US in Cuba
Vol.1, Issue 1 (Summer '13)
Race/Sexuality
The Chronicles of an African American Woman in Cuba..
Prior to leaving for Cuba, I can remember having a number of conversations with my family members and friends regarding my safety in such a “poverty stricken” and “oppressive” country. I guess it was normal for them to be worried considering the stereotypes we Americans have about Cuba. However, when my mentor Dr. Marouan told us that as African Americans the locals would think that we were Cuban as well, I had all sorts of crazy thoughts flooding my mind: was being Afro-Cuban any different to being African-American? Will the police think I’m Afro-Cuban? Is this a good thing? Once we arrived I felt at ease. Cuba wasn’t as scary as I was made to believe. In fact the country is beautiful. We stayed at the Hotel Nacional where they served a wonderful breakfast every morning, and had a bar that sold the best mojitos I have ever had in my life. SERIOUSLY. The hotel was amazing, but our experience in the hotel was very bittersweet.
Our Hotel!
In this article I plan to discuss my experiences as they relate to the racial and sexual politics in Cuba and the way race, gender, and sexuality intersect to shape Cuban culture. But, before I get into those experiences, I want to discuss the way race functions in Cuba. There is clearly a racial hierarchy in place with Afro-Cubans occupying a subordinate space in Cuban society. Of course African Americans occupy the same subordinate space in America, but in Cuba it is manifested differently. Officially, the revolution marked the end of racism in Cuba. The revolutionary government LEGALLY ended racial discrimination on March 22, 1959. This meant that Afro-Cubans were no longer banned from certain areas or businesses, and granted the same opportunities as white Cubans. The Cuban government also pushed a socialist agenda as a way to eradicate class disparities, and introduced a number of social reforms as a way to provide equality to Afro-Cubans. It is important to understand that although racial discrimination had been reprimanded by the government, racism continued to manifest itself in different forms. Some would argue that this official narrative that presumes the absence of racism from Cuban society has contributed to the sustainability of racism against Afro-Cubans. The adoption of the Cuban national narrative made it impossible to talk about race without being seen as combative or a nuisance. Recently Cuban intellectual Roberto Zurbano was asked to resign from his position as editor of the publishing house Casa de las Americas because of the article he wrote and published in the New York Times entitled “For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn’t Begun”. With this article Zurbano disrupts the national narrative by insinuating that Afro-Cubans have yet to receive racial justice. The Cuban national narrative suggests that racial roots are irrelevant because everyone is considered “Cuban”, despite the fact that racism still persist against Afro-Cubans. The public admonishment of Zurbano is just one example of how racial censorship occurs and continues to perpetuate the normalization of subtle racist practices in Cuba. This souvenir and ash tray is an example of this.
Ash Tray
As an African-American woman, my experience in Cuba reflected both privilege and oppression. If I did not speak, the locals perceived me as being Afro-Cuban. This meant that my bus fare was lower than what they would charge “foreigners”, my entry into a local club was cheaper, and my cab fare was also WAY cheaper when I was with the African American members of my cohort as opposed to us traveling as a group. On the other hand, people were blatantly discriminatory towards us in certain situations. I can recall a time when a couple of us were walking into the hotel and we were stopped by the doorman who wanted to make sure we ALL were guests at the hotel. When Kenny (a white Spanish speaking male student in our group) replied that we were, the doorman asked again to make sure we (the African American students) were not trying to sneak in.
Another incident occurred at the front desk when Vanessa ( another African American student in our group) was trying to convert some of her money to CUCS (Cuban money) and needed assistance. The man working there told her to come back, but when she gave her money to Kenny to convert, he was able to do so without having to wait. Though these were two minor examples, they can still be used as evidence of racism against Blacks in Cuba.
- Kiara Hill (First Cohort)
Awesome Mojito!
Amazing Breakfast!
Souvenir Apron
Gender politics in Cuba also manifested in a different way especially in relation to dress codes. When observing the attire worn by the locals, you can see a big difference in American society and Cuban society. Men are very well manicured, and dressed in a way that we would consider “metrosexual”. Women of all sizes dress very feminine and have no problem showcasing their bodies. In America there is a line between what is considered appropriate and inappropriate attire for heavier women. In Cuba heavier women don’t appear to be inhibited and don’t seem to be ostracized for their size.
Overall my trip to Cuba was amazing. I am grateful for this opportunity because it has allowed me to physically see the way race and sexuality complicate the experiences of people of the African Diaspora. This trip has challenged me to learn more about race relations in other parts of the world, and has inspired me to initiate more conversations regarding race with my peers. I would highly recommend this program to anyone that is open to intellectual and personal growth, because it was definitely a life changing experience for me.
In addition to the way race and identity is constructed, I was also fascinated with the level of exoticization of Cuban women by white men. Recently the Miami Herald published an article regarding the tourist industry entitled “How Cuba Became the Newest Hotbed for Tourist Craving Sex with Minors”. The article speaks to the way prostitution is normalized in Cuba, and how it attracts foreign tourist in search of sex with adult and child prostitutes. During my stay at the Hotel Nacional I would frequently see older white men with younger Afro-Cuban prostitutes parading through the hotel lobby. Witnessing this initially made me very uncomfortable. It was hard for me to grasp the idea of older white men having sex with Afro-Cuban women that looked younger than I do. As our trip progressed I could not help but notice other examples of exoticization taking place at the various events we attended. During the last Rumba, Jenna (a white female student in our group) and I witnessed a white male tourist stick his camera one inch from a woman’s face and take her picture. Not only did that disrupt her space and possibly her mood because she was enjoying the show, but he also thought his behavior was completely acceptable and proceeded to continue taking pictures. What I was failing to understand at the time was that his behavior was acceptable within the culture of tourism in Cuba.
If those were sold as freely in America I am almost sure Jessie Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton would make sure that it was brought to everyone's attention. This is not to say that racist situations do not happen in America because they do. Racism is just perpetuated and internalized differently in Cuba.
Gabby and I at Rumba!
One of the cool pieces from one of the Community Projects.