By Anna Radoff, Public Health in Cuba, Summer 2013
The first photo is of a ratio center where Cubans get food. The second is just a nice view.
Only 20% of the Cuban economy is legal while the other 80% is made up of illegal exchanges. Here a family will only have access to small portions of food per month that are subsidized. There is not enough food available at these prices to live a sustainable life and Cubans are forced to turn to other options for survival. It is these illegal exchanges that carry the economy that are so interesting to study.
Before coming to Cuba it is impossible to comprehend the extreme extent to which this occurs. It is illegal to own a private business but impossible to survive on the government salary. On average a doctor will make around $16 dollars a month. It is not uncommon for doctors or teachers to moonlight as taxi drivers or other professions. People circumnavigate these issues of salary by partaking in businesses on the side, but the costs of running them further the black market. For example, if someone wanted to open a pizzeria, a bag of flour to make the dough might cost $4 and they can only sell their pizza for $1. They will then go to their friend who is a baker and buy flour that the baker gets from the government at a cheaper subsidized price. The baker will then forge his books by claiming the flour fell off the delivery truck or some other excuse. 80% of the Cuban economy is falling off trucks and being forged.
Everyone partakes in these illegal exchanges in some way or another in order to survive and therefore no one rats another out. Once you are labeled a snitch no one will trade or assist you. The social constructs and relationships created by this illegal economy is so intriguing and as Nerdwestern as it sounds I can’t wait to study it more.
Tonight Casa is throwing us a welcome party at a professor’s house and we are all very excited to go. Hopefully it will be less humiliating than my attempts to dance last night at the club. In America my enthusiasm and lack of skill is charming; here it is just plain embarrassing.
