I had a great time this week reading the blog by Yoani Sanchez. As we have discussed widely throughout this course, technology has played a key part in a number of events leading towards the revolution and afterwards. Prior to Castro’s revolution, the radio was massively used to spread messages in support of the movement. In the years after the revolution, technology was controlled much more because the revolutionaries understood the power of media. Today, technology and social media are used constantly by Cubans. Although in our societies social media has been seen as the cause for isolation of individuals and their environments, in Cuba it has been used to diminish separation between individuals that has been caused precisely because of this revolution. Sanchez mentions the app “IMO- free video calls and chat” which is now being used by Cubans to connect with their families and loved ones who are either in the United States, in the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, or in other parts of the world. Interestingly enough, IMO has also propelled the prostitution business as Sanchez states that the purchaser can now ‘evaluate’ their selection through the app prior to their arrival to Cuba. As my last reading response I’d like to reflect on the fact that the evolution of technology in Cuba has been no slower than in the rest of the world. Although we may have begun this course thinking that Cuba was some isolated space that has been out of contact with the outside world for decades, one thing I can take away from this course is the understanding that this concept is simply untrue.
We are down to our final readings of the year, and I think the article by Jon Lee Anderson serves as a perfect conclusion to the exciting question of how the past connects with the future, and what we can make of it. The story of Cancio is an individual story but it is also a story of the developments in history, politics, economics, identity and 21st century Cuban society. In many ways the story of Cancio is a story of generations and of stubborn change. By stubborn change I mean that the mere possibility of a normalization of relations is long overdue. Like Anderson explains; the younger generations can no longer relate to strict embargoes, violent conflict and the constant fear of nuclear warfare. Cancio is a symbol of the past because he is an enemy of the revolution, an emigrant and an exotic representation of the Cuba that was untouched, unexplored and isolated. At the same time, he is a symbol of the future; of rapid change, business, capitalism, opportunity and wealth. I think his life teaches us about the nature of politics; and more than anything about how institutions, in particular the bilateral policies between the US and Cuba ultimately affect society, memory and perception at the micro-levels. Yoani Sanchez blog ties nicely into this with his evaluation of the video-call tool IMO. I absolutely agree with Melissa in her assessment of the evolution of technology in Cuba. Unfortunately, we tend to make uneducated assumptions about people, technology, media and communication in countries we are not familiar with. What I take with me more than anything from this class is exactly this; to never make assumptions or arrive at conclusions about something I have only understood through one channel or perspective. Technology is fascinating in the sense that I never knew about this new migration route; while also falsely assuming that 4000 Cubans were not able to communicate their journey throughout Central America.
Reading Letter to Havana I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment about where Cuba is heading. After 60 odd years of revolution Cuba seems to in many ways returning to where it started. Economic freedom, but not political freedom. And perhaps even a return to being dominated by the USA, but this time through culture and the economics of business, finance, and investment, rather than more explicit political control. As Anderson says “Cuba seems bound on a course not unlike that of Vietnam and China: hybrid Communist states in which citizens enjoy few political liberties but significant economic freedom”. To me this seems a depressingly average route for a country that has tried to steer such an individual and very Cuban course. I think in my past I have romanticised Cuba, not because I agreed with everything the government was doing, but because they seemed to be trying something different in a world dominated by global capitalism and corporate power. But it seems consumerism and the very understandable demands for economic prosperity catch up eventually. It will be interesting to see whether the increasing economic freedom will lead to more political freedom and even democracy, I expect it will but not until the death of the Castro brothers who seem to be holding it together. In the meantime I can only hope that the government can help to harness the prosperity created by new private enterprise and ensure that it’s fruits are not enjoyed by a select few such as Cancio, creating an even greater economic divide in Cuba. However it seems they are more concerned with maintaining their grip on power than such objectives. Regardless of my pessimism (probably because it is essay/exam season), this has been a truly fascinating course and I hope Cubans have a bright future ahead of them.
Yoani Sanchez’s blog and John Anderson’s “letter from Havana” are very interesting representations of modern Cuba through the eyes of two subsequent generations. In “letter from Havana”, I was left with the impression that those born just after or before the revolution were hopeful for Cuba to return to a similar system as before Castro. Meanwhile, Sanchez’s blog shows a more modern interpretation of the changes happening to the Cuban system. Her “Person of the Year” is and application used for wireless communication between emigrants and their family elsewhere. She explores Cuban influence elsewhere, while also exploring the attitudes back home. Whether from an entrepreneurial or social approach, both authors seem to be fairly optimistic about Cuba’s future.
As expressive people, it’s very understandable for both Sanchez and Hugo Cancio to be critical of the government. Rather than fall in line and agree with the Revolution on all fronts, they are both continually seeking positive change in their own way. While there are certainly people looking for the best way to milk Cuba’s economic opening, there are also people who simply want a better life for themselves and their families. It may take a while for much real change to happen, but as Anderson’s article shows, Cubans are already getting ready. I personally find it all to be very exciting, and I’m looking forward to the direction Cuba will take in the not-so-distant future.
