LIFE OUTSIDE HAVANA- TRIP OBSERVATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000170 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR ARA/CCA; E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2028 TAGS: CU EAGR ECON SOCI SUBJECT: LIFE OUTSIDE HAVANA- TRIP OBSERVATIONS REF: (A) 07 HAVANA 1057 (B) 07 HAVANA 00674 (C) 07 HAVANA 00023 (D) 08 HAVANA 00068 (E) 08 HAVANA 00136 Classified By: MEPARMLY, REASONS 1.2 a and d ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: January 17, 2008, COM and ConOff traveled to Guardalavaca and Holguin in Holguin Province to visit an American prisoner being held there. However, the travel also afforded a rare opportunity for USINT personnel to see conditions in the provinces and converse with people outside Havana. The following are some observations gleaned from the trip. ¶2. (SBU) On January 17th COM and ConOff boarded a domestic Aerocaribbean flight at Jose Marti International Airport. The check-in process went smoothly and the security screening was comparable to the process for boarding charters in Miami. The plane itself was in good condition and the service professional. The flight took off and landed close to the scheduled departure and arrival times. Subsequent conversations with individuals in the province and consular officers at other missions indicate that the quality of the flight and plane are consistent with their experiences, but that the timeliness was unusual. ¶3. (SBU) From the air, Cuba is an idyllic paradise of lush, green plains and hills, beautiful blue-green water with white capped waves, and no visible pollution. It is easy to believe that, of the developed countries, Cuba has the lowest eco-footprint. The only real controversy would be labeling Cuba a developed country. There are few signs of industry or production in any direction. The occasional factory seen from the air might or might not be in operation. As previously reported (REF A),transportation outside Havana is primarily by horse-drawn carts and bicycle taxis. Beyond the main highway most roads are in need of major repair. Services of any type are very limited. AGRICULTURE AND AGRONOMY ¶4. (SBU) ConOff observed that many fields are lying fallow. The reason for the unplanted fields is not clear. The fallow lands are in excess of those required for sound crop management and rotation. It is possible that the regular consumer crops are not being planted in order to expand livestock and grazing area, but there were no overt signs of increased livestock near Holguin. The lack of planting is congruent with observations by ACS assistant en route to Condesa Prison outside Havana. The ACS assistant stated she believed that the foreigners, prison was converted from a former farm work camp where she had gone to help in the fields when she was younger, and that it seemed that a large number of fields were not being planted, perhaps less than fifty percent of what she remembered. ¶5. (SBU) REF B noted the significantly increased number of cattle as compared with previous trips. During this trip ConOff noted that the livestock ratio was divided fairly evenly between cows and what the local population refers to as sheep. Without closer examination or a degree in animal husbandry, it is not clear that these are in fact sheep. They appear to be hornless goats. The fur does not resemble that of sheep, and the meat purchased in the local markets and identified as lamb or mutton does not have the characteristic sheep flavor. Subjective observation of ConOff is that it does in fact have the characteristics of goat meat. ¶6. (SBU) Regardless of the type of non-bovine that is being raised, it appears that these herds are being increased. There may be a two-fold reason for the increase in non-bovine herds. First, it is illegal to kill, buy, or sell beef cattle, but that prohibition does not apply to sheep or goats, and as such they are a good substitute for beef, which is otherwise unavailable to residents in the provinces. Secondly, sheep (or goats) require less territory and less time for production. ¶7. (SBU) Irrigation may also be a reason for the lack of planting. Throughout the country there is a notable lack of irrigation systems, so farms are dependent on natural rainfall or labor intensive watering systems. During the entire trip functional, modern irrigation systems were noted on only two occasions. TRANSPORTATION ¶8. (SBU) Transportation remains a significant problem to the development of the tourism and industries in the region. COM noted that roads had significantly deteriorated since the previous visit. Transportation in the provinces remains primarily by horse and carriage, single horse, and bike. Occasional cars rented by tourists were observed. Tourist busses seem to be the norm for groups arriving at these distant points, however. Public busses for the local population are rare, if they exist at all. Most of the buses for local people are likely work shuttles. ¶9. (SBU) The medley of transportation created significant potential for accidents and fatalities. During the drive to Guardalavaca officers observed two intercity buses passing each other run a cyclist off the road. On other occasions drivers going at excessive speeds for the road conditions swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid potholes and bicycles. WORK IN THE SYSTEM ¶10. ( C ) COM and ConOff met again met the young woman, Ydalmis, mentioned in REF B as a waitress. Finding her was not difficult as her colleagues at other restaurants within the all-inclusive hotel all knew who she was, and where and when she worked. Since the previous meeting she has been put in charge of two of the restaurants at the hotel. Additionally, she is still a