The unequal access to food is just one reflection of what is becoming more and more of a two-tiered economy, with one group scraping by on national pesos and the other benefiting from access to hard currency. The revolution wasn't supposed to turn out this way.
At an elementary school we visited in Havana, teacher Olivia Gonzalez said they don't allow students to bring their lunches from home. Why? Because some students would bring coveted items like meat and soda while poorer students would have simpler fare. "We want the children to all have the same opportunities and not grow up with a sense of inferiority," Gonzalez explained. "So it's better for them all to eat the same." To cut down on costs and provide healthy meals, many schools are trying to grow as much of their own food as they can.
Raul Castro is trying to find a middle way, stimulating the economy while preserving revolutionary gains like free healthcare and education. His market-oriented reforms include cutting back on subsidies, slashing bloated state payrolls and encouraging more private enterprise--especially for farmers.
The historic opening with the US has ignited hopes that the US will stop sabotaging Cuba, and that greater tourism and trade will help the economy grow. Even before the opening, Cuba was buying $500 million worth of agricultural goods from the United States. Food sales were an exception to the embargo but sales had to be made in cash. New rules allowing Cuba to use US banks and obtain loans will lead to more imports--a win for both countries.
Many worry that the US opening, accompanied by a flood of tourists and US corporate investments, will be a recipe for an even greater gap between the haves and have-nots. Certainly the days are gone when Cubans ate the same meals at the same time, and perhaps the universal libreta will be replaced by a food stamp system based on need. In Cuba, the right to food is considered a basic human right. So as the economy expands, so will access to a more varied diet. With so many starving people still around the world, Cuba could be a model of how to grow the pie--and make sure that everyone gets a piece.
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