The following is a guest post written by Tim Tendick, a traveling writer and photographer, who also teaches. Because he’s well-rounded like that. Most of his adventures can be found on vagabondurges.com. He gratefully traveled with Altruvistas to Cuba and Venezuela in 2014.
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Havana, Cuba’s Past, Present and Future by Tim Tendick:
I felt a crushing sense of failure as I walked out of a lecture by Miguel Coyula on the Past, Present, and Future of Havana (and ergo Cuba, the two being inseparable) that was part of the Interactive Art Delegation organized by Altruvistas and Ethical Traveler. Cuba has so much to be proud of from its audacious past, angry about in its beleaguered present, and worried about for its uncertain future.
Looking back, it’s an island where a group of friends overthrew the foreign economic, military, and mafia interests that were exploiting their home, then against severe opposition managed to enact something resembling the social order they had dreamed of for their people. How far off track they got is an ongoing debate. Looking around now, it’s a country whose massively educated population has all the ability, but little of the opportunity. And looking forward, a future will soon be upon them with nothing certain but massive change.
But none of this is what was wearing on me. Because as legion as Cuba’s trials and travails have been, are, and will be, they have people like Coyula to work on them, and a well-proven national ability to respond.
No, what had my shoulders drooping (in addition to exhaustion, since that late-night Cuban jazz just ain’t gonna listen to itself) was the fear of not being able to adequately convey the issues, options, achievements and currents of Cuba, one of the relatively few places left on our little blue galactic rock that reminds us there just might be more than one way of doing things. It’s a complicated place, with swirling currents of rumor, misinformation, and propaganda, but if we can only see through the mess to the truth, Cuba has powerful and even essential lessons to teach us.
But halfway up the stairs I found my salvation: I don’t need to tell you all about all of that stuff. I don’t have to find a way to stretch a blog around the Literacy Brigades, urban agriculture, and the underlying joy of a culture not abandoned to the 1%. Because there’s a better way.
Go there. You. See it for yourself. Examine it for yourself. And learn it for yourself.
Cuba at night. Photo Credit: Tim Tendick
Americans have long thought of Cuba as a time capsule, waiting for us, but tourism and globalization have been flourishing there for years, bringing change with them. And now that Americans are poised to pour onto the island in diluvial numbers, it is essential to learn the lessons Cuba has to offer, before they risk being buried by the tide.
So go there. Now. You.
It’s now possible to go on your own, and I freely confess that I am a fanatic devotee of solo travel, but Cuba, as in all things, is different. Go by yourself and you will see some Cuba. But Altruvista’s 20+ years of experience in Cuba can make all the difference between a sightseeing tour and a true learning experience. Their incomparable network of contacts offers unparalleled access to personal meetings, encounters and friendships with a wide array of the magnificent Cuban people that you would not be able to find on your own.
So if you happen to know a few dozen artists, musicians, community leaders and national figures in Cuba, then by all means, go solo. But if not, then Altruvistas is your connection to Cuba. They can help you see what you need to see. Bring a camera, an open mind, and a fertile heart. You won’t regret it.
Havana, Cuba. Photo Credit: Tim Tendick
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Interested in traveling to *Cuba with Altruvistas? Check out Food First’s 40th Anniversary Delegation to Cuba: June 13–20, 2015, led by our very own Malia Everette!
**Altruvistas offers consultation services and in the case of journeys to Cuba, operates in a limited capacity and with only legal and licensed TSPs (Travel Service Providers issued by the US Treasury Department’s OFAC).
