While the opulent and decadent lifestyle of Cuba’s rich and communist provides a perfect example of inequality on the island, schools in Cuba offer another view into the growing inequality at a lower level Cubans are experiencing in the 65th year of the socialist revolution. School uniforms, shoes, supplies, and actually having food in a lunchbox separates the haves from the have-nots, in the Castro dictatorship’s socialist experiment.
Via Marti Noticias (my translation):
The economic and social gap becomes increasingly evident in Cuban schools, where access to uniforms, shoes, school snacks, and other basic items becomes a luxury for a few.
Social inequality in Cuba is sharply manifested in schools, where many children face serious deficiencies while watching their classmates enjoy resources they cannot attain.
According to testimonies gathered by Martí Noticias, obtaining uniforms, adequate shoes, school snacks, and other basic items is a huge challenge for Cuban parents.
The disparity in resources has a significant emotional impact on the poorest students.
Anais Penalva, an activist residing in Havana, has witnessed this reality up close and recounts that for many children, seeing their classmates with new shoes or flashy backpacks while they wear worn-out shoes or carry simple plastic bags for their belongings is a constant source of suffering.
School snacks, or the lack thereof, also highlight this gap.
“It’s sad to see how many children have nothing to bring to school for snacks, while others enjoy a plentiful meal,” Penalva asserts.
According to the interviewee, even from a young age, children understand that the solution to their deficiencies lies in leaving Cuba. “All you hear them say is that they wish their parents could emigrate to bring them shoes or backpacks from abroad.”
The irony here is that in the socialist paradise that is Cuba, the communist regime relies on this inequality to remain in power. The corrupt and oppressive dictatorship will not give up its stranglehold on power or the plundering of natural resources, so it needs Cubans living abroad to provide some relief and help keep the masses distracted and in check.
This is socialism in action.