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A decade ago, we could not have 
filmed in Cuba.

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Now, we can visit the country 
and take in its African roots

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and the prominent role of Cuban 
women,

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the peculiar and intriguing 
role of athletics,

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the widespread artistic 
expression and burgeoning

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economic opportunities.

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An island and its society 
formerly closed to people

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from my country.

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Ah-hah, yes.

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Funding for In the 
Americas with David Yetman

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was provided by 
Agnese Haury

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♪

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Funding for In the Americas 
with David Yetman

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was also provided by 
the Guilford Fund.

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♪

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♪ 
In the Americas with 
David Yetman theme

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From Miami, it's about a 
half hour flight to Havana.

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It's only 90 miles from Key West

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Havana is Cuba's capitol and by 
far its largest city: a little

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over 2 million people.

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For us in the United States, 
Cuba is a different and until

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recently, forbidden world, 
but that's changing.

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Havana is alive with restoration 
and reconstruction,

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full tour buses, and taxis.

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New business opportunities are 
everywhere awaiting government

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approval and new rules 
and regulations.

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But Cuba has a seemingly 
endless supply of cultural and

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natural treasure and the 
invasion of tourists

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has just begun.

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♪

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♪

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♪

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My friend, Myra García Rodríguez 
is a Havanera

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as Havana women are known.

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She is immersed in Cuba's 
culture and has seemingly

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endless connections into a world 
of Cuba, unknown to most

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outsiders.

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This place where we are now 
exemplifies that which is a

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fantastical reality as our 
Cuban writer, Alejo Carpentier

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would say.

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An imaginative world that 
emerged from one of the great

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Cuban creators and artists 
our country has produced.

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His name is Fuster. Fuster 
emerged in the 1990's when we

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were going through a special 
period.

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In the early 1990's, Cuba 
experienced what Cubans

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now call "the special period."

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Almost overnight all foreign 
aid was cut off from the Eastern

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block, which sent the Cuban 
economy into an immediate

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tailspin.

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It is estimated that during that 
five years the Cuban population

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lost 30% of its overall weight 
due to the privation brought on

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by the US blockade and the end 
of funding from international

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sources.

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People were experiencing an 
extreme privation within the

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community and Fuster wanted 
to improve their living

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conditions, to improve 
their surroundings.

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Since we had no material goods, 
he sought instead to provide

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spiritual wealth, and in that 
way, improve people's lives.

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Fuster creations are laden with 
symbolism and what we might

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call Cubanism.

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If we start here on top, it 
looks like a cross but it's

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actually a peasant, a Cuban 
peasant, symbolizing being on

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the top but also the suffering 
the peasants have undergone.

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If we look at these various 
representations, here is a whole

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group of Cuban symbols.

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We have the peasant and the 
peasant woman exchanging

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flowers, a symbol of equality.

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We have the royal palm, the 
symbol of Cuba, and the royal

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palm on the tail of a caiman, a 
member of the alligator-crocodie

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family.

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If you look at the island of 
Cuba on a map, it looks just

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like a caiman or an alligator.

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The rooster standing on the 
top of the caiman which is a

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dangerous thing to do, is 
calling everyone get up in

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the morning and get to work.

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We've got work to do, 
let's get it done.

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All of these put together is 
a striking symbol of Cuba,

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the work to be done and the 
equality and representation

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of a whole country.

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Cuba has gone to great lengths 
to stress its cultural roots

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derived from Africa.

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Our next stop is in a museum 
in the heart of downtown Havana.

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This is the only female 
folkloric performance

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company in Cuba.

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It was formed with the 
international folkloric group

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in 1991.

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And in 1994, it became an 
indipendent group set by the

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00:06:23,966 --> 00:06:26,833
first women who dared 
to play the bata drums.

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They accompany songs and 
dances of the Yoruba region

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or Santeria as it is known 
here in Cuba.

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Yoruba, a religion, forbids 
women to play the bata drums

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but because of the importance 
of these drums in the

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development of our popular 
and traditional music and

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because it gives Cuban music 
international significance.

