This is a slightly edited version of the presentation on Cuba given on 9 October by Sue Smith. She and her partner Ali will be going to Cuba towards the end of November, as members of the Northern Lights Choir taking part in the Santiago de Cuba singing festival. The event at the Friends Meeting House raised just under £200, and more details can be found at 
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2005/10/325328.html.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2005/10/325328.html.
An evening for Cuba
.
The evening is being held in aid of the Cuban people. Ali and I are going there in late November to take part in a singing festival in Santiago de Cuba
Although increasing tourism has made a difference to some in the last few years, people in Cuba lack access to things that we would think of as routine. Simple things like pens and pencils for schools, strings and reeds for playing music, bandages and sutures in hospitals, are hard to get, and we will be taking these as gifts with us for organisations and groups we will be visiting.
I will be talking a bit about Cuba in between the sections of this concert. I will be talking about what it is and where it is, about its past and present. It is still an inspiration to many people because it is one of the few remaining countries with a socialist government, and because it has managed to survive even though it is so close to the US – in its backyard.
A bit of politics…
Fidel Castro has been President since 1959, when, he overthrew Batista, and transformed Cuba into the first socialist state in the West.
When Batista was deposed, 75% of Cuba's farmable land was owned by foreign individuals or foreign (mostly U.S.) companies. The new revolutionary government adopted land reforms and confiscated all the private property owned by upper class Cubans and foreign companies. It organised radical land reform and then agriculture in collectives. Cuban industry, some under the control of the US, was nationalised, and Castro’s government put in place universal healthcare and free education.
During his more than 47-years of leadership, Castro has been seen as a controversial figure. Internationally, his leadership has been marked by tensions with the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have migrated from Cuba to the U.S., mostly those from Cuba's historically privileged white minority. Many moved to Miami in nearby Florida.
Crisis!
One of the strongest memories of my teenage years was the showdown between Cuba and the US in the early 1960s. US-backed Cuban exiles invaded Cuba in the Bay of Pigs in 1961. This failed, but was then followed by the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. I was convinced there would be a nuclear war. The Soviet Union installed missiles in Cuba and in response, the US blockaded Cuba. The Soviet Union backed down, in return for a United States promise to remove nuclear missiles in Turkey and never to invade Cuba again. The US has never openly threatened Cuba since, but has supported many attempts to overthrow Castro and imposed economic sanctions.
The US embargo
The US has operated an economic, financial and commercial embargo for the last 43 years – since 1962. In 2004 the UN condemned the US blockade for the 13th time! US citizens who travel to Cuba are prosecuted. By law, any non-US company that does business with Cuba can be sued, and barred from the US. This means that the everyday goods that we take for granted, are hard to come by.
How does Cuba manage to stay a socialist country in a capitalist world?
Cuba's socialist economy is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing. Hiring labour is not allowed, on the theory that private employment will lead to worker exploitation. For several decades, Cuba and the Soviet Union did a deal whereby Cuba provided the Soviet Union with sugar and the Soviets provided Cuba with oil at very low prices. The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main trading partner. In response, Cuba opened up to tourism, now a major source of income.
Making a virtue of necessity
Cuba has made a name for itself in sustainable and organic agriculture. When the Soviet Union fell, Cuba lost 70% of agricultural chemical imports, and 50% of food imports. Its agricultural sector was instantly crippled.
Fuel became very expensive and mechanical parts and agrochemicals were hard to come by. Cuba had no choice but to go organic. Any available space in cities has been used for organic market gardening which stimulates the local economy. 80 per cent of fresh food grown in the country is organic, compared to the tiny percentage in the UK. This all means low food miles, sustainable production, and money that stays in the community.
And the music!
The roots of most Cuban music lie in the cabildos, a kind of social club among African slaves brought to Cuba. Cabildos preserved African cultural traditions. Cuban music has its principal roots in Spain and West Africa. Over time other influences have come in from France, the United States, and Jamaica. Cuban music has been influential in other countries, contributing to the development of jazz and salsa, to tango in Argentina, high life in Ghana, Afrobeat in West Africa, and “new flamenco” in Spain.
The choir Ali and I are with, is performing at the 8th international choir festival in Santiago de Cuba. Choirs from Spain, the US, UK, France and Caribbean countries.
