Journal of Derby City Councillor Robin Turner's visit to Cuba 28 January to 10 February in year 2006

Friday 27^th January

I finished off some Council duties and then finalised my packing preparations. I pack anything which is potentially a weapon in the suitcase. Items which might cause the Customs Administration in Cuba to query whether duty is applicable and thus cause delay I pack in my on board luggage. This becomes more and more difficult each time I go to Cuba as the amount of mobile phone, camera and computer equipment I want to take for my own use there increases.

I packed a large quantity of picnic style vegan food as I had a long time to go before the CU401 flight to Holguin and Havana from Gatwick Airport.

Saturday 28^th January

I set off from home in Derby at 12.40 AM for Nottingham East Midlands Airport (Mrs Janet Turner kindly had offered to deliver me there) for the National Express Airport service leaving at 1.35 AM. The coach left on time and we arrived at Gatwick Airport South Terminal on time at 7.00 AM. The earliest I can check-in for the flight is 9.15 AM and I just wait, but for too long as there is quite queue at the desk when I get there.

I go throught the Departures Gate and the security checks and then look for some things I need but fail to find any. On being called to go to the Boarding Gate I go there and have a bit of a wait and eventually board the Boeing 767 where I find that I have the most forward seat in the standard class section so I get extra leg-room.

28 January: A lucky shot using the mobile phone camera shows the aircraft shadow when we are a few metres from the ground!

We take-off and during the flight I get some photographs of the take-off,

28 January: Some fields in the South of England

some fields in England,

28 January: The peninsula of Portland Bill and the World famous Chesil Bank can just about be seen in this shot

the England coast, and

28 January: A quick glimpse of two of the Bahama Islands encourages me that we are so soon to land in Holguin, Cuba

the Bahamas ... do you know which? If you do know please let me know! or copy address → robin.turner@geo2.poptel.org.uk

28 enero: Fields and a factory near Holguin, Cuba - 5 minutes from landing

Sábado 28 enero

... and at last Cuba - four hours behind Derby in civil time but in many ways years ahead!

28 enero: Definitely in Cuba now

We land at Holguin where most passengers leave and only a few board.

We are soon flying on again to Havana International Airport. I am nearly first through the Immigration Control but then have a long wait to collect my suitcase - in fact I am one of the last to get their luggage. After going through Nothing to Declare I locate a Havanatur representative and I am the only passenger on the minibus! We set off for the Hotel Vedado in Havana where I check in and settle into my room.

28 enero: The government is resisting the outrageous aggressive actions of The United States of America Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy

I went for a walk near the hotel which is near to Tribune de los Antiimperialistas on el Malecó:n (Havana's famous sea-front Avenue) where I found work going on by flood-light. The stage area is being enhanced and I got a few low resolution quality photos on my mobile phone. I set off back to the hotel but of course I managed to take the wrong turning and took at least 30 minutes extra to get there!

29 enero: going by taxi along Avenida de la Independencia towards the José Martí memorial stucture and overtaking a camelo

Domingo 29 enero

My plan for today is to visit some friends who work at the Central Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) the parent body of the Sindicatos Cubanos (the Cuban trade unions) at home.

30 enero: The daytime scene at the Antiimperialist Tribune works site

Lunes 30 enero

Today I did some more sightseeing. I re-visited the Malecó:n to get some better photos of the new Tribune

30 enero: The site on a street corner where the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution was declared.

and later saw the monument recording the site and occasion on which the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution was declared by Fidel Castro and also toured the city while locating a bank to get some more Cuban Convertible Currency.

During this activity I saw: a famous singer, a TV announcer and a TV producer on the street - I find this sort of instance very different from the setting in which European and USA "celebraties" exist and it is very refreshing to note how different Cuba is.

30 enero: These flags were used during the War of Independence.

Impressive in a different way was the Museo de la Ciudad de la Habana which is located in the former palace of the Spanish Captains General of Cuba. It has many items that had been used by people famous in the 19th Century Wars of Independence such as José Martí, Generales Antonio Maceo (el Titan Bronce), Calixto Garcia and Maximo Gomez, the latter was a citizen of the Dominican Republic, and fought in the Ten Years War and the final War of Independence in which the uniter and inspirational political leader of the Cubans José Martí - el Apóstol was killed in the battle of Dos Rios in 1895.

