After 47 years Cuba has finally been voted back into the Organization of American States. Belize has been long been on the receiving end of the diplomatic give and take. We can thank Mr. Castro’s attempt to garner favor in the region for many Belizeans being trained as doctors and engineers on the island nation. Belize repayed the favor by casting a yay vote for Cuba’s readmittance during a meeting held in Honduras on June 3rd. This even after Fidel said he did not want to be part of an imperialist grouping.
Fresh Washington DC where he defended Belize from Obama’s allegations of being a tax haven, Nestor Mendez, Belize’s permanent representative to the OAS was there to cast the vote.
According The Economist, the news did little to lift the spirits of Cubans living on the island. Their economy has been hit hard by the fall in the price of nickel their most profitable export. Also tourism has been hard by the global economic crisis. As a result buses and trains have been cut. The State has told shops to switch off their refrigerators for two hours a day and there is a general rationing of electricity. The US is afraid to their economic crisis will result in a spike in migration to Cuba.
We are wondering if anyone who studied in Cuba has any stories to share of life there.