Two years ago the Sheffield Socialist Choir from England took part in the Festival. It was such a wonderful experience that the organisers decided to encourage other singers to come to Cuba and share in the rich musical culture. Since March this year the singers from six different choirs have met regularly and a totally new choir was born, called The Northern Lights.
.
The evening is being held in aid of the Cuban people. Ali and I are going there in late November to take part in a singing festival in Santiago de Cuba
Although increasing tourism has made a difference to some in the last few years, people in Cuba lack access to things that we would think of as routine. Simple things like pens and pencils for schools, strings and reeds for playing music, bandages and sutures in hospitals, are hard to get, and we will be taking these as gifts with us for organisations and groups we will be visiting.
I will be talking a bit about Cuba in between the sections of this concert. I will be talking about what it is and where it is, about its past and present. It is still an inspiration to many people because it is one of the few remaining countries with a socialist government, and because it has managed to survive even though it is so close to the US – in its backyard.
A bit of politics…
Fidel Castro has been President since 1959, when, he overthrew Batista, and transformed Cuba into the first socialist state in the West.
When Batista was deposed, 75% of Cuba's farmable land was owned by foreign individuals or foreign (mostly U.S.) companies. The new revolutionary government adopted land reforms and confiscated all the private property owned by upper class Cubans and foreign companies. It organised radical land reform and then agriculture in collectives. Cuban industry, some under the control of the US, was nationalised, and Castro’s government put in place universal healthcare and free education.
During his more than 47-years of leadership, Castro has been seen as a controversial figure. Internationally, his leadership has been marked by tensions with the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have migrated from Cuba to the U.S., mostly those from Cuba's historically privileged white minority. Many moved to Miami in nearby Florida.
Crisis!
One of the strongest memories of my teenage years was the showdown between Cuba and the US in the early 1960s. US-backed Cuban exiles invaded Cuba in the Bay of Pigs in 1961. This failed, but was then followed by the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. I was convinced there would be a nuclear war. The Soviet Union installed missiles in Cuba and in response, the US blockaded Cuba. The Soviet Union backed down, in return for a United States promise to remove nuclear missiles in Turkey and never to invade Cuba again. The US has never openly threatened Cuba since, but has supported many attempts to overthrow Castro and imposed economic sanctions.
The US embargo
The US has operated an economic, financial and commercial embargo for the last 43 years – since 1962. In 2004 the UN condemned the US blockade for the 13th time! US citizens who travel to Cuba are prosecuted. By law, any non-US company that does business with Cuba can be sued, and barred from the US. This means that the everyday goods that we take for granted, are hard to come by.
How does Cuba manage to stay a socialist country in a capitalist world?
Cuba's socialist economy is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing. Hiring labour is not allowed, on the theory that private employment will lead to worker exploitation. For several decades, Cuba and the Soviet Union did a deal whereby Cuba provided the Soviet Union with sugar and the Soviets provided Cuba with oil at very low prices. The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main trading partner. In response, Cuba opened up to tourism, now a major source of income.
Making a virtue of necessity
Cuba has made a name for itself in sustainable and organic agriculture. When the Soviet Union fell, Cuba lost 70% of agricultural chemical imports, and 50% of food imports. Its agricultural sector was instantly crippled.
Fuel became very expensive and mechanical parts and agrochemicals were hard to come by. Cuba had no choice but to go organic. Any available space in cities has been used for organic market gardening which stimulates the local economy. 80 per cent of fresh food grown in the country is organic, compared to the tiny percentage in the UK. This all means low food miles, sustainable production, and money that stays in the community.
And the music!
The roots of most Cuban music lie in the cabildos, a kind of social club among African slaves brought to Cuba. Cabildos preserved African cultural traditions. Cuban music has its principal roots in Spain and West Africa. Over time other influences have come in from France, the United States, and Jamaica. Cuban music has been influential in other countries, contributing to the development of jazz and salsa, to tango in Argentina, high life in Ghana, Afrobeat in West Africa, and “new flamenco” in Spain.
The choir Ali and I are with, is performing at the 8th international choir festival in Santiago de Cuba. Choirs from Spain, the US, UK, France and Caribbean countries.
Two years ago the Sheffield Socialist Choir from England took part in the Festival. It was such a wonderful experience that the organisers decided to encourage other singers to come to Cuba and share in the rich musical culture. Since March this year the singers from six different choirs have met regularly and a totally new choir was born, called The Northern Lights.