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Cuba: A Country in Transition
June 2004
By Elizabeth Vélez

In March, a 15-member Plowshares delegation met with Cuban economic, political, religious, and academic leaders in Havana and Matanzas.  During the ten-day seminar, this group of US citizens visited Cuban schools, hospitals, homes, churches, and seminaries.  In regular “debriefing” sessions, participants expressed their amazement at the Cuban people’s beautiful spirit; their commitment to the social welfare of all Cuban people; and the level of sophistication with which speakers analyzed Cuba’s economic and political situation, relationship with the rest of the world, and the complexity of the Cuban reality.

While elements of the US news media suggest otherwise, the delegation found Cuba to be a complex, vulnerable country that has achieved major accomplishments in the delivery of social services.  Cuba has the highest literacy rate of any country in America’s Southern hemisphere, provides its people sophisticated health and education services free of charge, and guarantees housing to all citizens.  While economic imbalances and a serious lack of personal political freedom continue to influence Cuba’s development, Cubans are generally proud of their country’s accomplishments.

However, US foreign policies, including the embargo, obstruct Cuba’s attempts to diversify and revitalize its economy while strengthening more isolationist factions within the government. 

Economically, Cuba is once again in transition.  After the 1989 sudden withdrawal of Cuba’s principle trading partners, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Cuba’s foreign trade contracted by 80 percent, resulting in an economic decline of  35-40 percent.  Without sugar subsidies from the Soviet Union, Cuba was forced to develop new trading partners, extract additional natural resources, and open its economy to the outside world, most notably to Canadian and European tourism. 

In order to capture the capital necessary to engage the global market, Cuba legalized the US dollar in 1993, creating a two-currency system.  While succeeding in attracting tourism and foreign investment, the two-currency system has resulted in increased inequity and imbalanced economic incentives. Some well-trained professionals are leaving their peso paying professions in favor of service-oriented, dollar compensated tourist positions. At the same time, many Cuban youth are rejecting higher education and professional opportunities in favor of jobs in the tourist sector or in other countries.

New economic realities challenge Cuban churches to reinterpret their mission in light of increased social need.  Cuba continues to deliver a high standard of health care and education, but decreased capital and increased inequality have led to housing shortages, underemployment, and material deficiencies.  While the government continues to view the Church primarily as a spiritual organization, Church-developed social programs such as housing revitalization projects, neighborhood gardens, club sports, community projects, and classes on topics as diverse as human sexuality and biblical exegesis are beginning to address the needs of those most affected by economic transition. These are some of the first steps toward what we in the United States might refer to as “civil society.”

The Plowshares delegation found Cuba to be a complex entity shaped largely by economic necessity, changing internal realities, and the foreign policies of its northern neighbor.  Cubans continue to oppose the economic embargo as morally wrong yet fear the changes its demise would certainly entail.  Increased tourism, and the revenue it provides, strengthens the government’s ability to deliver necessary services but exacerbates income inequalities and threatens to alter Cuba’s uniquely sustained culture through “McDonaldization,” as has occurred in many parts of Eastern Europe. In light of these challenges, Cuba’s people remain committed to many of the values of the revolution, they maintain hope in light of difficult transitions, and they continue to graciously recognize a difference between the people and the policies of the United States.

Plowshares Institute remains committed to supporting our Cuban brothers and sisters through these difficult transitions with training events and person-to-person exchanges.  Twenty years of experience have proven that the relationships formed and lessons learned by traveling seminar participants continue to affect their political, religious, philanthropic, and personal decisions for many years after the experience.  Plowshares will continue to work towards increased peace with justice by keeping the bridges between our nations open and active.