Havana, capital of Cuba, the place in the country where one lives best, in theory. If
this is the case in practice, those who have emigrated to this city will be able to confirm it.
Let's walk the streets So you can see what people are doing to
live a little better. You might even get lucky and see your neighborhood.
Today we are going to visit places that are not touristy,
the interior of the neighborhoods.
What do our lives focus on when we are adults?
In our countries, mainly to the family, to our children, and so that they do not lack anything,
the Cuban goes out to fight in what he can. The people who come to Havana,
new arrivals from the East, work in whatever, they are not in a position to choose.
The ones that are most visible are those who drive pedicabs, where a trip costs more than a taxi,
which makes sense because it is a much heavier job. And the other is the forklift driver,
the one who is so hated by the people on many occasions, so persecuted by inspectors,
more expensive, yes, but also saves a lot of time by avoiding walks to the farm and queues. (queue to buy in the market)
WhatsApp groups are set up in the neighborhood to notify when a product enters. The
purchase is controlled through the ration book and is only once a month. (Market on Zanja street)
Behind the apparent calm, there is a stressed, tired and bored town.
Having to walk all day after food becomes frustrating.
Those most affected by the economic debacle are the
elderly, retirees, those who have worked all their lives.
This is how many people look on the street.
And many others end up looking in the growing number of garbage dumps in Havana.
Before it was very difficult to see a woman walking in a garbage can.
Today there are even many who look for food in the garbage.
It's sad to say, but trash has become a way of life.
Some old people only stay to wait for a miracle that will make the days that
remain of their life better. It must be quite frustrating and sad to end your last days like this, after
having given all your youth to a project that said it was going to improve the country.
Among the most popular topics of conversation is
the situation of transportation and fuel.
Long lines at gas stations, interprovincial transport for Cubans is greatly affected.
To give just one example, the Havana - Trinidad trips, which were previously very
accessible from the applications, are no longer available.
Within the city, the waiting time between one bus and another has also increased.
The lack of fuel has also made taxis more expensive, even to the point (Drivers offer to pay more than 500 CUP-2.70 USD for 1 liter of gasoline, but nobody wants to sell it...) that the same route today
can cost 100 pesos and tomorrow 150. The drivers complain (The drivers offer to pay more than 500 CUP-2.70 USD for 1 liter of gasoline, but nobody wants to sell it...) that they only sell the fuel and that the other
parts They have to pay for the car
in dollars on the black market, because there is never anything in the stores. These small
motorcycles are the ones that are saving the situation to some extent, but it is still insufficient.
Of everything that I have told you up to now and what I will say next, a
foreign visitor only perceives half. There are many that are not told out of shame or fear.
We are going to see slightly more crowded areas. Many look from afar at a life that they did not
have to live, that of traveling, that of knowing, that of having a drink whenever they want,
the life of the much-criticized capitalism for which the hotels in Cuba are built.
This is an honest way of earning a living; there are some.
Many ways to earn a living without having to turn to crime.
We will talk about that later, and the situation becomes worrying.
Obispo street does not rest.
Between the private businesses,
the "somewhat stocked" stores in MLC, the few visitors there are, and the
ice cream morsel, everyone is struggling to live a little better. Cubans in general do not lose
hope of getting ahead, even if it is outside of Cuba. Here you are looking at
a queue to buy croquettes, yes, the famous explosive croquettes.
And arriving at the famous Floridita, the taxi drivers waiting for
any client to show up to save the day.
There is a similar movement to the one on Obispo street on San Rafael boulevard, in Centro Habana.
Small businesses are not enough to get rich and the prices in restaurants are unaffordable
for ordinary Cubans. A plate of pork loin costs a third of the minimum wage in Cuba.
But it is better to earn a living honestly than to fall into crime, robbery.
The situation is becoming alarming and even within the city, assaults
with a knife have become common. They no longer only rob those who drive
electric motorcycles, but also to steal your cell phone, to steal a cell phone that can
be the same for 700 dollars, or 60, or that could be broken, with defects, who knows?
cases are daily. The official press does not echo, but they are reported in groups
of social networks with names and surnames of the victims. On many occasions it is the same
town that catches the assailants, and as soon as the police arrive, they give them what they deserve.
About this type of situation, the Real situation
of what happens in the street, the official media are silent.
The newscast only broadcasts its triumphalist reports,
loaded with promises that will not be fulfilled.
The result is an uninformed people, who do not know that in certain parts of the country,
going out at 9 at night with a cell phone in hand can mean a risk to their lives, or
that today more than ever, getting on a bus , you need to be very careful to avoid being robbed.
In the provinces, the losses due to theft and slaughter of large cattle
are alarming. This is a problem that the peasants are suffering.
A strong hand is needed with these behaviors that
truly put the safety of the population at risk,
and this is what law enforcement should focus on, to stop crime.
And since ambulances don't show up when they are needed, either
due to lack of fuel or for whatever reason, they should also help with
this. The new Criminal Code should have toughened the penalties against
real criminals and not try to silence criticism on social networks.
Daily needs force the Cuban to invent.
Being an engineer, it is more profitable to fill matchboxes, sell croquettes or work in
a visitaicitaxi. Pedaling you can earn a whole month's salary in two days.
While all this is happening, people are drowning between housing problems,
getting food, queues at the butcher shop for soy hash...
a carton of eggs costs 1,500 pesos, the same as a bag of milk (average salary of 3,200 pesos, minimum wage of 2100)
Tensions that affect the family.
Young children are oblivious to what is happening, the older ones already perceive a little more.
When they bring out toys in the store, the queues are quite a
spectacle, there are fights to buy anything.
The verbiage does not discredit the results of administrative management, but the facts.
In recent years, even the poorest countries in the region have donated
food, medicine, and medical supplies to Cuba. Countries that are doing well don't need donations, they make them.
Prestigious companies and economists taking into consideration the quality of life, the
housing situation , per capita income, where the numbers indicate that 55%
of households live on less than 100 dollars a month, rationed and controlled food,
as well as one of the highest inflation rates in the world, or the highest, they conclude that
we have a 72% poverty rate and we are the poorest country in Latin America.
It is worth remembering that, according to the World Bank, the
poverty threshold is earning less than a dollar and 90 cents a day.
If Cuba is going to change, of course, to the Russian or the Chinese... is it going to a more open economy?
I would like to know your opinion. Meanwhile, here we continue to fight
to get the family forward, which is the most important thing. I hope this video
has helped you to know how Cuba is. If so, leave a like here, so that you contribute
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