Last February, 27 members of the Southern California Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization and the associated World Presidents Organization traveled to Cuba for several days on a State Department-backed educational and cultural exchange trip.
This trip is believed to be the first one organized by any chapter of this organization in California.
All of the people on this trip were business leaders in Southern California or owners of area businesses. The purpose: to see Cuba firsthand and meet with both government leaders and ordinary citizens.
Cuba truly is a land of paradox, and no one who visited the island on this trip came away with neutral feelings.
The island itself is truly spectacular,a garden spot in the Caribbean and an island of history and beauty. Columbus referred to the island as the most beautiful place on Earth. Its location, just 90 miles south of Florida, ensures its political importance and makes it a big focus of U.S. foreign policy.
Still Charming
Old Town Havana still is spectacular in both his architecture and nightlife. Popular restaurants, drinking establishments and the charm of the greatness of Cuba’s past still are much in evidence. The government has convinced many international organizations to contribute to the reestablishment of Old Havana, and the result is impressive. The area is a must-see for all visitors and harkens back to the greatest that once was in Cuba.
All of us were taken with the friendliness of the people and their incredible interest in the U.S. and our policies toward Cuba. The people of Cuba are among the best educated and most literate in the world. The country’s system of free healthcare provides for all of its citizens, and we found much interest in the people about discussing foreign policy.
But the island faces huge problems. Foreign investment is perhaps the most urgent. Although there is a Cuban peso, the coin of the realm is the U.S. dollar. With an average pay rate of just $20 per month, and the cost of goods comparable to those in the U.S., average Cubans struggle in their day-to-day existences.
We all were surprised to see highly educated Cubans in almost every form of service work. It is their only chance to come into daily contact with dollars. On more than one occasion my taxi drivers were formerly employed by the University of Havana but had turned to service work as a way of securing the all-important hard currency.
Business Hurdles
Although we were prohibited from discussing business ventures with the Cubans, we did have occasion to meet with some investors from Israel. Among the difficulties of doing business in Cuba, they said, are:
n Cuba does not allow foreign ownership of land;
n Officials insist on a 51%-49% joint venture relationship;
n Direct management of projects remains with the Cubans.
Obviously these restrictions would rule out much investment from U.S. interests, even if our government were inclined to allow American businesses the opportunity to invest.
Housing continues to be a problem, as well. The ownership of private real estate is forbidden, and houses are passed from family to family to be used as trade when a family’s circumstances change.
The concept of selling one’s house is unknown in modern Cuba. Additionally, most of Cuba is falling into disrepair. We all were surprised to see once-beautiful colonial remnants of the Spanish period in bad shape and in much need of basic maintenance and paint.
The Soviet influence still is seen in some housing projects away from downtown Havana. Apartment buildings that could have been in Soviet Georgia still are present in Cuba.
People on the street, however, clearly hold the former Soviets themselves in great contempt. One of my taxi drivers spit out the window of his car each time the Soviet Union was mentioned in conversation. The former Soviet embassy is unoccupied and scorned by Cubans both because the Soviets once occupied it and for its awful architecture.
Cars are another telling example of Cuba’s plight. There have been no new American cars on the island for some 40 years, yet one sees Fords, Chevrolets, Buicks and others from another time in our history.
On one occasion I rode in a 1949 Hudson with more than 3 million miles on it. The occasional Lada, Volvo or other foreign car is seen, but rarely. With the price of gasoline running at about $4 per liter, everyday people simply cannot afford automobiles.
Rolling Cigars
Public transportation consists of “camels”,large truck-drawn trailers each capable of carrying around 200 people, and not in air-conditioned comfort. Cuban mechanics have to be among the finest in the world as they have been able to maintain old American cars without the benefit of parts.
Cuba’s famous cigar industry lives on with certain subtle differences since the revolution. We were warmly welcomed at the Cohiba cigar factory where cigars were painstakingly wrapped by hand by scores of workers. What was surprising was that the majority of the workers and their management were women. Prior to 1959, the entire cigar industry was male-dominated. Today female workers appear to be in charge of almost every aspect of the industry. Those aficionados among our group sampled the products, and a few brave souls even attempted to roll their own, with mixed results.
An additional problem the Cuban government faces is the prevalence of prostitution. With the working wage so low it is common to see young, attractive Cuban women engaged in the oldest profession. They are found outside all places where tourists are expected in large numbers.
Elian Gonzalez was the subject of much conversation during our visit. The people of Cuba had a hard time understanding why the U.S. would not reunite the boy with his father and why our court system was so slow in reacting to his father’s request. Elian’s picture was seen in many store windows and on billboards around the city, all urging his return to Cuba and his father.
Ernest Hemingway still is much idolized in Cuba. One of my fondest memories is of accompanying a good friend to Hemingway’s former house some 45 minutes from downtown Havana. It is if they expect Papa to return at any moment. His house is carefully maintained,clothes in the closet and boots shined and ready to wear. His boat, Pilar, his books, magazines and personal items look as if they were left in anticipation of his arrival at any moment.
The Cuba that people would remember from visiting in the 1950s still is present, too. The Tropicana nightclub is going strong with a show worthy of Las Vegas at its most outlandish. To be sure, it is hard to reconcile the glitz of showgirls and cabaret in the midst of communist Cuba.
Wampler is a former vice president of PacifiCare Health Systems Inc.
