“The golden years of Cuba’s tourism” | 10 Years after Obama’s Opening
David (Che) Sarzo has been a tourism worker since 2010, driving or guiding tourists in classic American cars. He benefited from Obama’s opening with Cuba, which brought about a boom in the industry.
“Those were the golden years for Cuba’s tourism,” said Sarzo. “The whole city benefited. The country’s economy grew.”
But when Trump and Biden’s reversed Obama’s policies and increased sanctions, it became hard for Sarzo to get a fare. He is expecting things to get even worse.
“Right now, all of Cuba is in fear of Trump’s return to office,” he said.
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This story is part of the series “Obama’s opening with Cuba: Ten years later.”
U.S. Sanctions Worsen Food Insecurity in Cuba | 10 Years after Obama’s Opening
“I would like to see a serious discussion, not only at how the United States agricultural producers can increase their exports. There would be a readily available market for Cuban products in the U.S.,” says Paul Johnson, Chair of the United States Agricultural Coalition for Cuba.
Tens of thousands march in Havana to demand Cuba’s removal from “terrorism list”
Tens of thousands of Cubans marched down Havana’s Malecón in front of the U.S. embassy to demand an end to U.S. sanctions and for Cuba to be removed from the U.S. government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
Rep. Barbara Lee reads from a letter, signed by over 100 civil society organizations in Cuba, calling for the country to be removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list: “Cuba is not a terrorist state. There’s absolutely no evidence that may support a claim otherwise.”
The U.S. is “trying to destroy” Cuba’s scientific community | 10 Years after Obama’s Opening
As director the Cuban Center for Neuroscience Dr. Mitchell Valdes-Sosa was involved in talks to further Cuba-U.S. scientific collaboration during Obama’s historic opening with Cuba. But this collaboration died with Trump and Biden’s change of policy toward Cuba.
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Beyond Roots: A thriving private business promoting Afro-Cuban culture | 10 Years after Obama’s Opening
Meet Adriana Heredia, CEO of Beyond Roots, Cuba’s first Afro-style store and a thriving business promoting Afro-Cuban culture. Heredia started it during Obama’s historic opening, and has relied on her creativity to survive Trump/Biden sanctions.
Learn more about Beyond Roots: https://beyondroots.net/
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Pablo Menendez: Bringing Cuba and the U.S. closer through music
Pablo Menendez was born in the U.S., but has lived in Cuba most of his life. Obama’s detente with Cuba brought Pablo closer to his goal, but the economic warfare unleashed by Trump and Biden has further separated Cuba and the U.S. Pablo keeps finding ways to unite his two countries through music.
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Meet Cuba’s Very Own Celebrity Chef: Luis Ramón Batlle
Journey inside the kitchen of celebrity chef Luis Ramón Batlle, an ambassador for Cuban cuisine. While U.S. sanctions impact the availability and cost of food, Chef Batlle says there is a silver lining: forcing creativity. “You become a magician, an inventor,” he says.
Batlle was part of the first delegation of Cuban chefs to visit the U.S. during the Obama opening. “It changed my life,” he says. But things changed when Trump became president. Cuban food culture, which was flourishing during normalization, has taken a hit from sanctions and other restrictions imposed by Trump and Biden. It is harder for Cuban chefs to travel to the United States, there are fewer visitors to Cuba and food is scarcer than ever.
The normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations was a historic step taken by President Obama that sparked hope for progress and economic growth on the island. But hope turned into hardship when Trump took office. He reversed Obama’s policies, imposing sanctions that deeply impacted Cuba’s economy and its people. With Trump set for a second term, the future of these strained relations remains uncertain.
Stay tuned for a closer look at what’s next for Cuba and the U.S.
The War On Cuba - Episode 1
Idania del Río co-founded Clandestina, Cuba’s first independent design store, in 2015. This year, she was named to BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women. We interviewed Del Río in the first episode of our award-winning docu-series The War on Cuba. Watch the full series by using this link: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/the-war-on-cuba