It contains a copy of the treaty transfering sovereignty from Spain to the United States of America. That country had invaded Cuba in 1898, during the Cuban peoples' struggle against Spain, to prevent the future Republic of Cuba having a government containing any member who was black. Cuba thus had its colonial status changed from having one imperial overlord to another.

It also contains a copy of the document transfering limited sovereignty to a Cuban government of the Psuedo Republic of Cuba. Full sovereignty was finally expressed by the revolutionary military government on New Year's Day 1959.

Now, 103 years later, The United States of America illegally occupies the part of Guantanamo Province which it calls a "Coaling Station and Naval Base". The treaty governing this situation requires that The United States of America must need the facility which it clearly does not.

31 enero: The people are rushing for this huge capacity bus - up to 300 people can use it at one time.

Martes 31 enero

Today was to be the day for my next journey - to Camagüey by flight CU754. I packed, checked and double checked my luggage and left it in the cuarto de equipaje for safe keeping at the hotel as I had to check out by noon. I planned to do some more sightseeing before my 3.30 PM coach journey to the National Terminal of the Aeropuerto José Martí. I had a meeting at the CTC first and decided to get some exercise by going there on foot from the hotel. It was an interesting walk and I saw camelos which are articulated buses that carry up to 300 people!

31 enero: This memorial tablet marks the scene in 1926 where a trade Union founder Alfredo Lopez Arencibia was murdered by government agents in 1926.

I returned to the hotel in good time after lunching at the restaurant of the local Spanish Society - which was the scene of a murder of Alfredo Lopez Arencibia, the founder of the Workers Federation of Havana and of the National Confederation of workers of Cuba, by an agency of the Machado dictatorship in the year 1926.

The dedication on the tablet was composed by Julio A. Mella who continued the struggle of workers and students for liberation and was himself murdered in Mexico by a later dictatorship's agents.

31 enero: Another view of the enhancement works at the Antiimperialist Tribune facing the Swiss Embassy USA Special Interest section.

I had time if I were quick to get some better photos of the Tribune de los Antiimperialistas enhancement works.

31 enero: I kept calm over the delay!

I shot the photos and got back to Hotel Vedado for 3.30 PM and waited for 30 minutes before telephoning Havanatur, whose agent said they have 4.30 PM, which was better than 2.30 PM! Anyway a coach soon turned up for me somewhat before 4.30 PM and I had an pleasant and interesting conversation with the driver on the way to the airport.

31 enero: This YAK 42 120 seat plane was the same as the one I went to Camagüey in

It was a normal flight to Camagüey except that we travelled by a 120 seat turbojet YAK 42 rather than the usual smaller screwjet Antonov 25 - a sign of the demand for travel to Camagüey at this festival time. I was greeted by Señora Daimys Morales of the office of the Presidente de la Asemblea Municipal Camagüey de Poder Popular and taken to the Hotel Plaza.

1 febrero: The boy was probably keen on the music of the group Van-Van

Jueves 1 febrero

The Hotel Plaza is used by Cuban groups such as touring baseball teams (baseball is the national sport suppressed by the Spain's colonial government - rather like the Northern Ireland government suppressed Gaelic Games) and Cuba usually beats The United States of America when it is allowed by that government to play them!). This time a famous Salsa group Van-Van was there.

I had previously been not very keen on the Hotel Plaza but I now find it to be good and very friendly.

1 febrero: The group contained people from five countries

I was taken to a government motel for lunch where I was joined by invited guests from The United States of America, The Republic of Italy and the Swiss Confederation. I was pleased to again meet Ricardo Gonzalez who was born in Camagüey but now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where he organises the Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association for links with Camagüey, as proposed by President Eisenhower of The United States of America. Ricardo has been honoured by Camagüey for his work by being granted the Freedom of the City of Camagüey.

The concepts of sister cities and citizen diplomacy originated with the late President of The United States of America, Dwight Eisenhower, who stated:

"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of their way and let them have it."

