Young Cubans in These Difficult Times
HAVANA TIMES – These are difficult times for everyone here in Cuba, even for those who are relatively well-off financially, and young people, such an important sector of society, are not immune to frustrations, shortages, and difficulties of all kinds at a stage of life that can be decisive for a person’s future development.
I have a nephew who recently graduated as an automation engineer. He teaches at the same university where he graduated from and is also a barber. Since most classes are currently being held online, he spends most of his time cutting hair, both at home and at his clients’ homes. He works a lot, but he is happy because he earns money and does something he enjoys.
Another niece, who studies Physical Education, has a small online business selling women’s clothing. Her father-in-law, who travels frequently to Mexico, supplies the merchandise. She studies, sells clothes, arranges deliveries—in short, she spends all day glued to her phone, but she is managing to support herself.
I have a computer engineering student who works with his father in a printing business. They print posters and photographs on canvas, vinyl, and photo paper. Another student in the same program works as a cashier at a small market, while another works at a business that prints various items in 3D. I could go on listing many other examples.
These are young people who, despite all the hardships, have not lost the joy and enthusiasm characteristic of their age. Sometimes they get together, play dominoes or cards, share some beers and snacks, go to the movies or the theater, or simply stroll around the city for a while, because cultural life has not come to a halt. It is severely depressed, but it still exists.
Other young people who have no aspirations to study learn a trade or work selling produce from a pushcart, making deliveries, or working in a market, café, or restaurant. When you talk to them, they all aspire to leave the country in search of a better economic future. But until they get that opportunity, they work and, at least from what I can see, they do so with enthusiasm and a desire to get ahead.
Nevertheless, I believe these young people are sacrificing such a beautiful stage of life, taking on responsibilities they should not have to bear. A generation of young people whose overwhelming aspiration is to leave the country is a reflection of all the social frustrations that exist in Cuba today.
The other side of the coin is those who, unfortunately, have fallen into drug use and addiction. According to government statistics and what can be observed on the streets, this very harmful phenomenon has increased considerably in recent times.
Another very troubling issue is the rise in juvenile crime, associated to some extent with drug use, but also facilitated by little or no police patrolling and by blackout-stricken early morning hours, which provide cover for petty theft and looting.
Teenagers and children are no less enthusiastic and full of vitality. Every afternoon I see them in the park playing baseball, riding bicycles, or skating. I don’t know where they find the energy, after spending an entire night barely sleeping through a blackout and without getting all the food they need, to still want to play soccer or ride bicycles in a park.
Children are incredible. Seeing them lifts my spirits and gives me a great deal of strength and optimism.
This is my perception of young people today: frustration and a desire to leave the country, but at the same time enthusiasm and a desire to do things.
Read more from the diary of Ernesto Gonzalez here on Havana Times.