people with food and housing. I will try to write my own article for the Herald -- let's see if they publish it.
Posted by: Mariana at November 18, 2008 02:54 PM
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