1 febrero: Van-Van obviously are very popular

On my return to the hotel Van-Van were just about to leave. I shot some photos and video at the Ferro Carriles before setting off for the Teatro Principal and then some more at the Hotel Colon.

1 febrero: Soon all the state owned bicitaxis in the city will be decorated by local artists

República

I discovered a fleet of decorated bicitaxis in Republica and arrived at the Plazuela Teatro Principal to meet the invited guests and Morfa.

1 febrero: It is not possible to convey the dynamic performances we saw that night

before entering the theatre for a spectacular show!

2 febrero: Ing Amadis Muñiz Castillo - Secretario Consejo de Administración, a distinguished retired baseball player and Ricardo Gonzalez

Miércoles 2 febrero

Celebration continued at the Asemblea Municipal Camagüey del Poder Popular and after returning to the hotel for a good morning's sleep we went to La Academia del Arte Vicentina de la Torre.

2 febrero: This is just one class at work in the Academy

La Academia del Arte Vicentina de la Torre

Students enter the Academy at the age of 14 years and many go on to university. The work I saw seemed to me to be of a high standard.

Entry to specialised instutions like this one is on merit but if a student cannot maintain the required standard or does not want to they will leave but without any sense of failure being created. All education is completely free in Cuba. The national standard student uniforms are very cheap to buy (they are subsidised and rationed - for example each child will get a new pair of shoes each year) the design and colour differ by phase, rather than by school as in the primitive English system.

Students must attend school until they are 15 years of age but they are not allowed to be employed until they are 17 years of age and they can continue in colleges - free of course.

2 febrero: We had a good presentation and discussion with the Director

We then went to Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas Carlos J. Finlay for a presentation by el Director.

2 febrero: Can you spot the piece by Martha Jiménez?

We lunched at the Restaurante Ovejito where I discussed some local issues such as the persistent water shortage in Camagüey with Andrés Morales Leal, the Presidente de la Asamblea Municipal and Ricardo Gonzalez. The restaurant is in Plaza del Carmen where shortly Homenaje a Los Payasos (Homage to the Clowns) broke out. I then returned to the Hotel for some more photo shots in the area.

Later in the evening we went to a spectacular show in Plaza San Juan de Dios followed by a cabaret at the Social Workers Club.

3 febrero: The top level politicians in the province met us for lunch

Viernes 3 febrero

The leader of the Swiss NGO Camaquito Mark Kuster who is working on school projects in Camagüey and two of its volunteers, the President and Vice-President of the Provincial Assembly, two French people representing their country's Cuba Support Group and Morfa Mestril, the Provincial professional official dealing with International Relations (who has visited Derby with the previous President of the Municipal Assembly, Luis Álvarez Roldán, at the invitation of one of the City of Derby's - Mayor Councillor Peter Berry), and I had lunch together.

3 febrero: This was the final act of the night - they were all excelent

In the evening we attended a high quality cabaret performance at La Trova.

4 febrero: This is one example of Jocularity and seriousness in Martha Jiménez's work

Sábado 4 febrero

I called on Martha Jiménez who decorated one of the bicitaxis and discussed her work and my interpretation of it as which she agreed was nearly correct, especially the project to cast a bronze life size piece representing the late Vicentina de la Torre. I also discussed possibilities with her neighbour, Roger A. Blanco Morciego, of developing local means of organising visits to the City through Derbyshire Cuba Network, Provincial International Relations, HavanaTour and trade unions in Havana and Camagüey. We also discussed means of getting these recent webpages onto the website. Your reading this signals their success!

Domingo 5 febrero

The plan for today was to start early and get the webpages onto the internet, but since then I have been invited at about the same time for a formal meeting with Andres Leal. Again success at managing both is signalled your reading this.

Lunes 6 febrero

Martes 7 febrero

Jueves 8 febrero

9 febrero: The new Tribune de Los Antiimperialistas is truly impressive and effective

Miércoles 9 febrero

The work at the Tribune had been completed and the view from the United States Interests' Section of the Swiss Embassy has certainly changed!

And since this date the flags of mourning have been replaced.

Viernes 10 febrero

Saturday 11^th February

Arrived on time at Gatwick Airport - but to 1 Celsius temperature!