Havana was strangely quiet on the eve of 50th anniversary
BY MIAMI HERALD STAFF
HAVANA -- This capital city remained eerily dark and silent Wednesday
night as the year ended and the day marking the 50th anniversary of the
triumph of the revolution began.
There was no official explanation for the absence of celebrations, but
persons who declined to be identified said that the government issued a
last-minute ban on any public festivities. Celebrations will only be
allowed to proceed after commemorations kick off Thursday afternoon in
Santiago de Cuba, the island's second largest city in eastern Cuba that
is credited for unleashing and supporting the revolution that brought
Fidel Castro to power.
His younger brother and current leader, Raúl Castro, is scheduled to
deliver a keynote speech in Santiago before a crowd of dignitaries that
will be aired on Cuban television.
In Havana, the televised news from the Agencia Cubana de Noticias
announced there will be a performance in honor of the 50th anniversary
at the Amphitheatre of Old Havana at 9 p.m. Little else was revealed
about planned festivities. Cartoons filled television screens throughout
the morning.
At the Tribuna Antiimperialista in front of the U.S. Interests Section,
a stage was lit but empty. Behind it, a sea of Cuban flags waved in the
breeze. The Plaza de la Revolución was also lit but deserted. In the
working neighborhood of Playa, the Salón Rosado, which was scheduled to
hold a dance and musical performers, was closed.
Only a handful of pedestrians and vehicles roamed the streets. Subdued
parties were visible through the windows of a few homes in Playa and
Nuevo Vedado neighborhoods. Occasionally, music could be heard and there
was the aroma of roasting pig in the air.
The big hotels were holding New Year's Eve dinners, but these events
were not related to the celebration of the anniversary of the
revolution, although the lobby of the Hotel Nacional was heavily
decorated with posters and pictures of Fidel Castro and other
revolutionary themes.
''This is very sad,'' said Juan, an intellectual from a prominent
family, as he drove through the empty Avenida de Tropicana. ``You
couldn't circulate like this on the street before. The smell of roasting
pig was overwhelming and the music from one home would mix with the
music of the next home.
''And I am not talking about 10 years ago. I'm talking a couple of years
ago,'' he added.
Loyal supporters of the revolution did not seem interested in lavish
celebrations.
While most tourists who traveled to Cuba came to enjoy the balmy weather
and the spectacular beaches, a South Florida man who would only identify
himself as ''Red,'' and two Canadians said they had come specifically to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the revolution.
This is the first trip to the island for ''Red,'' a 26-year-old doctoral
student from Colorado who now lives in South Florida, and for Jennifer,
a 43-year-old Canadian. Olivia, also Canadian, has been here five times.
All admire what they see as significant social achievements of the
revolution and feel they far outweigh any negatives. They acknowledge
the lack of freedom of expression and the restrictions of movement, but
said it is a price that must be paid for things such as free education
and health care.
For ''Red,'' a burly, gregarious young man with several tatoos on his
arms and legs, the 50th anniversary is ''a monumental moment in
history.'' He said he wanted to visit Cuba before Fidel Castro dies.
``I did not want to see a post-Castro Cuba that has a Starbucks in every
corner.''
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