WINNIE BLOG: On the Mat in Cuba
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by Ralph Winnie
In early February, I was selected by USA Wrestling to be part of the United States delegation to the Cerro Pelado International Tournament in Havana, Cuba. After talking with many of my sources who had traveled to Cuba in the past, I was told that “Cuba of the last three years appears to be different from the Stalinist regime of the past few decades.” From my observations during the trip, this appears to be the case.
Raul Castro‘s recent economic reforms, allowing individuals to open a variety of family-based small businesses, has had the intended effect of generating job opportunities outside the public sector (which had traditionally dominated Cuban life) and has resurrected the entrepreneurial spirit of the Cuban people. These reforms are very similar to China in the late 1970’s when Deng Xiaoping embarked on a limited privatization program based upon Singapore’s economic model which has led China to become known as “The People’s Republic of Capitalism.”
We witnessed how Cubans are taking advantage of these new self-employment opportunities to enthusiastically engage and trade with foreigners. The biggest takeaway is the warmth and openness of the Cuban people despite years of anti-American propaganda.
While opportunities are still limited, people take advantage of every avenue open to them to improve their lives by making extra money identifying and targeting Westerners with cash as their preferred market, offering them private tours of the island, authentic Cuban cuisine and inside access to the best shopping, all for a nominal negotiated fee under the spirit of a new revolution engendered by Raul Castro. His goal is to improve economic ties between Cuba and the United States as Cuba is in desperate need of tourism dollars from the United States to boost its flagging economy.
When I arrived in Havana, our delegation was fortunate to stay at the Melia Habana hotel located on Embassy Row in the business district of Havana, fairly near the enormous oversized tall edifice of the Russian Embassy. Our fellow countryman, Conan O’Brien, ended up meeting with several members of the delegation in the lobby of the hotel one night as we enjoyed several rounds of mojitos and cubra libres along with authentic Cuban cigars. I strongly recommend that one should experience smoking an authentic Cuban cigar at least once in their life to fully appreciate the essence of Cuban life.
Since our check-in was proceeding extremely slowly (it took two and a half hours before the whole delegation was assigned to their rooms), I ventured out into old Havana with Steve Fraser, the first American to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling in the 1984 Olympics. Mr. Fraser has been a frequent Cuban traveler and was kind enough to be our unofficial tour guide.
He took us down Calle Obispo (The Street of Bishops) to see renowned Cuban jugglers and musicians perform and pointed out the noted Cuban pharmacy, signature art salons and the watch company Cuervo Y Sobrinos with its famous bar. While walking along the street of Havana, I was deeply impressed by the array of cafes and restaurants where one could sample authentic Cuban food, but, at the same time, was surprised to see so many international brands of companies that had an established foothold in Cuba.
Outsiders do not endure the inconvenience that many Cubans face on a regular basis such as finding personal hygiene products, household goods and pharmaceuticals as well as dealing with an antiquated public transportation system and long lines for ration goods. However, Cubans are coping under these trying circumstances and continually expressed their joy of life through song and dance, including musica foklorica (traditional Cuban dance and music) although my back has not been the same after a session or two of Salsa dancing on top of the renown Hemingway bar. This may explain why I was abruptly accosted outside the bar, in front of a Brazilian news crew, by what appeared to be a young Cuban transvestite who grabbed my arm and demanded a photo op, much to the amusement of both my fellow countryman and Cubans alike.
One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to meet with Conrad Tribble, DCM of the United States Interest Section in Havana. Our delegation was warmly received by Mr. Tribble, his wife and several U.S. diplomats who were interested to meet and learn about the positive impact USA Wrestling has had over the years in promoting positive relations between Cuba and the United States through sports diplomacy. The U.S. diplomats repeatedly emphasized that Cubans are pro-American. However, several delegates, including myself, almost had their arms slashed by Mr. Tribble’s Cuban bodyguard, a pet monkey who we made the mistake of trying to pet, a serious error in judgment as the animal was more than vicious and extremely anti-American! We all escaped unharmed and no class action lawsuit needed to be filed against such a hero of the revolution.
