Santiago de Cuba - Prognosis Guarded

Santiago de Cuba: Prognosis Guarded / Regina Coyula
Posted on July 25, 2013

Santiago de Cuba suffered a heart attack last year. The family conceals
her dark circles, puts on makeup, and dyes her hair, but can't control
her chronic hypertension. All this to celebrate the 60th anniversary of
the assault on the Moncada Barracks.

With the characteristic superstition of the materialists in government,
the celebration of this fixed date should be held in the "cradle of the
Revolution." In Santiago the public lighting was replaced with sodium
vapor lamps; the major parks were refurbished with lighting, benches,
and plants; the Heredia theater underwent a renovation for the cultural
gala to be held on the eve of the political event; Antonio Maceo Square
received an extensive engineering repair that included the underground area.

The television station reopened its studio. Of course Saturnino Lora
Hospital, the Palace of Justice, and the barracks, all involved in the
events of July 26, 1953, received benefits; also the little Siboney farm
and the Venus Hotel, the latter included in the homeland tour.

Abel Santamaría Park, judging by the pictures, was rescued from
significant deterioration. According to a worker in charge, 400 inactive
pumps were unclogged and restored in the cube-shaped fountain, the
park's landmark. The places related to the assault 60 years ago are now
spotless. I wish I could say the same about the housing stock.

It doesn't matter that they've raced to restripe the major streets, or
planted many trees overnight. The scars that were left after Hurricane
Sandy buffeted the battered housing stock overlie the pre-existing
ischemia. The patient's symptoms point out the precariousness of the
Santiago population.

In the midst of the the economic update that simply does not show
tangible results for the average citizen, Santiagans find that Daddy
State not only gives insufficient help as before, but has no ability to
respond to the urgent needs of the victims. Some materials are
subsidized staples, but most have to be purchased at market price. A
family that lost its home can only hope for credit and assistance to
build a home with a kitchen and bath, no matter how many family members
there are.

Although the commemorations have lost their massive character to be
required activities with seating and entry activities as listed, the
cost of such an act is not negligible: foreign guests protocol houses,
hotels, houses transit agencies, military and transport aircraft
executive squadron numerous inputs and then moving back and forth from
the leaders and guests, electricity, amplification equipment, personal
security devices and counterintelligence, artists and technicians who
will take part in the gala preview, press, billboards, banners and
billboards that adorn the avenues to the palm-leaf hats and sweaters,
but the fuel to run all this gear and other items that escape me.

The Santiagans would have preferred a tribute to the fallen and the city
itself was allocated the amount of all these resources to restore the
heart rhythm of a city, whose symptoms allowed diagnosing the
cardiovascular accident caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Raul Castro has missed a great opportunity to achieve political gain
without seeming to.

Regina Coyula | La Habana

From Diario de Cuba

24 July 2013

Source: "Santiago de Cuba: Prognosis Guarded / Regina Coyula |
Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/santiago-de-cuba-prognosis-guarded-regina-coyula/