In March, Cubans broke out in protests recently amidst growing political and economic unrest. These protests marked the second time in three years the citizens have taken a stand against the government.

Context

The protests were sparked by food shortages and long power outages. The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, insinuated that the United States was behind the protests, according to Al-Jazeera. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel rebutted the president saying, “the United States is not behind these protests in Cuba, and the accusation of that is absurd.”

The Economy

The Cuban economic circumstances are dire. According to the Associated Press, incomes in Cuba “remain between $16 and $23 monthly.” However, the Cuban government places the blame on the United States, pandemic related lack of tourism, and “macroeconomic changes dating to recent years that have led to severe inflation.”

One of those macroeconomic changes, low productivity, has resulted in food shortages. The Wall Street Journal reported that that Cuba’s sugar exports reached its lowest levels ever last year. Cuba has slowly been exporting less sugar ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, which helped prop up the industry. Recently, sanctions have prevented Cuban farmers the access to fertilizers and herbicides needed for production.

Lack of Food

This lack of production and high inflation has resulted in shortages of basic food like bread and milk. The situation is so bad, the Cuban government requested “powered milk for the island’s children” from United Nations World Food Program, the Wall Street Journal Reported.  This does not mean that Cubans cannot find any bread, milk or sugar; it just means that the stores that do have those goods, the private ones, sell them for prices most Cubans cannot afford, according to the Associated Press.

In July, the Cuban government announced price controls on certain items sold by private businesses. Business owners pushed back saying, “the measure would force them to stop importing chicken, powdered milk and other essentials, increasing the public risk of hunger.”

Catholics in Cuba

The Catholic Church has had an active role in promoting the economic and social development of Cuba, especially because half of Cubans are Catholic.

Last year, the Cuban bishops met with Díaz-Canel and spoke about both the state of the Church and the economic situation of all Cubans.

In April, the deputy secretary of the Cuban Bishop’s Conference, Father Ariel Suárez, “said that the Catholic Church is available to facilitate dialogue ‘if the different political actors’ would agree to it in order to find a solution to the crisis in the country.”

Though the Church is a force for social good in the country, it does face persecution. According to the Pillar, “members of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL)…have been imprisoned for their protests against the regime.”

Freedom of speech is also curtailed. “Only now are some priests and bishops allowed to speak publicly, but everything is hyper-controlled by the Religious Affairs Office of the Communist Party,” Bladimir Navvarro, a Cuban priest, told The Pillar.

 

To hear more about Cuba, check out Drew’s conversation.