Havana is a beautiful city, a product of its 18th and 19th century importance as the seat of power for the waning Spanish empire in the Americas. Havana is relatively clean. Cubans appear to have perfected the art of recycling just about everything, including old American automobiles. Cubans have become apolitical by necessity as evidenced by the fact that there is little or no graffiti and an absence of political discussion. There appears to be a low key police presence and self-policing is the norm. People seem to do what is needed to stay out of trouble.
While cell phones are widely available, only 6% of the Cuban people have access to the internet via their phone or personal computer. As our delegation soon realized, there is a huge demand for American cell phones on the black market in Cuba. Two of our group had their cell phones stolen at the wrestling venue. Once the threat was known throughout the venue, a Cuban gentleman approaching the assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s team and offered to take her to a place where she could buy back her phone at a mutually agreeable price, reflecting the new state of entrepreneurship in Cuba. Instead, when the theft was reported to the local police, this led to the arrest of a tour guide who was subsequently released after three days in jail.
The Cerro Pelado Wrestling Tournament was a huge success for USA Wrestling as both the men’s and women’s team collected multiple gold medals. In Men’s Freestyle, the United States was 12-3 against the Cuban team in Cuba, which was historic. Our Greco-Roman team collected one gold and a bronze, demonstrating consistent and remarkable improvement over the last couple of years.
There is little agricultural activity in Cuba which imports about 80% of what it consumes. While some Cuban nationalists may claim that fertilizer and seeds are not available because of the U.S. embargo, there is limited incentive to grow what the Cuban people need as the proliferation of basic goods and services on the black market shifted the focus away from developing a significant agricultural base.
Investment in the health sector is declining due to limited access to hard currency. While “health tourism” draws many people from Latin America to Cuba for the low cost of elective procedures, prescription medicine and sustained treatment for chronic ailments is scarce. Family planning is universal with Cuba having one of the lowest birthrates. School attendance is 100% for young people when they are not swarming around the U.S. team at the wrestling venue hoping to receive money or trade goods. Cubans can read and write, but what is taught has traditionally been controlled.
Cuba has two currencies. The non-convertible Peso will hardly buy anything. Cubans who rely on the Peso, mostly those without any relatives abroad, suffer the most as they have limited access to the knock off designer clothes and luxury goods routinely available to Cubans who trade on the black market with currency and goods shipped from overseas. The convertible CUC can buy some luxuries such as Chinese made goods, including AC’s and electric stoves as well as better options for transportation.
“We are poor but not miserable” is a popular Cuban phrase which arguably may be true when compared to the poorest countries in the region, like Haiti. However, such is a testament to the failure of the Castro regime which took over the most economically prosperous economy in the region in 1959 and, through bad economic planning, is now struggling to stay afloat.
A major highlight of my trip to Cuba was being invited to the home of Filiberto Azcuy who won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games for Cuba in Greco-Roman Wrestling. Our gracious host and his charming family warmly welcomed our delegation into their hacienda style home where we were treated as honored guests, being served a traditional Cuban meal of beef, chicken and rice which was heavily spiced and made our eyes water. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Hector Milian who won gold in 1992 in Greco-Roman Wrestling for Cuba as well as Mijian Lopez who also won gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling for Cuba in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. These gentlemen were thoughtful enough to drop by with several cases of Cristal, Cuba’s national beer, for all of us to share.
I invited Mijian Lopez and Hector Milian to come to Hawaii for a visit. Beaming with delight, Hector Milian slapped my back while Mijian Lopez picked me up in the air and put me in one of his famous body locks. Over the course of the next two hours, the three of us alternated between drinking Cristal and impromptu Greco-Roman wrestling, much to the fascination of Steve Fraser, the first American to win gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling. I had boasted repeatedly about my wrestling prowess so Hector Milian proceeded to clamp a headlock on me, reminiscent of the best of Alexander Karelin. A draw was declared, much to the approval of Mrs. Azcuy who had been reduced to praying. The next several hours were filled with pictures and storytelling before we all crammed into Mijian’s car for a ride back to the Melia Habana.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Steve Fraser, USA Wrestling’s Chief of Donor Relations for USA Wrestling, for being such a wonderful host, especially for lending me several articles of USA Wrestling attire to wear during my time in Havana as my suitcase was lost by the airline prior to my arrival in Cuba.