party member and has taken on the role, seemingly in an official capacity, of being the advocate for colleagues who have problems with the management of the hotel and their employer, CUBALSE. She explained in detail the compensation system and some of the infractions for which an employee can be fired, and outlined the payment structure for various types of workers within the hotel system. ¶11. ( C ) Restaurant and general service workers at the hotel receive their salary from CUBALSE in national currency (more or less 24 to the dollar). If they work the full month without any disciplinary issues or missing time they receive a bonus of ten CUCs (convertible pesos worth $1.10 each) per month. Apparently the hotel was formerly a joint venture with a Spanish company, but has been taken over by the state. When that happened the bonus was greatly reduced (to the current 10 CUC),making it very difficult for people working there to continue to make ends meet. However, the situation for the workers at the hotel is significantly better than for those in other economic sectors especially in the provinces, since they had access to a share of the total tips provided by customers and received many extras from tourists. Still she noted that the tourism had dropped tremendously and remained low over the past year. She did not anticipate an increase in the tourism, noting that the state did not seem to be directing resources toward the development of that industry at this time. ¶12. ( C ) Musicians at the resort are paid well by Cuban standards. They receive a salary of 15 CUCs per night. They must belong to the musician,s union to work, and they pay a portion of the earnings per night as well as a large sum as union dues. ¶13. ( C ) Ydalmis had not heard about the scheduled tax on CUBALSE employees working for non-State enterprises REFS C-D. However, she was not surprised. She seemed to recognize and appreciate the need for foreign operators in Cuba to offer a separate work incentive. ¶14. ( C ) Ironically, in light of the problems she faced in retaining her work and reestablishing herself as a good, loyal Cuban and party member, Ydalmis has decided to apply for a work permit to enable her to live and work in Germany. She informed COM that she has an interview and test at the German mission this spring and will leave with her 8 year old son if she is able to obtain the necessary travel documents. ¶15. (SBU) In contrast to observations from previous individuals, ConOff thought that the conditions in the provinces did not appear significantly worse than in the some parts of Havana, and in fact they seemed a bit better than in urban barrios such as Marianao and Boyeros. Most of the towns appeared significantly cleaner than any part of Havana. This begs the question, why? ¶16. (SBU) It could be that because there is less access to consumer products, and hence even less waste, there is less trash. Or, it could be that people in the countryside and small towns have even less to do, so they spend more time making things look nice. Most likely it is a combination of the two. Driving in Holguin on Friday it was clear that there are large numbers of unemployed and underemployed. There were people sitting in parks, one their front steps, or simply standing in doorways of most homes. On every street there was a woman, usually an elderly woman, but occasionally a young woman with a young child, visible in an open doorway. They were just standing there, looking out at the cars and people passing by. THE IMAGE PROJECT AND A VISIT WITH THE BISHOP ¶17. ( C ) In the course of a conversation regarding aid to the areas affected by the seasonal storms this year, Bishop of Holguin, Emilio Aranguren, mentioned a new government initiative he said was titled &Proyect Imagen8 whereby all the houses along the main road were to receive new, corrugated metal roofing and paint. The idea is simply to make things look better for visitors. ¶18. ( C ) The Bishop stated that provincial and city leaders wanted to clean up, but in the process had displaced some of the city,s poorer inhabitants. He related an anecdote in which the state was to bulldoze the dwellings where some squatters had taken over semi-constructed shelters near Holguin. The squatters went to him although he didn't know them personally nor were they members of the church. He called to the office of Central Committee Secretary for Religious Affairs, Caridad Diego and requested a delay in the bulldozing and assistance in finding placement for the families before the bulldozing occurs. As of the conversation the housing still stood, though we heard later that it had been leveled (REF E). ¶19. ( C ) The Bishop noted that the only assistance in the region following the Tropical Storm Noel was from Caritas. State aid was almost imperceptible. The army did provide some tents and housing, but less than in previous disasters. No clear reason is obvious, other than the simple lack of resources in the country at this time. ¶20. (U) COMMENTS: The Cuban countryside seems to be going through a period of benign neglect. Infrastructure to support transportation and the tourist industry appear to be declining with little attempt to bolster those economic sectors. Effects, positive or negative, from natural events such as drought, tropical storms, good weather and adequate rainfall are left to create problems or to bear fruit as they may. Little effort is being made in the countryside to do more than project a better image, and even those efforts are minimal. The population as a whole seems to be content to sit in the park, on the stoop, or by the shore waiting for something to happen. Those that aren't content simply make their exit quietly. PARMLY