The Pulse of the Street

The Pulse of the Street / Fernando Damaso
Posted on April 6, 2014

Lately, I have been taking the pulse of the street by wandering around
various produce markets which have been set up since new guidelines
governing commercial activity went into effect. Though they are
generally well-stocked and offer a wide selection of goods, they all
share a common denominator: high prices. This puts them out of reach of
most workers and results in very poor sales. Perhaps prices remain high
at the same time there is a wide variety of goods for sale and a
possible increase in production. In the current climate customers buy
only what they need to survive, so demand is not outstripping the
supply, resulting in a decline in quality with the passage of time but
without a subsequent decrease in prices.

We see the same situation being repeated in the case of pushcart
vendors. A widespread phenomenon that has sprung up spontaneously
involves unlicensed street vendors, who operate near the entrances of
some markets. Typically each vendor sells a different product (onions,
garlic, razor blades, fluorescent bulbs, powdered milk, etc.) and stands
ready to disappear at the first sign of inspectors or other government
agents.
Another notable development has been the closure by authorities of some
private businesses such as family-run restaurants, cafes and sweet
shops, which had been operating for some time but which were accused of
illegal activities such as buying supplies on the black market or having
more employees than is allowable. Others have been shut down for poor
sanitary conditions. These developments, along with the previous closure
of private in-home 3D movie theaters, have darkened the mood in the
neighborhoods, which seem to be waking up from their long, paralytic
lethargy and questioning the so-called economic "updating."
Given the way things work, however, we have already seen the beginning
of the propaganda campaign leading to the upcoming May 1 commemoration,
in which "all Cuba will shake from workers marching," none of them with
grievances and happy as always with their prosperous and sustainable
socialist present and future.

3 April 2014

Source: The Pulse of the Street / Fernando Damaso | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-pulse-of-the-street-fernando-damaso/