Ralph Winnie was part of the U.S. delegation to the Cerro Pelado International and Granma Cup tournaments in Havana, Cuba in February.
Raul Castro‘s recent economic reforms, allowing individuals to open a variety of family-based small businesses, has had the intended effect of generating job opportunities outside the public sector (which had traditionally dominated Cuban life) and has resurrected the entrepreneurial spirit of the Cuban people. These reforms are very similar to China in the late 1970’s when Deng Xiaoping embarked on a limited privatization program based upon Singapore’s economic model which has led China to become known as “The People’s Republic of Capitalism.”
We witnessed how Cubans are taking advantage of these new self-employment opportunities to enthusiastically engage and trade with foreigners. The biggest takeaway is the warmth and openness of the Cuban people despite years of anti-American propaganda.
While opportunities are still limited, people take advantage of every avenue open to them to improve their lives by making extra money identifying and targeting Westerners with cash as their preferred market, offering them private tours of the island, authentic Cuban cuisine and inside access to the best shopping, all for a nominal negotiated fee under the spirit of a new revolution engendered by Raul Castro. His goal is to improve economic ties between Cuba and the United States as Cuba is in desperate need of tourism dollars from the United States to boost its flagging economy.
When I arrived in Havana, our delegation was fortunate to stay at the Melia Habana hotel located on Embassy Row in the business district of Havana, fairly near the enormous oversized tall edifice of the Russian Embassy. Our fellow countryman, Conan O’Brien, ended up meeting with several members of the delegation in the lobby of the hotel one night as we enjoyed several rounds of mojitos and cubra libres along with authentic Cuban cigars. I strongly recommend that one should experience smoking an authentic Cuban cigar at least once in their life to fully appreciate the essence of Cuban life.
Since our check-in was proceeding extremely slowly (it took two and a half hours before the whole delegation was assigned to their rooms), I ventured out into old Havana with Steve Fraser, the first American to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling in the 1984 Olympics. Mr. Fraser has been a frequent Cuban traveler and was kind enough to be our unofficial tour guide.
He took us down Calle Obispo (The Street of Bishops) to see renowned Cuban jugglers and musicians perform and pointed out the noted Cuban pharmacy, signature art salons and the watch company Cuervo Y Sobrinos with its famous bar. While walking along the street of Havana, I was deeply impressed by the array of cafes and restaurants where one could sample authentic Cuban food, but, at the same time, was surprised to see so many international brands of companies that had an established foothold in Cuba.
Outsiders do not endure the inconvenience that many Cubans face on a regular basis such as finding personal hygiene products, household goods and pharmaceuticals as well as dealing with an antiquated public transportation system and long lines for ration goods. However, Cubans are coping under these trying circumstances and continually expressed their joy of life through song and dance, including musica foklorica (traditional Cuban dance and music) although my back has not been the same after a session or two of Salsa dancing on top of the renown Hemingway bar. This may explain why I was abruptly accosted outside the bar, in front of a Brazilian news crew, by what appeared to be a young Cuban transvestite who grabbed my arm and demanded a photo op, much to the amusement of both my fellow countryman and Cubans alike.
One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to meet with Conrad Tribble, DCM of the United States Interest Section in Havana. Our delegation was warmly received by Mr. Tribble, his wife and several U.S. diplomats who were interested to meet and learn about the positive impact USA Wrestling has had over the years in promoting positive relations between Cuba and the United States through sports diplomacy. The U.S. diplomats repeatedly emphasized that Cubans are pro-American. However, several delegates, including myself, almost had their arms slashed by Mr. Tribble’s Cuban bodyguard, a pet monkey who we made the mistake of trying to pet, a serious error in judgment as the animal was more than vicious and extremely anti-American! We all escaped unharmed and no class action lawsuit needed to be filed against such a hero of the revolution.
Havana is a beautiful city, a product of its 18th and 19th century importance as the seat of power for the waning Spanish empire in the Americas. Havana is relatively clean. Cubans appear to have perfected the art of recycling just about everything, including old American automobiles. Cubans have become apolitical by necessity as evidenced by the fact that there is little or no graffiti and an absence of political discussion. There appears to be a low key police presence and self-policing is the norm. People seem to do what is needed to stay out of trouble.
