I like Cuba, been there a few times, love the people, love the music, even love the culture. To understand the mentality of ordinary Cubans now, sixty odd years on from the days when the revolution happened, we need to appreciate their religion, which has taken hold much more than Western folk seem to realise, it is Santeria, a derivative of the oldest known religion, from ancient Africa; Yoruba, linked to voodoo and such things.
A central theme of the Yoruban religiion is decentralisation, hence many deities, no single one is an all-powerful, perfect being, they are all flawed, like humans, and the balancing force is decentralisation.
I went to Cuba to learn more about this from the point of view of getting deeper immersed in their music and dance, that I love, it all seems to stem from the Santeria religion.
Now back in UK, and reading articles like yours (Although it's good, I did applaud it, everyone's view is valid, it seems to me), a comment I would gently make about anyone with ex-pat experiences and sympathies, including even "Cuban" ex-pat dance instructors... I hate to say it but they've lost touch with Cuban culture as it is now, given that they are not free to actually go there and immerse, like I did, but I wish they could.
Ex-pat Cuban dance instructors teach Cuban dance as they remember it, whereas in Cuba it has moved on in many ways.
50% of Cubans are officially professionally involved in music and dance culture, the government has really encouraged this, and to me it shows in their happiness. They are the happiest folk I've seen on the planet. Most would never choose to leave their beloved island, despite what we would see as grinding poverty, they live to party, literally.
There are those who are not happy with their lot, as you describe, like we have everywhere, but they are vastly outnumbered by those who are happy just making the best they can with the little they have.
They appreciate things like how their government coordinated and directed all people towards the preparation for, and rapid recovery of the island slammed by the cat 5 Hurricane Maria, they had less than 10 deaths, compared with thousands during and in the aftermath of the same Hurricane in neighboring Puerto Rico, due to neglect of the US government.
I was in touch with Cuban friends throughout.
Also indicative of both Cuban and Chinese mentalities, there is a lot of cross communication and collaboration there, There is a sizeable Chinatown in Havana, and China has no embargo on Cuba, so almost everything they need now comes from China, sometimes even for free, like recently several donations of solar farms from China to Cuba.
They just aren't as money and power oriented as we are, and they are a lot happier for it, it seems to me.
