Cuba: waiting and speculation
- From: PL <pl.nospam@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:37:35 GMT
Cuba: waiting and speculation
Recently I came back from Cuba, my homeland, where time seems to have stood still. Before I left for Cuba, there was a lot speculation about Castro's illness, all of it negative.
Being in Havana, it was a big surprise to me to see that many people avoided talking about it, and I got the feeling that some of them really didn't care one way or another. They're apparently just waiting on the clock.
It was a very strange situation. I was thinking that if I had a close family member who was seriously ill, I would really not have time to celebrate New Year's Eve, Christmas or anything else. But most Cubans were celebrating without any apparent worries. Life seemed to continue as if nothing bad had happened, even though the whole world knew that the father of the Cuban Revolution was undergoing emergency surgery in a secret hospital in Havana to stop his internal bleeding.
Already around 8 months had passed from when Castro was admitted to hospital. Inside Cuba, people mainly received news about Fidel from the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, because he was one of the few who was apparently allowed to make any real contact with the distinguished patient. There were occasional videos that showed a weak man fighting for his life. It was very clear to everybody that Castro's health was really in decline. Castro's situation was considered by the Cuban government to be a state secret, even though speculation inside and outside of the Caribbean island was increasing from day to day.
In Miami, there was a group of Cubans who believed that the end of Castro's era had just begun. Parties, meetings, champagne and all kinds of pre-celebrations took place in this part of America, as Castro's death seemed imminent. In Cuba the opposite happened: people were just waiting for some new economic measures from the provisional government of Raul Castro that might improve the bad domestic situation.
Now more time has passed and nothing new has really happened. But in Cuba some people feel relieved, or even happy, because at least the Cuban television and radio have been showing normal programmes without interruption and without the long speeches from the Commander in Chief.
During my recent visit I saw a lot of people enjoying the different offerings from the national media: musicals, movies, interesting documentaries, sports, and so on. Some people say that it was just a smoke screen so that Cubans would not worry about Castro's ill health.
Just one day before I arrived back in Finland a miracle happened: Castro turned up on TV – once again with his friend Chávez – and all the gossip about his impending death immediately stopped. Now a new question has arisen, both inside and outside of Cuba. Will Castro be able to take the reins of the revolution again or is it time for him to hand over the leadership to another hero? Right now it's all up in the air.
People like Felipe Pérez Roque, the Cuban Chancellor, and Ricardo Alarcón, the President on the Cuban Parliament have promised the Cuban people that Castro is making a speedy recovery and will eventually be reinstated as President on the Council of State, and even as the Head of State.
Some political personalities with similar political ideologies have visited from abroad, including Evo Morales, the President of Peru. Chávez has recently spoken with Castro on his own Hello President radio programme in Venezuela. The international press has also participated in the events. Perhaps the best example of this was the publication of pictures in the Colombian newspaper El tiempo, which show Castro talking with his close friend, the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.
Both groups – those who are expecting Castro's demise, and those who are hoping for his full recovery – are still waiting to see what will really happen next.
The author is a Cuban living in Helsinki. He participates in the media education and work training programme Mundo.
http://www.6d.fi/politics/page.2007-03-28.4084276227
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