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A Socialist Vision Fades in Cuba's Biggest Housing Project - The Washington Post
A Socialist Vision Fades in Cuba's Biggest Housing Project - The Washington Post
IntheAlamarneighborhoodontheoutskirtsofHavana,thestreetsdonthavenames.Tofindanaddress,youneedtoknow
thezone,theblocknumberandtheapartment,becauseallthebuildingslookthesame.Longandrectangular,fivestories
tall,theirfacadeshavebeenstrippedbytheoceanairandrepigmentedincurlicuepatternsofmildew.
AlamaristhelargestpublichousingprojectinCuba,ifnotoneofthelargestintheworld,with100,000residents.Ina
countrysworntosocialistequality,itisarguablyCubasmostequalplace,becauseeveryoneprettymuchhasanidentical
apartment.
Itwasamodelcity,saidRomnPrez,76,aretiredbusdriverwholivesinZone8,blockD52,apartment21.Hehelped
buildD52andtwootherswithhisownhands,asamemberofacommunistworkermicrobrigade.ThiswasFidel
Castrosidea.
Wehadeverythingthen,Prezsaid.Everyonelookedaftereachother.
Thatwas40yearsago.Today,withU.S.Cubanrelationsonthemend,thisislandhascometotheedgeofanewpost
Castroera.Thecountrysideologicalfoundationsarecracking,andnewuncertaintiesarecomingperhapsnonelarger
thanwhethertheegalitarianvaluesofCastrosrevolutionwillbesweptawaybyrisinginequalitiesandthebreakdownof
Cubassocialistwelfarestate.
CommunistPartyelderswanttokeepalidonmarketforces,butwitheveryincrementalopening,yawningincomegaps
emerge.Theownerofasmallprivaterestaurantcanearnhundredsofdollarsaday,ormore,inacountrywherethree
quartersofthelaborforceworksforthestateandtheaveragegovernmentsalaryis$20amonth.Tourguidesandhotel
chambermaidsmakemorethanscientistsanddoctors.
YoungerCubansdonotseemtootroubled.Butthesedisparities,authoritiesfear,beartheseedsofsocialtensions,
resentmentsandcrime.
MenDie,ButthePartyIsImmortal,saysabillboardinAlamar,tryingtoreassureresidentswhomaywonderwhatwill
happenafterFidel,89,andcurrentPresidentRalCastro,84,arenolongeraround.
CubaremainsasocietyofunusualsocialandeconomicparityinLatinAmerica,aregionbesetbydeepclassdivisionsand
theworldsworsthomiciderates.AfrayingsystemofcradletogravebenefitskeepsCubanslivinginakindofstate
administered,socializedpoverty,earninghighscoresonU.N.humandevelopmentsurveysbutlittleforCubanwallets.
Onthesurface,AlamarlookslikethekindofperipheralurbanslumthatavisitorwouldnotdareenterinSaoPauloor
BogotaorMexicoCity.Yetitisaplacewithnogangs,andessentiallynogunsordrugs,whereneighborsknoweachother
andparentssendchildrenouttoplayinthecrackedstairwellsandweedylots.Socialandeconomicequalityandpolitical
conformityhavebeenreinforcedbythemonotonyofthearchitecture.
OldtimerssuchasRomnPrezsaytheywouldnotwanttoliveelsewhere.ButmostoftheothermembersofPrezs
microbrigadehavediedormovedaway.TheirchildrenareimpatienttogetoutofAlamar,tosomewherebetter.
TheyseeCubasmodelcity,andthecountrysrevolution,asrunningonfumes.
revolutionariesandactivistswhomightneedarefuge.
Alamartodayisbecomingadifferentsortofrefuge,adestinationforruralmigrantsfromCubasinteriorwhocantafford
toliveanywhereelseinHavana.FouryearsafterRalCastroallowedCubanstobeginbuyingandsellingproperty,Alamar
apartmentslistfor$5,000to$10,000,atenthofwhattheywouldbeworthinpartsofthecitythatattracttourists.
Likethegreatsugarharvest,Alamarsgrandambitionsfellshort.Buildingmaterialsandbudgetsweredivertedtomeet
constructionquotasforresidentialunits,leavinglittleornothingforparks,recreationareasandstores,letaloneupkeepof
thebuildings.
Theneighborhoods25zonesarelaidoutinnoparticularorder,andtheapartmentblockstoowerepositionedin
haphazardfashion.Openareasbetweenbuildingshavesincebeenfilledinbyweedsanddebris.Thedisarrayis
compoundedbythelackofadowntownorcentralplaza.OnepartofAlamarissoremoteitsknownasSiberia.