While cell phones are widely available, only 6% of the Cuban people have access to the internet via their phone or personal computer. As our delegation soon realized, there is a huge demand for American cell phones on the black market in Cuba. Two of our group had their cell phones stolen at the wrestling venue. Once the threat was known throughout the venue, a Cuban gentleman approaching the assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s team and offered to take her to a place where she could buy back her phone at a mutually agreeable price, reflecting the new state of entrepreneurship in Cuba. Instead, when the theft was reported to the local police, this led to the arrest of a tour guide who was subsequently released after three days in jail.
The Cerro Pelado Wrestling Tournament was a huge success for USA Wrestling as both the men’s and women’s team collected multiple gold medals. In Men’s Freestyle, the United States was 12-3 against the Cuban team in Cuba, which was historic. Our Greco-Roman team collected one gold and a bronze, demonstrating consistent and remarkable improvement over the last couple of years.
There is little agricultural activity in Cuba which imports about 80% of what it consumes. While some Cuban nationalists may claim that fertilizer and seeds are not available because of the U.S. embargo, there is limited incentive to grow what the Cuban people need as the proliferation of basic goods and services on the black market shifted the focus away from developing a significant agricultural base.
Investment in the health sector is declining due to limited access to hard currency. While “health tourism” draws many people from Latin America to Cuba for the low cost of elective procedures, prescription medicine and sustained treatment for chronic ailments is scarce. Family planning is universal with Cuba having one of the lowest birthrates. School attendance is 100% for young people when they are not swarming around the U.S. team at the wrestling venue hoping to receive money or trade goods. Cubans can read and write, but what is taught has traditionally been controlled.
Cuba has two currencies. The non-convertible Peso will hardly buy anything. Cubans who rely on the Peso, mostly those without any relatives abroad, suffer the most as they have limited access to the knock off designer clothes and luxury goods routinely available to Cubans who trade on the black market with currency and goods shipped from overseas. The convertible CUC can buy some luxuries such as Chinese made goods, including AC’s and electric stoves as well as better options for transportation.
“We are poor but not miserable” is a popular Cuban phrase which arguably may be true when compared to the poorest countries in the region, like Haiti. However, such is a testament to the failure of the Castro regime which took over the most economically prosperous economy in the region in 1959 and, through bad economic planning, is now struggling to stay afloat.
A major highlight of my trip to Cuba was being invited to the home of Filiberto Azcuy who won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games for Cuba in Greco-Roman Wrestling. Our gracious host and his charming family warmly welcomed our delegation into their hacienda style home where we were treated as honored guests, being served a traditional Cuban meal of beef, chicken and rice which was heavily spiced and made our eyes water. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Hector Milian who won gold in 1992 in Greco-Roman Wrestling for Cuba as well as Mijian Lopez who also won gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling for Cuba in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. These gentlemen were thoughtful enough to drop by with several cases of Cristal, Cuba’s national beer, for all of us to share.
I invited Mijian Lopez and Hector Milian to come to Hawaii for a visit. Beaming with delight, Hector Milian slapped my back while Mijian Lopez picked me up in the air and put me in one of his famous body locks. Over the course of the next two hours, the three of us alternated between drinking Cristal and impromptu Greco-Roman wrestling, much to the fascination of Steve Fraser, the first American to win gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling. I had boasted repeatedly about my wrestling prowess so Hector Milian proceeded to clamp a headlock on me, reminiscent of the best of Alexander Karelin. A draw was declared, much to the approval of Mrs. Azcuy who had been reduced to praying. The next several hours were filled with pictures and storytelling before we all crammed into Mijian’s car for a ride back to the Melia Habana.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Steve Fraser, USA Wrestling’s Chief of Donor Relations for USA Wrestling, for being such a wonderful host, especially for lending me several articles of USA Wrestling attire to wear during my time in Havana as my suitcase was lost by the airline prior to my arrival in Cuba.
Ralph Winnie was part of the U.S. delegation to the Cerro Pelado International and Granma Cup tournaments in Havana, Cuba in February.
