In Cuba, the accent is on youth. Everything is done for youth; everything is expected of youth. The finest residential area of Havana is the Miramar section, where the rich whites formerly lived. This is where thousands on thousands of scholarship students now live in spacious seashore residences. There, students come from all over the island, especially from the homes of peasant and working class people.
Young people now have unbounded opportunities for fully-cultured, creative lives. They actually have a say-so about their education and how their schools should be run. Every branch of science, technology, medicine, art, and agriculture is open to them.
The new generation in Cuba feels at one with the worldwide rebellion against imperialism and all other oppressive forces. They especially identify with the militant youth of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It is no accident that Cuba’s daily youth newspaper, “Young Rebel,” is second in circulation only to “Grandma,” the official organ of the Cuban Communist Party.
There is always the need for rebellion against old habits, old prejudices and old ways of thinking that stand in the way of the most rapid development of the revolution and the achievement of a communist society. At the same time, Cuban youth have the highest respect for all progressive and revolutionary traditions of the past, knowing that every generation inherits the experiences of the generations before it.
They are also heavy into the Cuban culture. In Havana, the young people fill the streets and crowd the movie theaters, night clubs and parks. They love to dance and dig on Afro-Cuban and rock music, which is constantly played over the radio.
The most important thing about our Cuban brothers and sisters is that they are totally committed to the goals of the revolution. If the U.S. government burned its greedy fingers when it messed with Cuba’s older generation, it will get its ass burned if it tangles with this one!
Related
See “Cuba,” FE #110, July 23-August 5, 1970.