In light of the United States’ apparent sea change in attitude towards the ‘axis of evil’ nations, and the notable absence of world record orator Fidel Castro, one might be forgiven some long overdue optimism in thinking that perhaps the iron curtain around Cuba may be lifting slightly. Whilst it may be true that ‘Gitmo’ may be closing its barbed-wire gates to the world’s orange boiler-suited malcontents, and Cubans may now be ‘allowed’ to use mobile phones, things, as they say, have a long way to go.
It should be remembered whilst reading that any article gesturing towards the political and historical events that have come to define Cuba should be prefigured with the knowledge that one is entering contested terrain. Though even the most seasoned of commentators find their ‘facts’ about Cuba shrouded in secrecy and engulfed in political hyperbole from both sides, it remains suffice to say that anything said about Cuba (including this piece) must be taken with a fairly hefty pinch of salt.
This, in part, is what I want to talk about. As a foreigner, the problem of unravelling the accuracies of the long standing stalemate between the Caribbean island and its goliath neighbour, and thus trying to see a way forward (post Castro/Bush) is compounded by the simplistic way in which it is addressed in the world outside Cuba’s borders. Whether it is the tyranny of the US in imposing a crippling trade embargo, or Cuba’s communist regime and their stubbornness and reluctance to change – the fact is that illegal emigration from Cuba has created a situation where more Cubans live outside Cuba than live in it.
We tend to hear about this problem in these simplistic terms, a situation not helped by the cultural products from Cuba with which we are familiar. The ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ for example, however enjoyable, don’t touch the subject of politics with a ten-foot barge pole – and why should they? With political censorship still strictly controlled, in order to gain any type of official sanction music that steers clear of controversy has become de rigueur. Obviously there are a number of examples of musicians in Cuba (and outside Cuba) who openly criticise the regime. The quite brilliant folk singer Pedro Luis Ferrer and the genuinely-anarchic-without-a-hint-of-pretence punk band ‘Porno Para Ricardo’ are two notable exceptions. Yet both ply their trade in a world that exists outside of ‘Cuba’ – the former relying on European tours, the latter constantly hounded by police. A popular and accurate assessment of the current political and social climate is a hard thing to come by. However, in the song ‘Añoranza por la Conga’ by the Santiago de Cuba based band ‘Sur Caribe’ one may find exactly that.
The Grain 