During my recent visit to Cuba, I saw firsthand the extent of the U.S. oil blockade, particularly its impact on the pickup of garbage —it meant there was no fuel for trucks. It was often challenging to avoid the massive heaps of refuse at the street intersections. Even more devastating is the scarcity of energy for buses to transport children to school.
To conserve energy, the Cuban government implemented a half-day schedule, while college students are assigned to remote learning. Even this is hampered, since electricity is needed for their computers to function.
While I was there with a fact-finding delegation, there were periodic blackouts, but now there have been considerably more outages, according to a recent report. Pressure from the Trump administration has compounded a strained economic and energy crisis.
“Education in Cuba is at risk due to the current energy crisis,” said Anne Lemaistre, regional director of UNESCO, the United Nations education organization. “It jeopardizes the future of an entire generation.”
That jeopardy is in view of the U.S. embargo since 1966, and Trump’s “maximum pressure” has exacerbated Cuba’s humanitarian crisis. Thousands of teachers have left the country, citing low pay as the main cause.
It’s very difficult to chart the full ramifications of the measures to bring about political change proposed by the Trump administration, but the various means of aggression have put the nation on life support.
If you have a chance, check out Mimi Rosenberg’s show on WBAI 99.5 FM NY & Tri-State on Thursday, June 25, at 9 a.m. Her focus is on the extent to which “Africa Called and Cuba Answered.”
Now it’s our turn to do the same!