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We believe the role of the 
drums needed to go beyond

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the boundaries of the 
religious practice.

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The challenge was to get people 
to understand the difference

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between the drum playing 
for religious rites and the

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secular drum that is played 
in orchestras.

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Play almost anywhere.

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What we would like is for the 
world to understand that

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women here are always 
moving forward.

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And we are ready to demonstrate 
all of our potential if that is

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in performance art, better still

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00:08:10,766 --> 00:08:14,400
In Cuban history, women have 
been largely invisible

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Cubans have tried to change 
this.

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One sign is a startup 
transportation business,

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begun, owned and operated 
by women.

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As in many, many countries 
of the world, the bicycle is

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more than a neat invention.

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Here it█s a basic form of 
transportation and many, many

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people require bicycles to get 
to work or to the store or

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wherever they need to go.

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00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,900
This bicycle shop is private 
ownership but the private

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ownership is a cooperative 
run by women.

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We came up with the idea for 
business because there are no

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bike shops in Havana and I 
believe this is the same for all

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of Cuba.

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We offer bike maintenance 
and repairs.

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Students and retirees pay 30% 
less for services provided.

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For children, their bicycles are 
repaired at a 50% discount.

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Others who need something 
done sometimes aren't charged

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anything.

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We are satisfied just by 
helping others.

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The state sells bicycles but we 
have customers who do not

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want their bikes anymore and 
we will help them sell their

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bike.

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It will be almost two years now 
since we opened and it has been

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very good, very productive.

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Yes, we have many customers 
and some of these bikes are

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rental.

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I'm the only one here with 
bicycle experience, but the

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girl who work here like the 
bikes and have learned a lot.

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Well, I started cycling at 
12 years of age.

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I became a professional cyclist. 
In Cuba, being professional

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means being a member of the 
national team of the country.

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During the special period, 
there was insufficient means

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Now we see cooperative ventures 
between the state and

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indivuduals, people who earn a 
living by providing expanded

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transportation services like 
taxis, buses, and thee are also

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classic cars cooperatives.

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we, in this shop, promote 
bicycles as a healthier means

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of transportation.

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Well to give you an example, 
from Cerro, they call us by

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phone and we go to their homes 
to fix it on site or to bring it

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back here for service.

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00:10:56,766 --> 00:11:00,200
70% of workers here are 
women and 30% are men.

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00:11:09,300 --> 00:11:12,533
Traveling anywhere in Cuba, 
visitors are overwhelmed by

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the vintage automobiles 
that serve as taxis.

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It's a result of the 50-year 
blockade of Cuba by the

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United States.

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Cubans have made the most 
of a virtually complete embargo.

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For many years, Cubanos have 
had to be the mechanics of

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our own cars.

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We have not had a chance to 
bring in parts from the US.

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Therefore, we have had to 
restore the old cars with our

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own resources to keep them 
running which is why they're

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so valuable.

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This car was a family car; it 
was my uncle's, a guy who

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lived on the outskirts 
of the city.

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00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:55,666
He gave it to my mother in very 
poor conditions and I began to

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restore it six years ago.

163
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It took me about a year to 
finish the restoration.

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And because of opportunities 
created by the government to

165
00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:05,733
open up the private sector in 
Cuba, I started working as a

166
00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,333
taxi driver with this car. And 
all of the Chevy cars that I own

167
00:12:09,466 --> 00:12:12,233
are from 1955 to 60.

168
00:12:14,266 --> 00:12:17,933
Our company, Nostalgic Car 
is divided into two parts.

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00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,800
The garage is operated by my 
husband, Julio, and I am the

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00:12:21,866 --> 00:12:25,066
one who manages the rental 
business with the state travel

171
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agencies.

172
00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,800
We have a group of drivers, 
22 drivers also very passionate

173
00:12:29,933 --> 00:12:33,400
about classic car restoration 
and they keep them in good

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condition.

