Cuba has been a Communist state since 1959, but the protests and street demonstrations that have arisen over the past week are a rare occurrence.
The roots of the protests were centered around the high prices of consumer goods in the island nation, food shortages and power outages and people calling for a change in the government.
From little to no hygiene products, medicine or food, to rough living conditions and government possession of the property and assets of the people, Cubans say they have limited ability to control their own lives.
The recent protests in Cuba have made headway in the United States — primarily Miami — and American media has taken note; footage of the heartbreak and devastation experienced by the Cuban people can now be seen on major networks and in major newspapers.
What we see is the product of several years of pent-up frustration toward a government which prioritizes the wealthy and military families, leaving little for everyone else.
Revere resident Adrian Ortega moved to the United States from Cuba when he was 8 years old and said he is constantly worried about his family still in Cuba.
As of Thursday, Ortega had heard that two of his cousins were arrested during the protests. His aunts called his American family members crying and screaming because, he said, they were worried about the safety of their children. Ortega noted that prisons in Cuba usually beat or kill their prisoners — he added that political dissidents were especially vulnerable.
Ortega said that a tactic used by the Cuban government is to beat the prisoners from the chest down so when local media shows the prisoners’ faces, they do not look as if they’ve been hurt.
Here in the United States, we can see what’s going on in Cuba and all around the world because of the internet and television. In Cuba, there is very limited access to both, with only three channels available — all of which are controlled by the government.
Ortega said a lot of people in Cuba, including his family members, are not likely to know the severity of the protests; when the demonstrations began, the government shut off all of the hotspots.
In Cuba, Ortega said there may be certain hotspots available at certain times; for example, one hotspot may be available from 2 to 4 p.m. on a Monday, and so people will go there to use the internet at that specific time.
This kind of lifestyle isn’t new to Cubans, but Ortega said that it is very new that people are doing something about it through protests.
“Protests are not common to Cuba, but seeing them gives me hope that things might change,” Ortega said.
Ortega added that the Cuban police and military are using COVID-19 as a reason to get people off of the streets and back into their homes, but he said people will continue to die, regardless of COVID-19, due to lack of hygienic conditions and medical resources.
It is common in Cuba for people to die from the common cold, toothaches and other routine infections which wouldn’t seem serious in the United States, according to Ortega.
“I have a family member with diabetes and he had to get his foot cut off with no anesthesia, because they don’t have anesthesia over there,” Ortega said. “I have a 90-year-old grandmother who looks like a stick because there’s not enough food. I’ll send my family $100, but that can’t buy them much because everything is so expensive.”
Ortega has three cousins who are doctors in Cuba; they informed him that most of the medical facilities have leaky roofs. When they are in surgery, roof water can sometimes contaminate the patient’s body while they’re on the operating table, which leads to infections and sometimes death.
“I hope this media coverage (of the protests) allows people to become more aware of how bad it is over there,” Ortega said.
He also hopes people will continue to advocate for better living conditions through peaceful protests, but said since the freedom to carry a weapon was stripped from Cuban residents after the revolution, “you can’t beat an AK(-47) with a stick.”
“Right now, everyone is emotional. We feel helpless here (in America), but we can’t go over there because we probably won’t be able to come back,” Ortega said. “They’re beating up and killing old ladies and children. They don’t care who you are. We need to continue to make noise about this … It’s impossible to survive there.”
Boston’s President of the Cuban Cultural Center Lazaro Lopez said it is good to see people rising up, and hopes there will be some change.
Lopez’s parents were born in Cuba and he said regardless of the protests, it’s difficult to talk to his family who still reside there.
In regards to the protesting, Lopez said it is nice to see the President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, admit that most of the issues are the government’s fault.
Although this lifestyle in Cuba is nothing new, Lopez said everything is becoming exacerbated now and people are risking their lives — and the lives of their families — to protest.
“Seeing the protests reminded me of when the Berlin Wall fell, so hopefully this is like the Cuban Wall,” Lopez said. “The government needs to make massive changes because totalitarianism isn’t working.”
