The Half Empty Glass

My father always said to me, “Don’t believe it until you see it.”

Rightfully, there are plenty of articles that tell you how bad things are here in Cuba. Just the publications coming out of southern Florida alone would make anyone want to stay away. Their intention, I’m sure.

Some stories say that life is especially hard in the countryside. They would be correct.

Some say that the power is out all the time. In certain areas, they would be correct. Some say that Cubans are rooting through the garbage for something to eat. I’ve seen that.

There are stories of broken infrastructure and crumbling buildings. I’ve seen the broken sidewalks and water running in the street due to broken water mains. I’ve seen the panhandlers with their hand out in the tourist corridor. I’ve heard the cab drivers talk of hard times. The guides, the bus drivers, describe the struggle. I’m sure the maids and bartenders tell of the same struggle.

So, to all that write about a glass that is half empty, you are correct! Exclamation mark, Double stop! You are correct!

This June will be thirty years for me. Thirty years of walking these streets. I, will be the first to say that I still don’t know “Jack Shit” about Cuba. What I can tell you are the things I see.

I see change. For the first time, I see sustained change. It began in 2008 when, then, president Raul Castro changed regulations about home ownership and small enterprise. Since those initial regulation changes, progress, and economic prosperity have been kicked in the knees, thrown under the bus, omitted from news stories. It has been beaten up, burgeoned in the press, and simply ignored.

However, “Dad,” I will tell you what I see.

1. I have never before seen the “volume” and “variety” of products showing up on every street corner and store front, double, triple, quadruple. And now tenfold.
2. I am surprised by the number of Cubans driving new and late-model cars. Many with Particular (P) license plates.
3. Everyone seems to have an electric bike. They are everywhere, driven by mothers, daughters, and grandfathers. E-taxis as well.
4. Every concert I go to is packed with the “new middle class” dollars in their pocket. Cubans, complete with the latest Android, Nikes, and a bottle of Ballantines or Johnny Walker in the centre of their table.
5. Construction is everywhere. Every street once again seems to have either construction material piled in front of a house in order to have work done, or an outright new construction project in process. Miami money? I don’t know. I hope so!
6. Cubans are buying me beer. Go figure. A new phrase I’ve not heard often from a Cuban. “Hey Jim, I’ve got this round.”
7. In Cienfuegos, between walking the Calzada and the Prado, I have counted over 135 store fronts selling everything from diamond grinding wheels to house paint. From Eggs to smoked ham.
8. Mipymes as of December 2024 has issued 8,623 licenses to either CNAs or small business owners. Not enough! But a long way from the initial 35 issued a short five years ago and projected to grow to 11,000 next year.
9. (K) And (W) licence plates are showing up in rural areas indicating the spread of foreign investment and the growth of the private sector.
10. The panaderos are back, the street carts, the carniceros. But also, at every outdoor event now, there seem to be two and three kiosk vendors showing up selling food and drink. The numbers are growing.
11. The number of old state run facilities dull enterprises, needing paint and energy, that now have been leased by the private sector, freshened, modernized, stocked and managed. They are now busy, and they grow in number every day.
12. Private tour guides, and organized cross-country tour groups, are growing. Fresh new energy.
13. Groups like Mochileando Cuba. The quasi-Cuban Uber for city to city transport.
14. Here in Cienfuegos, a plane arrives every week with supplies for the Mipymes.
15. Online shopping at sites like “Revolico” springing up. The products for sale are seemingly unlimited in scope and variety.

Is it enough? No, it’s not. Is it happening fast enough? For sure not. Is there still pain? Yes, there is a ton of pain. However, for those of us who watched China in the eighties and nineties as it used small and medium enterprise to lift so many of its people out of poverty, we realize that “there will be pain.” The pain that comes as any public sector shrinks and the private sector grows.

Here is the “tourist tip.” You will be surprised by what supplies you can source right here in Cuba. At how well you can eat. The quality of your private accommodation. You will see scenes of despair. However, if you look, you will also see sights of prosperity. Energetic, and resilient Cubans, doing what they do best. Forging forward. Please, if you plan to visit, remember that we can’t help every Cuban, but we can help one or two. Thank you for choosing Cuba. Thank you for this platform.

Dad, I see a glass that is half empty, but I also see that it is half full.

James R Crow

James R. Crow is the author of the book “My Cuban Friends,” and a member of the Canadian Authors Association. He is also a writer at Sixth Avenue Productions. He and his wife live in Canada and Cuba.