“Food and Freedom in Cuba” by Jose Reyes

Food and Freedom are two basic necessities of life, you cannot have one without the other. Food is obviously more important, physically speaking, because it’s the source of nutrition that keeps your body functioning and working properly so it can continue to exist. Food is also more important when compared with Freedom for the simple fact that if one does not eat at all, they will simply die. Freedom is just as important as Food in respect that you need it to obtain the Food. For example; you could have a large enormous plate consisting of a thick slice of Filet Mignon with a hefty amount French Fries, right in front of you and in a reachable distance but the lack of Freedom to consume it, is not available at all. You see why in this instance, you simply cannot have anything to eat. Your Freedom has been taken away from you, which means that you are deprived of a basic necessity of survival and you will simply die. So you can have tons of food and not be allowed to eat it.

This is exactly what is going on in Cuba now and for the last 50 years. Food has been always available for consumption but only the top ranking members in the Castro regime would and have access to it. Not only do they have access to it, they have control of it. This is the most important word here, in this whole article really. C-O-N-T-R-O-L, yes, because as you all know, in Cuba, the key component and reason why this murderous tyrannical dictatorship has been so successful for 50 years, is control of food distribution to its citizens. For a matter of fact, this is a key component of any Communist government, the control of the amount of food you are allowed to eat. You see, if the government can control your stomach then they can control your mind. The Cuban citizens spend most of their LIFE trying to figure out what they are going to eat the next day. Since they are always preoccupied with searching for food and a way to survive, the Castro regime can do as they like. Communist sympathizers and useful idiots are always bragging of how in Cuba everything is provided by the Castro regime but always seem to leave out this fact, the one about how much food they are allowed to eat. Fidel Castro has had a pot belly since he took over in 1959 and has been overweight for almost all his life, why is that?

This brings me to this video here and why I write about Food and Freedom in relation to Cuba and the Communist system in place there for the last 50 years. This video is an amateur one and was taken in the streets of La Habana. It shows two young Afro-Cubans with one of them complaining of the food situation in Cuba and simply how hungry the Cuban people are. It can be categorize as a political protest but it can be just an act of desperation, after all it’s true, they have nothing to eat. This 1 minute and 21 second video made it to the Internet and rapidly spread throughout the Cuban exile communities throughout the world by way of Blogs, Websites and YouTube. It has been a total embarrassment to the Castro regime and for what it suppose to stand for. This is more bad press for Raul again and more proof of how life really is in Cuba for its citizens. The video has spread around all non-Cuban but Spanish speaking community also and like wild fire. The Castro regime has decided to punish the young man you see here, who is gesturing with his hands that what he and the Cuban people need is “JAMA” , a Cuban street dialogue word which stands for F-O-O-D. Note: JAMA is pronounced as HAMA in English. This street interview was suppose to be promoting Cuban Street rap groups but this young man began to express himself, the camera was then pointed towards him and continued rolling. You can see that the other gentleman was trying to push him away from the camera so he would not get in trouble but Panfilo, which is his nickname, could not be held back. He found the rare opportunity to reach out to the world and proceeded to challenge and exercise his F-R-E-E-D-O-M. He is also saying there, “In Cuba, what we need is FOOD.” Is there anything criminal about this?

In this video, his second, he states that he is in “Big trouble” with the authority (Cuban Government) and didn’t have any bad intentions when he spoke up in the first video because he really doesn’t care about politics, in Cuba or outside of Cuba, he’s not political. He goes on to say that he was never paid by anyone to do this video. You see, the Cuban government always uses as an excuse, that the reasons why people make these types of vocal declarations in video recordings and in words by way of periodicals means, is because they are getting paid for it. With this accusation in the Castro regimes corner the young man would have reaso to be punished. But Panfilo made sure everyone knew this was not so. This video actually made it worse for him but then again, it’s the honest truth. This is reality in Cuba and what happens when you express yourself in a negative manner towards and against the Castro Totalitarian Dictatorship. What did he do wrong?

Finally, he made his third and final video, on the famous Malecon in Havana and where he states that he was in “In Deep and Serious Trouble” now and that all he was asking for was Jama, food, that’s all. Is there anything wrong with this video also? All he is saying is that he needs “JAMA”, “COMIDA” , FOOD.? Is he hurting anyone? Well these videos did and it was the feelings of the Castro regime as they went ahead, they arrested him a few weeks ago and charged him as a “Traitor.” This young man has been accused of expressing his opinion, has been charged and Sentenced to a TWO YEAR TERM in prison! This is where he is right now, doing hard time, remember this is Cuba.