Music Mission To Cuba

by Howard Gutknecht, WFP contributor

In December, 43 singers from the Seattle Peace Chorus traveled to Cuba to wage peace through song. Founded in 1982 in the depths of the Cold War, the group has struggled over the years with it's mission to defuse the nuclear threat and lessen the amount of violence and fear in the world. This was the fifth international trip in the group's 17-year history, and in some ways the best.

We spent six days in Havana, Queen of the Caribbean, four in Santiago, an older and somewhat more colorful city on the eastern end of the island, then traveled to Puerto Esperanza, a quaint fishing village west of Havana, ending our trip in Varidaro, lounging on one of the most beautiful white coral sand beaches in the world. At the end of our trip we found we were still asking "How does this society work?"

Citizen diplomacy

Unlike most arts groups, this chorus sings concerts and hosts groups from overseas in off years, but the energy to be citizen diplomats is what the group thrives on. "Making peace, one person at a time" is our passion. Before we travel, we usually sing concerts of the music we're going to perform, and give the community a chance to support the trip financially through donations.

Well-cared for Cuban kids. However, we were told by a hospital administrator that over 50% of the hospital's budget goes to purchase U.S.-made drugs from distributors in "third party" countries like Mexico and Spain, because they can't buy drugs directly from their U.S. manufacturers. The distributors tack sizeable markups onto the drug prices, of course.

On the way from performance to performance in Cuba we stopped in many schools, cigar factories, clinics, and hospitals, and we sang music. We forget how easily protest songs, spirituals, Broadway showtunes are loved around the world, and how music so easily whisks away the fears and mistrust. We found Cubans to be amazingly friendly, curious about the real America, warmed and inspired by a band of ordinary Americans who'd traveled to their country to find out about their real lives.

What's the real Cuba?

We're still in somewhat of a quandary. We could see directly how well the Cuban society does in some areas: primary education and literacy, providing the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. Cuban children, even those with disabilities, seemed wonderfully well taken care of. Cuban cultural life is very rich. Music is performed live everywhere and at all times. Yet, ordinary Cubans who we might speak with after a performance would tell us about the ways in which their lives are limited.

These were some kids we met in a community center in Havana where we experienced an Afro-Cuban dance performance. Cuban culture is very rich!

It would be well to believe that the US embargo has produced the economic scarcity present there, but most Cubans from cab driver to government economist will agree the government has made a lot of mistakes through the years, and even recently. And the cab driver may likely be a government economist moonlighting to earn some dollars. The current economy is a joint Peso/Dollar affair that's hard to understand but is working reasonably well.

• Myth: US economic sanctions will eventually bring down the Cuban Government. Reality: Though the years after the collapse of Soviet trade with Cuba were very hard, the Cuban economy is now stronger than ever. Cranes on the horizon everywhere from Havana to Varadero vouch for the current boom in tourism. Old Havana is getting a new coat of paint and shops and restaurants are thriving. We met people from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, and all over South America. It's a great place for a sunny vacation, or to take in cultural experiences.

• Myth: religious practice is squashed by the current government. Reality: Religious freedom is alive and well. We sang in Baptist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian churches. Their communities seemed to be thriving. The minister of the Baptist Martin Luther King Center in Havana sits on the national legislature. Since 1993 religious freedoms are guaranteed in the Cuban constitution.

• Myth: Most Cubans want to come to the US Reality: It's certain that as much five to ten percent of the population would leave for the US if they could. Why? They know there's a thriving Cuban-American community in South Florida and elsewhere in the US that welcomes them, and provides starter jobs as waiters and mechanics. Many Cubans are very dissatisfied, but only a small percentage want to leave.

• Myth: Communist government has ruined Cuba. Reality: We came to understand that most of the population is extremely proud of their country's history and heritage. They love their culture and music. They will endure any hardship to ensure that they are never ruled by foreigners again. They believe that the government is reforming itself and things are getting better.

Cuba turned out to be a place with confusing realities, not easily defined in black and white terms. One thing every one of us would agree on: More Americans need to see Cuba with our own eyes and come back and tell others the realities we've seen.

Ways to visit Cuba