Obama in Havana
Published in El Espectador
(Colombia) on 18 March 2016
by Sergio Otálora Montenegro (link to
original)
It was a unique experience to be at the epicenter of the Cuban community-in-exile — which has as its central feature a blind hatred of everything that sounds, looks, or even smells like socialism-communism — on Dec. 17, 2014, when Barack Obama and Raúl Castro, separately, announced the re-establishment of direct diplomatic relations between their two countries.
The more radical felt an immense anger and condemned the U.S. president to the same pot that still to this day the alleged “betrayal” of John F. Kennedy bubbles away in on a low heat. Those who are less passionate, maybe even cynical, but equally resentful, looked on in silence, powerless at the way in which history is carrying forward their own political fantasies that someday, Fidel and his brother Raul would be overthrown by the combination of foreign aid and internal insurrection.
There were others who maintained a more moderate optimism. They don’t make much noise, have no voice in Washington, but know that the strategy of the commercial cudgel and verbal tensions — like during the old days of the Cold War — has not brought about the expected result.
I’ve spoken to some of them, like businessman Carlos Saladrigas, a man who at one time was a hardliner, visits Cuba regularly, and has seen major advances in the chances that Cuban civil society could get rid of the overwhelming tutelage of the state’s socialist model, which dominates all economic activities on the island. The big complaint here in Miami — from both delegates representing the various Florida districts in Washington, as well as organizations stubbornly following the same discourse as from 50 years ago — is that the systematic violation of human rights has continued despite the opening of embassies, agreement on direct commercial flights, back-and-forth banking transactions in dollars, and interests of large U.S commercial companies doing business in what was called “the first free territory of Latin America.”
Despite appearances, there are Cubans in the Republican Party who are campaigning passionately and voting without remorse for Donald Trump because they believe Hillary Clinton to be corrupt and Bernie Sanders a communist, who would do the same with the United States as Castro or Chavez did with their respective countries. Despite all that nonsense, there is a majority of natives from the island, or born in this country with Cuban parents or grandparents, who ultimately want a new direction, and they hope that the ideological and political walls that have done so much damage to a divided society will fall.
The Miami-Dade County Commission — the legislative body that proposes, debates and approves laws — passed a resolution so there would be no Cuban Consulate in the capital of exiles until there is "democratic change on the island and the Castro dictatorship has fallen.”
But they are just grasping at straws. No matter what, Obama will be criticized until the end of time. His trip will be seen as another seal of approval for the “satraps,” and it will do nothing to dampen the hatred, resentment and pain of those who, in one way or another, have been persecuted by an authoritarian system.
And to top it off, just as Air Force One takes off, with one of the most powerful men on Earth aboard, the exquisite bandits, the Rolling Stones, who at one time were forbidden in all corners of the not-so-free and not-so-sovereign territory, will land in Havana.
They will arrive with an explosion of so many songs that were never properly heard in Cuba, and were used not just to regain all that lost time, but also to make history — the free concert that will be made into a documentary of when “Street Fighting Man” cracked the cold, watchful gaze of Che in Plaza de la Revolución (Plaza of the Revolution). There is no turning back. Meanwhile, cornered in his winter quarters, Fidel will staunchly ask for a blanket to cover his legs because he won't know for sure why he has suddenly started trembling uncontrollably.
The more radical felt an immense anger and condemned the U.S. president to the same pot that still to this day the alleged “betrayal” of John F. Kennedy bubbles away in on a low heat. Those who are less passionate, maybe even cynical, but equally resentful, looked on in silence, powerless at the way in which history is carrying forward their own political fantasies that someday, Fidel and his brother Raul would be overthrown by the combination of foreign aid and internal insurrection.
There were others who maintained a more moderate optimism. They don’t make much noise, have no voice in Washington, but know that the strategy of the commercial cudgel and verbal tensions — like during the old days of the Cold War — has not brought about the expected result.
I’ve spoken to some of them, like businessman Carlos Saladrigas, a man who at one time was a hardliner, visits Cuba regularly, and has seen major advances in the chances that Cuban civil society could get rid of the overwhelming tutelage of the state’s socialist model, which dominates all economic activities on the island. The big complaint here in Miami — from both delegates representing the various Florida districts in Washington, as well as organizations stubbornly following the same discourse as from 50 years ago — is that the systematic violation of human rights has continued despite the opening of embassies, agreement on direct commercial flights, back-and-forth banking transactions in dollars, and interests of large U.S commercial companies doing business in what was called “the first free territory of Latin America.”
Despite appearances, there are Cubans in the Republican Party who are campaigning passionately and voting without remorse for Donald Trump because they believe Hillary Clinton to be corrupt and Bernie Sanders a communist, who would do the same with the United States as Castro or Chavez did with their respective countries. Despite all that nonsense, there is a majority of natives from the island, or born in this country with Cuban parents or grandparents, who ultimately want a new direction, and they hope that the ideological and political walls that have done so much damage to a divided society will fall.
The Miami-Dade County Commission — the legislative body that proposes, debates and approves laws — passed a resolution so there would be no Cuban Consulate in the capital of exiles until there is "democratic change on the island and the Castro dictatorship has fallen.”
But they are just grasping at straws. No matter what, Obama will be criticized until the end of time. His trip will be seen as another seal of approval for the “satraps,” and it will do nothing to dampen the hatred, resentment and pain of those who, in one way or another, have been persecuted by an authoritarian system.
And to top it off, just as Air Force One takes off, with one of the most powerful men on Earth aboard, the exquisite bandits, the Rolling Stones, who at one time were forbidden in all corners of the not-so-free and not-so-sovereign territory, will land in Havana.
They will arrive with an explosion of so many songs that were never properly heard in Cuba, and were used not just to regain all that lost time, but also to make history — the free concert that will be made into a documentary of when “Street Fighting Man” cracked the cold, watchful gaze of Che in Plaza de la Revolución (Plaza of the Revolution). There is no turning back. Meanwhile, cornered in his winter quarters, Fidel will staunchly ask for a blanket to cover his legs because he won't know for sure why he has suddenly started trembling uncontrollably.
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