Alamarbecamethereferencepointforwhathappenswhenyouremovetheconceptofarchitecturefromtheconstruction
process,saidMiguelCoyula,aHavanaarchitectwhoisanauthorityonthecityshistory.
SuchcriticismsstingforHumbertoRamrez,whowasassignedtoAlamarin1972asayoungarchitect.Heeventually
becametheprojectstoptechnicalengineer.Despitetheinexpertlaborforce,hesaid,mostofthebuildingsremainsolid.
TheAlamarbuildingsdidfailasanexampleofurbanplanning,Ramrezacknowledges.
Buttheyachievedtheirgoal,hesaid.Theyprovidedhousing.Andtheycreatedaplaceofequalityforthesocialist
societywewerebuilding.
Cubawasmoreprosperousthen,floatingongenerousSovietsubsidies.BusservicetotherestofHavanawasplentiful.So
werethefoodrationsatgovernmentbodegas.
WhentheSovietUnionfolded,Cubafellonhardtimes,butAlamarfellharder.Thepowerblackoutswereconstant.
Gasolineshortagesmeantsixhourlinesatthebusstop.Mederosrememberstakingherchildrentotherockyshorelineto
cooloffandwatchingneighborspushoffonmakeshiftraftsboundforFlorida.
TheapartmentblocksofAlamarstillhaveCDRwatchgroups,butneighborsrarelyvolunteeranymoretopickuptrashor
workonSundays.After25yearsofeconomicausterity,acollectiveexhaustionhassetin,thetollofsteadyemigration,
corruptionlargeandsmall,andtheknowledge,fromtheimpossibletofilterinfluencesofglobalization,thatCubanslive
betterinalmostanyothercountrythantheirown.
Mederoscamefromafamilyofcommittedrevolutionariesandhadmovedherparentsintothebuildingadjacenttohers.
Herfather,Aldo,82,wasaphotographerfortheCommunistPartynewspaper,Granma,andwhatwasthentheMinistryof
Communications.
HewasthefirstCubantoprintthegrislyphotosconfirmingthedeathofrevolutionaryiconErnestoCheGuevarain
Boliviain1967.ThephotoswerestillwetwhentheytookthemtoFidel,hesaid.
TheegalitarianidealsofthateraarelosttodayonAldosgrandson,Alejandro,28.HehasanAmericanflaginhisbedroom
butlittleelse.Trainedasaveterinarytechnician,hewaslaidoffduringRalCastroscampaigntodownsizethestate
bureaucracy.Sometimeshedrivesataxi.Hismothersaysheisdesperatetoleave.
Hesaystome,Idontwanttoturn50inthiscountrywithnocarandnohouseofmyown,OlgaMederossaid.
Mederossdaughter,Wendy,33,studiedforacareerasasocialworker.Butshegrewdisillusionedadecadeagowhen
FidelCastrorespondedtochronicpilferingatstategasstationsbyassigningyoungsocialworkerstooperatethem.Shehad
notgonetouniversitytopumpdiesel.Sheworkstodayinthesalesdepartmentofthestatetelecommunicationscompany.
AselsewhereinCuba,manyofthosewhosacrificedthemostfortheCastrosrevolutionaretodaystrugglingtosurvive.
Medeross80yearoldmother,OlgaChang,earns$2adaysellingpastryandcandyinthestreet.Nearlyhalfofher$15
monthlygovernmentpensiongoesbacktothestateforhersmallbusinesslicense.
OlgaChangshusband,Aldo,keepsthickmanilaenvelopesofoldphotosthattellthestoryofalifeintheserviceofCubas
socialistdream.ThereisoneofhimandOlgaonamotorcycleintheearly1960s,whenhislittlephotographystudioalso
affordedthemaChevroletcoupe.AldohasphotosofayouthfulFidelCastrospeakinginMoscow,Hungary,Brazil,back
whenAldotraveledtheworldtodocumentElComandantessojourns.
AfewblackandwhiteprintsshowAldowithamacheteinthecanefields.Hevolunteeredfor12sugarharvests.
WhenIshowthesetomygrandson,hesays,Whatgooddiditdo?Lookatyounow.Youvegotnothing,Aldosaid.
Heshuffledtheimagetothebottomofthepile,lookingaway.Maybeitstrue,hesaid.Maybehesright.
Readmore:
Theothermigrantcrisis:Cubansarestreamingnorthinlargenumbers
FortheseHemingways,acrossingoftheFloridaStraitsconjuresOldCuba
Cubasislandofbrokendreams
Nick Miroff is a Latin America correspondent for The Post, roaming from the U.S.-Mexico
borderlands to South Americas southern cone. He has been a staff writer since 2006.
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