Is Havana a Livable City?

The Constants of a Country in Flux

“You’d better visit Cuba soon.”
I’d heard this sort of thing several times from all kinds of people.
The sentiment, of course, is born from an awareness of Cuba being in the midst of a momentous transformation. In July 2015, headlines around the world announced that the United States embargo against Cuba, enforced for over half a century, was on the verge of being lifted. This led many to suspect a massive change in Cuba as we knew it, while causing an upsurge of tourists eager to glimpse the scenery long protected by this little country in the Caribbean—one of the few socialist states, existing at a remove from the globalisation that has spread throughout the world. The crowds of tourists increase every year, with the number of foreign visitors for 2019 expected to exceed 5,000,000. After spending almost 20 hours in airplanes on my way over from Tokyo, I was only one more tourist among many. But the fact of the matter is that our presence is one of the main reasons that this place is changing at such an alarming rate.

Without a doubt, tourism has become a major source of income for Cuba. Riding in a taxi on the Malecón, the street along the north shore that you can see in Buena Vista Social Club, I spotted a comparably modern and extravagant hotel, standing in the antiquated cityscape among the decaying facades. My driver showed me an open hand and told me “Cinco,” as in Five Star Hotel.

In 1959, following the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and Ché Guevara announced the establishment of a Revolutionary government, envisioning human dignity and equality and a society where free citizens supported one another. A charismatic leader, Castro pushed for the nationalisation of land and industry and made health care and education available, free of charge, to all. It would seem that this nation was heading steadily toward achieving its goals, but it encountered hardship at the beginning of the 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Losing Soviet support sent Cuba into economic crisis. There were extreme shortages of fuel and foodstuffs, and the rationed bread, eggs, meat and coffee all but disappeared from the bodegas.

In order to break through this impasse, the Cuban government made moves to reorient the country toward tourism, as a strategy for acquiring foreign currency. The result was Cuba as we see it today: blue Caribbean Sea, an historic old town designated as a World Heritage Site, classic cars driving through the city, exquisite rum and cigars, friendly people and a safe urban environment.

On Obispo Street, at the heart of Old Havana, tourists and locals mix together in the bustling crowds. The lively rhythm of salsa music echoing from the restaurant of the Hotel Ambos Mundos, once frequented by author Ernest Hemingway, made my heart sing. As I walked down the road, I saw men and women lining up for churros at a street stall and some boys playing baseball down an alleyway. Here, bats and gloves are luxuries, but even balls are hard to come by. The boys were whacking a plastic bottle cap using a wooden stick, but they looked like they were having a blast.

In Cuba, over 70% of the workforce is employed by the government, earning an average monthly income equivalent to $30. The disparity in standard of living among the Cuban people is infinitesimally small. Despite a scarcity of goods, this has been a place where neighbours share whatever they have, retaining a spirit of cooperation that has been forgotten in most developed countries.

Meanwhile, since the regulations allowing for self-employment were relaxed in 2010, private enterprise has been on the rise, with a focus on tourism. The earning level of those managing tourism-oriented businesses is rising year by year, to the point where it’s not rare for taxi drivers in Cuba to earn more than doctors or college professors. As a result of constitutional revisions made in 2019, businesses and individuals are now permitted to own property, in a clear pivot toward a market economy.

There is also increased access to information. A large number of people, mostly young, own smartphones and are connected to the internet. Young people spend a great deal of their money on expensive data packs that offer only a limited amount of access time and text with their friends constantly: while driving, while eating, and sometimes even while they’re working. At the parks and plazas that have Wi-Fi, you often see people staring at their phones.
“Because we have these time restrictions in Cuba, it’s not possible to spend the whole day on the internet,” laughs Juan Osvaldo Riera Rodriguez, who just graduated from high school in spring 2019. Osvaldo modeled for this issue’s Havana photo shoot (pages 106-117). Born in Havana, he enjoys playing basketball and says that he’s obsessed with watching NBA games. “Kyle Kuzma of the LA Lakers is my idol. He’s super cool.” Osvaldo dreams of working as a fashion model precisely because Kuzma did some model work himself. “In Cuba, it’s common for people to do whatever their parents did for work, so for a while I figured I would be a driver, but now I want to be a model. I’m really interested in fashion and music.” Though fascinated by foreign cultures, Osvaldo says that “Cuba is the place to be. Everyone’s so nice and friendly. I know we have some economic problems, but I still love it here.”

Jenny Monteagudo, who helped us out with model casting, tends to agree. “I love Cuba, especially Havana. When I’m tired from working I sit on the Malecón and relax and chat with all the people there. It’s like being at the spa for me.” Jenny says she sometimes goes out to Fábrica de Arte Cubano, the hottest spot in Havana. This giant renovated space, which started its life off as a peanut oil factory, simultaneously functions as a gallery, performance venue, dance studio and bar, as well as a place for pop-up shops. The lines forming outside at night represent an extreme of the enormous transformation Cuba is going through.

The political regime may be changing, but what really struck me was the unchanging devotion that the people of Cuba have for their country. Nobody can say for sure where this nation is heading in the future, but one thing’s for certain: “You’d better visit Cuba soon,” to see this transformation for yourself.