Havana, Cuba April 2017

Here’s a bit of historical background.  Havana, Cuba’s capital, was founded in the 16th century by the Spaniards.  Rebellion against Spain began in 1868 when a landowner named Carlos Manuel de Cespedes freed his slaves, however the people were unsuccessful in gaining independence.  The Second War of Independence began in 1895 and was helped by the fact that the US went to war with Spain in 1898.  The peace treaty of the Spanish American War made Spain relinquish all claims to Cuba.  Cuba finally gained independence when the US forces left in 1902.  A representative democracy ruled until 1952 when Fulgencio Batista staged a coup and became Cuba’s dictator.  Then in 1959, Fidel Castro and his supporters wanted to bring about political change and ousted the existing president Batista.  Castro introduced a Communist regime and Cuba became a satellite of the Soviet Union which caused relations with the US to deteriorate until 1962 when the US imposed a blockade on Cuba.  Economic conditions went from bad to worse with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Even though Cuba is still a dictatorship today, it is slowly opening up especially with the resignation and now death of Fidel Castro and recently normalised relations with the US with the reopening of their Cuban Embassy.

We have constantly been told “It’s now or never” with travelling to Havana.  The city is going through an interesting time where private businesses are popping up but the large international chains have not yet arrived.  New life is being breathed into this city that has been stuck in a time warp and neglected for over 50 years.  The worry is that the charming dilapidation, the colors, the melancholy, and the salsa energy that make Havana what it is will disappear with this renewal.  Change has already begun but we are fortunate to come and visit before it is too late.  The days where Havana served as a museum where time stood still seem to be drawing to an end.