We cannot afford to not go to Cuba
The trio that was entertaining us at “La Ferminia” restaurant got emotional when a member of our tour stood up, walked to where they were and handed over a bag containing guitar strings. “This, said the lead singer, is more important than the tip we could get from this whole month”.
This is a modest example of what happens through the island varying in crowds, interests and motivations, but what matters is that behind these contributions are the visitors that have been supporting the private sector from the time international tourism opened its doors and in turn, travelers complement their sought-after dream of visiting Cuba, with a real humanitarian intent.
What we hear these days about Cuba is truly a cause for concern; a crippled economy, deteriorated facilities, struggling citizens and lack of supplies, but isn’t one of the reasons behind international travel the support and positive impact upon the local economy? Cubans have a long history of resistance and even in the direst conditions they are still going to do their best to accommodate your needs, to create a pleasant atmosphere and to show you the traditional Caribbean warmth that has impressed many throughout the years.
Cross Cultural Journey has favored these positive encounters for decades. As a tour guide in this organization, I still recall as one of the most touching experiences in my career, a visit to the the Amadeo Roldan National Conservatorium, located in Havana. To plan for that particular visit we organized an ample donation which included music instruments, ukeleles, music books, and notebooks, strings, guitar and the like and all of this was greatly welcomed by the director who then confirmed: “Under the current circumstances parents have to make an enormous effort to access these supplies if they want to get a future musician in the family.
Other deliveries have been organized for hurricane-hit areas, flooded territories and underserved communities. The development of tourism under the current economic scenario only suggests a shift towards more of a private handling. Big state hotels are seeing fewer customers than in previous years whereas the new “Casas” keep their numbers on the rise as well as their quality. The same applies to transportation, food and entertainment, cultural options and the offer for local experts or guides. And every one of these new businesses are eagerly relying on a comeback by the industry of hope and a return to the times when Cubans started to dream big.
At present, Cuba may be going through hardships but in this “fair trade” we -the visitors- receive the warmth and beauty of a blessed land, their richness in culture, food and traditions and in return we commit to making the lives of very caring, very colorful and very humble people, a tiny bit more hopeful.
