Cuba's Cruel Joke *** Without dollars, life is grim. People line up at dimly lit government distribution centres, ration books in hand - libretas, the government calls them - for their monthly allocation. The books, which were established in 1962 to "guarantee the equitable distribution of food without privileges for a few," entitle Cubans to 2.5 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram of fish, 1/2 kilogram of beans, 14 eggs and sundry other basics at subsidized prices. Through the libreta, each Cuban also gets one bread roll a day. Every two months, a Cuban is entitled to one bar of hand soap and one bar of laundry soap. Fresh fruits and vegetables come infrequently; meat might come once or twice a year. Until the mid-1990s, children under seven were entitled to fresh milk, but fresh milk, like butter, cheese and other dairy products, is now off the shelves. Before the revolution, two litres of fresh milk cost 15 U.S. cents, well within the means of the poor.
Cuba, a country with a coffee culture, produces fine beans in its Oriente province, but not for average Cubans. The good stuff is sold to tourists and exported to earn dollars, or reserved for the Cuban elite, while the government imports cheaper beans, grinds them, mixes them with ground chickpeas, and doles out 28 grams per month - less than one ounce - to Cuban citizens. The government also exports high quality Cuban rice for dollars while importing a low-grade rice from Vietnam for its citizens. It exports 90% of its fresh fruits, directing much of the rest to tourists and others who can pay in dollars.***
When We Awoke, The Dinosaur Was Still There. The World's Shortest Tale.*** I followed this writer for quite some time. I hunted down his postings in CubaFreePress.org, and translated them as soon as I read them, as did others in this forum. This was his last posted article in the website. I have never been able to find out anything about what fate may have befallen Orlando Contreras, this voice without fear in a silent herd, I hope and pray that he is all right, and that someday, when Cuba is free, I can walk down the street in the little town in Cuba that gave birth to the both of us, and thank him for the lessons in freedom and courage he taught me.*** - Luis Gonzalez