By Johanna Jahnke, Public Health in Cuba, Summer 2011
Last week we visited Parque Lenin, a community space built after the Revolution that, at the time of its creation, was meant to embody a communist utopia. The government hoped Parque Lenin would serve as a social and scenic forum, complete with a theater, aquarium, acres of unadulterated environment, horse-back riding, and a giant statue of Vladimir Ilitsj Lenin. Originally, admission and activities were free, but the setup was not sustainable. Built a bit south of the city of Havana, the park was intended to give the working man a break from the big city. However, Cubans didn’t and still don’t have much access to affordable transportation, and Parque Lenin has seemingly become a ghostland. Although the park is still open, the eleven visitors in our group were the only people in sight aside from a few staff, and concerts are no longer held in the once-gorgeous outdoor theater.
Parque Lenin and so many of other places we have visited are illustrative of Cuba’s rich and complicated history. As a group, I think we are still trying to piece together the history with the people’s incredibly variable perspectives on politics and government. It seems that everyone we meet brings new ideas to the table, and getting “the facts” about Cuba won’t be as easy as I originally thought.
