Sofia Rojas, 11th Grade

During the last 15 years, Cuba has seen a drastic increment in anti-government protests.  During Castro’s 49-year government, freedom of speech was silenced, human rights violations, and rising inequality took place in the territory. Upon establishing his communist regime, Castro started mass exploiting the death penalty and arbitrary detentions. Since then, the Cuban people have had enough and are now fighting for their freedoms. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has seen one of the biggest economic crises in modern history. In 2022, Cuba only produced 800,000 tons of sugar cane. This digit has been the lowest recorded in the last 100 years. Furthermore, more than half of these crops went to China in order to meet their commerce contracts. Leaving only 200,000 tons of product available for the local consumer. This number doesnt even supply half of the local population. Because of this, more than 31.6% of Cuban children suffer from Anemia. 

The unspoken rule in Cuba has always been to stay quiet. Even during the islands’ food shortages, most Cubans were told not to complain to any authority figure. This constant censorship has led many Cubans to do exactly the opposite. The lack of medicine, the constant power shortages, and worsening inflation are only a few of the reasons the Cuban people are questing righteousness. However, there is a media personality causing fury and revolt all over social media: Sandro Castro. Fidel’s grandson, Sandro Castro, has triggered madness over social media due to his luxurious lifestyle. After a video of him surfaced driving his luxury cars and depicting elitist comments many Cubans started interrogating the actual interests of the Cuban government. 

The Castro clan has ruled for more than 50 years the island of Cuba. They have influence in policymaking, governmental funding, and the overall destination of Cuban politics. Under this mantel of hypocrisy and privilege, an “untouchable” social cast has defined the Cuban framework for human rights. In the aforementioned video, Sandro reaches 90mph, while the legal speed limit is 62 mph. This depiction highlights an even bigger problem in Cuban society. While Sandro is allowed to race his car, many Cubans are imprisoned for nothing more than peacefully demonstrating. According to organizations in Cuba, the government has more than 1,000 political prisoners. These prisoners have suffered demeaning treatment such as being denied legal consoling, food, sleep, medical care, and other primal necessities. While Raul Castro’s kids have the luxury to live and study abroad. Most Cubans are stuck with unfair migratory restrictions. In an article published by BBC, Sarah Sanford, exposes the following: “More than a year after Cubans were promised their country would open up, and allow free travel, they’re still waiting.”

Overall, the instability seen in Cuba is just a commodity of years of changeless censorship and subjugation. As an international community, it is time to adjudge the crisis that is affecting and degrading the quality of life of more than 11 million Cubans. Furthermore, focusing on Cuba would also mean to stop blinding an eye to the constant inequality and elitism established in the country. 

APA CITATIONS: 

BBC News. (2021, November 15). Cuba cracks down on dissent ahead of the protest march. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59289966

Al Jazeera. (2022, January 11). Dozens of Cuban protesters are to face trial this week, relatives say. Protests News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/11/dozens-of-cuban-protesters-to-face-trial-this-week-relatives-say

Augustin, E. (2022, January 16). ‘They want to make an example: Cuba protesters hit with severe sentences. The Guardian. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/15/cuba-protesters-sentences-sedition

Rainsford, B. S. (2012, July 21). Leaving Cuba: The difficult task of exiting the island. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18933175