Rain, rain go away, come again another day. Or not, you choose, its not really up to me is it?
It’s the 23rd of January and I can’t remember what’s happened in the last 2 weeks. I’ve had a lot of lie-ins, fried eggs for breakfast, salt-filled snacks for lunch and disappointing dinners – Alice has been slacking of late. We have been speaking to Alice and Cheri about Fidel and their views of the Revolution. In short, they really hate him and what their lives have become. This weekend it was the main election and we went with Cheri to watch her vote. I don’t know what we were expecting- hundreds of impassioned people waving flags and/or denouncing the government? Instead it was just a simple room in a warehouse watched over by 3 kind-faced but heavily indoctrinated ladies. Alice ranted on for quite a while about how ridiculous the whole election is. Being a one-party state, Fidel wins anyway but ‘the people’ year after year are told that their vote counts. They haven’t seen him on TV for 2 years but if you read the local newspaper you could easily be fooled into thinking he is a sprightly older gent, going about his business as usual, strong and articulate. No one here knows and the boundaries between extreme propaganda, blind admiration, nostalgia and hushed opinions blur constantly into a dizzying array of faces and views. One thing is for sure, and that’s that most people aren’t relaxed about their present or their future. None of it is certain but because nothing has changed for 50 years the very thought of change terrifies most people, so they cling onto the victorious past, scraping the proverbial barrel for stories of heroism and patriotism, whilst churning out fear-inducing stories about the USA, and exaggerated thoughts on Latin alliances. Some of the news stories are really admirable and its certainly more refreshing and inspiring than the Daily Mail, but you have to wonder how much people really believe? For all his failings, Fidel is/was a very intelligent man. In today’s paper was printed a good article which I would like to think he wrote. This is a little snippet:
“I am not physically in the condition to speak directly to the citizens of the municipality where I was nominated for our elections next Sunday. I do what I can: I write. Writing, as many people know, is an instrument of expression that lacks speed, tone and the intonation of spoken language, and it doesn’t use gestures. Writing has the advantage that it can be done at any time, day or night, but one doesn’t know who will read it; very few can resist the temptation to improve it, to include what was not said or to cross out what was said; sometimes one has the urge to throw it all in the waste basket since you don’t have the interlocutor there in front of you.
To the youngest of our revolutionaries, in particular, I recommend them to be extremely demanding of themselves and to observe an iron-clad discipline. They should avoid being ambitious for power, presumptuous or vainglorious. Be watchful about bureaucratic methods and mechanisms and avoid succumbing to simple slogans. Recognise in bureaucratic procedures the worst obstacle. Use science and computation without falling prey to the excessively technical and unintelligible jargon of elitist specialists. Always have a thirst for knowledge, and perseverance, and both physical and mental exercise.
In the new era in which we live, capitalism is not even a useful instrument. It is like a tree with rotten roots, from whence only the worst forms of individualism, corruption and inequality sprout. Nor should we give away anything to those who could be producing and who don’t produce, or who produce very little. Reward the merits of those who work with their hands or their minds.”
From An Epiphany Gift
Fidel Castro Ruz, January 14 2008
I like what he says. He may be a dictator of sorts, and obviously has power that is not always wisely used but he’s a darn sight better than most leaders I’d say. Its just a shame that the world can’t happily accommodate such a way of thinking, or rather, America can’t stand by whilst an entire country rejects its policies and intrusions. How very dare they!
Things that could possibly be interesting but most likely aren’t and so don’t deserve the effort or the web-space:
* An amazing card-based magician.
* A pig,beached opposite, and now rotting.
* Intertwined brass bracelets causing embarrassing street situation.
* Posh hotel pool-shame.
* Hours and hours of daydreaming.
* Writing our names in wet cement.
1 month left, gotta gotta gotta cram it all in.
Question: Why do people brush their teeth before breakfast? Like the smell of egg and coffee won’t linger in your gums all day. Brush after, always after!
PHOTOS:
city centre area
One of hundreds of amazing paintings/graff's that are dotted all over Havana by a very talented artist.
