On my 22nd birthday, I took part in a Freedom Rally for Cuba at the Orange Bowl. My mom and I helped to carry and hold the large flag on the field. The year is 1994, 35 years after communism took hold in Cuba.
It’s 2021, almost 27 years after that. Nothing has changed. As a matter of fact, they’ve gotten worse. A lot of people would like to blame the embargo, still, as the reason Cuba is in ruins. This is a sure way of knowing who actually doesn’t understand what is happening.
The embargo was punitive, but for years after the embargo was enacted, the Russians continued to pump money into Cuba. Money that was still not spent on the Cuban people in any capacity. Then the bloc fell and Russia decided to stop sending money to Cuba. Sure, we could argue that at any point this could be seen as a reason to lift the embargo. The thing is, NOTHING would get to the people even still.
Not to mention the fact that plenty of countries, albeit poor and corrupt as fuck all the same, from South America have plenty of trade agreements, as well as Canada and several countries throughout Europe(Italy, Germany, and Spain come quickly to mind). And NOTHING HAS CHANGED. So please tell me why is it ONLY the US embargo that is to blame for the strife of the Cuban people? Actually don’t…because it’s a bullshit excuse thrown around to continue shaming America into some position of submission as a mea culpa for our WEAK af attempts at imperialism.
Lifting the embargo will actually have a negative effect on the regular Cuban citizen. It will also not only embolden the regime and legitimize it, but it will also put the dictatorship in a position to tighten their grip on the island.
For weeks I’ve been following a bunch of Twitter accounts from Cubans posting videos and tik-toks of themselves talking about the fight for their lives. They’re hungry, they’re tired of struggling, they’re sick, and most importantly, they’re pissed and ready to fight.
Like many of my peers, I grew up planning our first trip to a free Cuba as a family. We waited for the day. And we kept waiting and waiting. Since my parents and grandparents will never see a free Cuba, I wonder how much longer I have to wait.
I hope not much longer.
¡Viva Cuba Libre!
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