PINAR DEL RIO, July 9, 1996. It has always been believed that slavery was the lowest level in the scale of values which humanity holds. Since, this person, the slave, whether a man or a woman, child or elderly, was a person without his own free will which was forced to do what the master ordered. If they dared to act on their own will, this attitude would surely earn them a lashing, a slap, a beating and sometimes cost them their lives. I was able to read recently a very important book, I recommend that everyone reads it. I'm talking about the El Ingenio (The Sugar Refinery), Volume 2, by Manuel Moreno Fraginal.
I've read some interesting things in this book. It awakened my imagination and I started to evaluate, as far as my mind would take me, how was the real, day to day, life of an african slave in my country. Of course, not all masters were the same. There were cruel masters, to be sure, who enjoyed the moral degradation to which they subjected their slaves. I then started, I don't know why, perhaps because of some warped path that tormented minds go through, to make parallels between the lives of the slaves and the lives of present day Cuban workers.
I started by tackling nutrition. In page 60 of the book, it says that the ration for each slave, per meal, consisted of 8 ounces of shreded meat, 8 large plantains, 18 ounces of corn meal (oh, the thought of corn meal cooked in lard). Andres de Zayas, an authority in the nutrition of slaves, recommended that the slaves should eat plantains without limitations as to quantity. They also consumed large quantities of sugar, sugar cane juice, hot guarapo, chunks of raspadura (a hardened sugar nugget), honey, fruits, etc. On top of that they were issued a pair of pants, a shirt,a wool hat, a straw hat, and a blanket. They were issued these items twice a year.
Now we come to what a Cuban worker actually receives. I compared the 5 pounds of rice and one pound of beans that Cuban workers are allotted monthly, 1,3 ounces of rice and a quarter ounce or, in other words, 4 bits of beans per meal. The basic elements of nutrition are absent in the monthly family allotment of the Cuban worker. Over the last 6 or 7 years they have sold meat 6 or 7 times at 4 ounces per capita. Fish has dissappeared and eggs are distributed so sporadically that, their appearance in the grocery stores, constitute a happy surprise.
Instead of meat, they distribute a mix of soya beans mixed with animal guts of unknown origin, infamous substitution which they've named soya ground beef, this alternates with the distribution of another formula, even more infamous, which consists of wheat meal seasoned with something which they call meat paste. This paste is compared by the population with children's feces or dog vomit. This at 4 ounces per capita. These are the foodstuffs which are subsidized, rationed and controlled by the ration card.
Now comes to the other issuances. Work clothes are only sold to workers employed by corporations in mixed enterprises or enterprises which bring in dollars. All other clothing and other personal hygiene products are sold only in dollars, this when a Cuban worker only earns in Cuban pesos.
Another parallel: after the slaves would run away from their ranches they would send the ranchers and dogs. Now those who run to seek exile, when they are returned, they are handled by the modern day ranchers with their rapid action agents who also act as dogs. The slaves who were captured were forced to detract from their actions which brought them such punishment. Political prisoners, if they don't accept a "re-education plan" in which they are made to repeat slogans and praises of viva to their master in chief, are issued lengthier sentences, are kept from their family visits, and also prohibited from getting food supplies from their families.
The slaves were pitted to fight each other: congo, carabali, mandinga, etc. Now they are taught to hate the modern carabalies against the congos who do not follow their master in chief unconditionally. Perhaps you would say: "but the slaves did not earn for their work". Yes, we do earn for our labor, but we, the Cuban workers, do not earn enough to buy what the slaves would eat. Besides, the unfortunate slaves did not have to pay rent, or water, or electricity, or taxes, for foodstuffs, clothing, etc., etc. The slaves were not made to serve as guards. They were not made to put up with the uncomfortable experience of listening to harangues from an individual who's telling us that we are working for the good of future generations, etc., etc., and many more etceteras.
Unfortunate indeed is a country whose nationals do not surpass the stardard of living of slaves because its leadership does not accept an opening towards democracy. Praise be to those free spirits who, even when they find themselves in filthy dungeons, do not bend to the outrageous despot.
Brothers, let's pray to the Most High so that soon, all humilliations and infamy of slavery will end, throughtout the world, and specially in my motherland, my present day Cuba.
Amen.