Havana has got to be one of the most photographed travel destinations. Here is my contribution:
On the Malecon.
All those classic cars...
...almost all function as taxis.
Cubans, trying to make a few dollars, pose in the streets with cigars for eager camera touting tourists.
The heroes of the revolutions are ubiquitous...
... and Che...
...is everybody's favourite...
... revolutionary pin-up boy. I'm not quite sure who the others are, myself, but every Cuban knows them intimately.
Here they are, again.
The towering monument to Jose Marti provides a perfect perch for vultures when they tire of wheeling around it.
Grand old buildings like this cathedral grace the crumbling city.
Old city details.
A few squares in the old town have been restored and tidied up for the tourists...
...but most of the city slowly disintegrates.
The history of the revolution is celebrated everywhere. These tanks were created by modifying agricultural machinery.
Havana residents spend a lot of time fishing off the Malecon...
...which also provides a seat for musicians.
Kids do what kids do everywhere.
The heroes of carnival are refreshingly unpolitical...
... and Cuba's African heritage is clear.
Cuban's version of the Stasi's extensive informer network is the CDR, the Committee to Defend the Revolution. The CDR keep a watchful eye on people's revolutionary fervour.
Havana has its fair share of architectural monuments to the glory of socialism...
... and none is more imposing - or bizarre - than the Russian Embassy.
{ 6 } Comments
To describe the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution as Cuba’s version of the Stasi is not an entirely accurate description. They do fulfill the role of checking on counter-revolutionary activity, but in the main they are a cross between a Neighbourhood Watch-type body and a community association.
I think I’ll stand by it, Michael.
From the 2006 Amnesty International Report:
Amnesty International is also seriously concerned about a recent cases of “actos de repudio”, “acts of repudiation”, when large groups of government supporters verbally abuse, intimidate and sometimes physically assault and throw stones and other objects at homes of anyone considered to be counter-revolutionary. These acts are normally carried out in collusion with the security forces and sometimes involve the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDRs), Comités de Defensa de la Revolución(7) or the Rapid Response Brigades, Destacamentos Populares de Respuesta Rápida(8). The level of violence of these recent acts is particularly worrying and unprecedented in the last few years.
(7) The CDRs were founded in 1960 to “mobilise the people to defend the revolution and the conquests of socialism”. They constitute the largest mass organization in Cuba and exist in every neighbourhood, in the collective task of vigilance against counter-revolutionary activity.
(8) Rapid Response Brigades are made up of Communist Party members and others. They were created in 1991 to confront, by violent means if necessary, any sign of discontent or opposition to the government.
And from the 2009 Human Rights Watch Report:
Surveillance is carried out by security officers and by civilian groups tied to the government—who may work together or independently. Dozens of dissidents said security officers were permanently situated outside of their homes and followed them wherever they went; while “committees for the defense of the revolution”—civilian groups that are located in every neighborhood and whose function is to protect the revolution against all threats—constantly watched their neighbors for suspicious behavior and reported to state security officials.
And, from the same report, also:
Dissidents engaged in acts seen as “counterrevolutionary” are routinely subjected to assaults, beatings, and excessive use of force by security officers. The attacks are carried out both by government officials and members of groups of sympathetic civilians tied to the government, such as “committees for the defense of the revolution” (CDRs) and “rapid response brigades.”
So maybe not exactly the Stasi, but definitely Stasi informers and collaborators.
I am not opposed to the ideals of socialism but I am opposed to totalitarianism and political oppression. The HRW report also comments:
Cuba has made important advances in the progressive realization of some economic, social, and cultural rights such as education and healthcare. For example, UNESCO has concluded that there is near-universal literacy on the island and UNICEF has projected that the country is on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals.
Cuba’s record on education and healthcare is no small achievement for a small beleaguered Latin American nation and to be commended. However, anyone who doesn’t sense the tension and fear in everyday in Cuban life is blind to reality, in my opinion.
OK, I have modified “…Cuba’s versions of the Stasi…” to read “…Cuba’s version of the Stasi’s extensive informer network…”.
The primary difference is that the Stasi were a SECRET police agency. There is nothing secret about the CDRs. There is one on every block in every neighbourhood – with signs on the doors like the one you pictured. The vast majority of Cuba’s adult population belong to their local CDR and take part in all or some of its activities.
From Wikipedia on the Stasi:
It was widely regarded as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world.
From Wikipedia on CDRs:
The organizations have been primarily designed to report “counter-revolutionary” activity as well as promoting social projects. CDR claim a membership of 7.6 million…Its defenders note that CDR have other important responsibilities beyond their function to monitor the individual’s political and moral background; these include arranging festivals, administrating many voluntary community projects, and organizing mass rallies. Proponents also emphasize that CDR put medical, educational, or other campaigns into national effect and that, being organized on a geographical basis, they also act as centers for many who do not work in farms or factories and hence include a large proportion of female membership
By the way, the two faces that you could not identify are:
The one with the beard: Camilo Cienfuegos, one of the most prominent and popular leaders of the Cuban Revolution. Presumed killed in a plane crash, although the body has not been found. Conspiracy theories include that he was killed by Fidel; or, from people in Cuba, that he went undergound to lead the Cuban intelligence agency.
The one without the beard: Juan Antonio Mella. Student leader from the 1920s and founder of the Cuban Communist Party. Killed in exile in Mexico. Again, there are differing theories as to the identity of his assassins.
Thanks for the info on Cienfuegos and Mella. I actually did know that the bearded one was Cienfuegos, but not much else about him. I knew nothing of Mella.
I’m going to bail on any further discussion of the CDR. Did you note that I modified the caption?
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