I had a great time this week reading the blog by Yoani Sanchez. As we have discussed widely throughout this course, technology has played a key part in a number of events leading towards the revolution and afterwards. Prior to Castro’s revolution, the radio was massively used to spread messages in support of the movement. In the years after the revolution, technology was controlled much more because the revolutionaries understood the power of media. Today, technology and social media are used constantly by Cubans. Although in our societies social media has been seen as the cause for isolation of individuals and their environments, in Cuba it has been used to diminish separation between individuals that has been caused precisely because of this revolution. Sanchez mentions the app “IMO- free video calls and chat” which is now being used by Cubans to connect with their families and loved ones who are either in the United States, in the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, or in other parts of the world. Interestingly enough, IMO has also propelled the prostitution business as Sanchez states that the purchaser can now ‘evaluate’ their selection through the app prior to their arrival to Cuba. As my last reading response I’d like to reflect on the fact that the evolution of technology in Cuba has been no slower than in the rest of the world. Although we may have begun this course thinking that Cuba was some isolated space that has been out of contact with the outside world for decades, one thing I can take away from this course is the understanding that this concept is simply untrue.
We are down to our final readings of the year, and I think the article by Jon Lee Anderson serves as a perfect conclusion to the exciting question of how the past connects with the future, and what we can make of it. The story of Cancio is an individual story but it is also a story of the developments in history, politics, economics, identity and 21st century Cuban society. In many ways the story of Cancio is a story of generations and of stubborn change. By stubborn change I mean that the mere possibility of a normalization of relations is long overdue. Like Anderson explains; the younger generations can no longer relate to strict embargoes, violent conflict and the constant fear of nuclear warfare. Cancio is a symbol of the past because he is an enemy of the revolution, an emigrant and an exotic representation of the Cuba that was untouched, unexplored and isolated. At the same time, he is a symbol of the future; of rapid change, business, capitalism, opportunity and wealth. I think his life teaches us about the nature of politics; and more than anything about how institutions, in particular the bilateral policies between the US and Cuba ultimately affect society, memory and perception at the micro-levels. Yoani Sanchez blog ties nicely into this with his evaluation of the video-call tool IMO. I absolutely agree with Melissa in her assessment of the evolution of technology in Cuba. Unfortunately, we tend to make uneducated assumptions about people, technology, media and communication in countries we are not familiar with. What I take with me more than anything from this class is exactly this; to never make assumptions or arrive at conclusions about something I have only understood through one channel or perspective. Technology is fascinating in the sense that I never knew about this new migration route; while also falsely assuming that 4000 Cubans were not able to communicate their journey throughout Central America.
Reading Letter to Havana I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment about where Cuba is heading. After 60 odd years of revolution Cuba seems to in many ways returning to where it started. Economic freedom, but not political freedom. And perhaps even a return to being dominated by the USA, but this time through culture and the economics of business, finance, and investment, rather than more explicit political control. As Anderson says “Cuba seems bound on a course not unlike that of Vietnam and China: hybrid Communist states in which citizens enjoy few political liberties but significant economic freedom”. To me this seems a depressingly average route for a country that has tried to steer such an individual and very Cuban course. I think in my past I have romanticised Cuba, not because I agreed with everything the government was doing, but because they seemed to be trying something different in a world dominated by global capitalism and corporate power. But it seems consumerism and the very understandable demands for economic prosperity catch up eventually. It will be interesting to see whether the increasing economic freedom will lead to more political freedom and even democracy, I expect it will but not until the death of the Castro brothers who seem to be holding it together. In the meantime I can only hope that the government can help to harness the prosperity created by new private enterprise and ensure that it’s fruits are not enjoyed by a select few such as Cancio, creating an even greater economic divide in Cuba. However it seems they are more concerned with maintaining their grip on power than such objectives. Regardless of my pessimism (probably because it is essay/exam season), this has been a truly fascinating course and I hope Cubans have a bright future ahead of them.
Yoani Sanchez’s blog and John Anderson’s “letter from Havana” are very interesting representations of modern Cuba through the eyes of two subsequent generations. In “letter from Havana”, I was left with the impression that those born just after or before the revolution were hopeful for Cuba to return to a similar system as before Castro. Meanwhile, Sanchez’s blog shows a more modern interpretation of the changes happening to the Cuban system. Her “Person of the Year” is and application used for wireless communication between emigrants and their family elsewhere. She explores Cuban influence elsewhere, while also exploring the attitudes back home. Whether from an entrepreneurial or social approach, both authors seem to be fairly optimistic about Cuba’s future.
As expressive people, it’s very understandable for both Sanchez and Hugo Cancio to be critical of the government. Rather than fall in line and agree with the Revolution on all fronts, they are both continually seeking positive change in their own way. While there are certainly people looking for the best way to milk Cuba’s economic opening, there are also people who simply want a better life for themselves and their families. It may take a while for much real change to happen, but as Anderson’s article shows, Cubans are already getting ready. I personally find it all to be very exciting, and I’m looking forward to the direction Cuba will take in the not-so-distant future.