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00:12:34,533 --> 00:12:36,233
And I give them employment 
to all of them.

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And each car up to four 
passengers will fit and we'll

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00:12:39,566 --> 00:12:41,666
handle groups of 40, 50 people.

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00:12:41,766 --> 00:12:46,533
Sometimes, they ask me to find 
up to 25 classic cars for large

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00:12:46,633 --> 00:12:51,366
groups or for individuals with a 
tour guide or sometimes without

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00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:55,833
tour guides. And the drivers tae 
tourists around the city and evn

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00:12:55,966 --> 00:12:59,700
to places outside of Havana, to 
the most important tourist

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00:12:59,833 --> 00:13:01,366
places in the country.

183
00:13:05,866 --> 00:13:08,233
You know, during the special 
period we had fewer problems

184
00:13:08,366 --> 00:13:11,933
than we have now because 
during that time many car parts

185
00:13:12,066 --> 00:13:14,566
still came from the Soviet Union 
when it was still the

186
00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:15,766
Soviet Union.

187
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,400
And many parts of those 
Russian cars will work on

188
00:13:18,533 --> 00:13:19,866
these cars.

189
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,800
At that time, there were still 
things available in Cuba and

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00:13:22,933 --> 00:13:24,566
the cars had no major 
problems yet.

191
00:13:25,466 --> 00:13:28,033
Then we started to see more 
problems that began when modern

192
00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:30,833
cars arrived with more 
sophisticated technology,

193
00:13:30,966 --> 00:13:33,066
making it more difficult 
to fix them.

194
00:13:35,466 --> 00:13:40,900
Everything is original on this 
restored with uh-what a treasur!

195
00:13:41,733 --> 00:13:43,100
They don't make them 
they like they used to.

196
00:13:48,766 --> 00:13:52,233
Julio was able, has been able 
to go to the US and get some

197
00:13:52,366 --> 00:13:55,233
parts and bring them back 
for restoration.

198
00:13:55,366 --> 00:13:58,433
This mirror isn█t original but 
he was able to go to the US

199
00:13:58,566 --> 00:14:01,300
and find one and bring 
it back and put it on.

200
00:14:01,666 --> 00:14:02,900
That's the opening piece.

201
00:14:16,133 --> 00:14:19,500
So, this is uh, actually a 
Toyota motor, the same one

202
00:14:19,633 --> 00:14:21,066
that's in a Toyota Four 
Runner.

203
00:14:21,366 --> 00:14:23,566
Uh, it gets much, much better 
mileage; it's much more

204
00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:24,866
powerful.

205
00:14:24,966 --> 00:14:28,700
And the parts now are such 
you don't need a computer

206
00:14:28,833 --> 00:14:29,966
to work on this vehicle.

207
00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:32,700
A good mechanic can work on 
every single part of the

208
00:14:32,833 --> 00:14:33,766
whole car.

209
00:14:38,833 --> 00:14:42,700
This is a 59 Chevy Impala 
convertible. There are very

210
00:14:42,833 --> 00:14:44,000
few of these.

211
00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:46,466
Uh but he has gotten a hold 
of it and he is beginning

212
00:14:46,566 --> 00:14:49,633
restoration from the bottom 
very much to the top.

213
00:14:51,466 --> 00:14:56,566
This seeming mess then will 
be restored to a gleaming beauty

214
00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:02,366
So he's got another six, 
seven months of work.

215
00:15:04,100 --> 00:15:06,600
The steering is not in good 
condition so everything here

216
00:15:06,733 --> 00:15:09,666
goes and the result 
will be otro tesoro.

217
00:15:12,033 --> 00:15:16,933
This is a 58 Chevy Bel Air, 
90% of it is original.

218
00:15:19,266 --> 00:15:21,033
Ah, ha Yes!

219
00:15:23,166 --> 00:15:26,400
Uh! What a marvelous machine.

220
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:29,733
El sonido Chevrolet.

221
00:15:29,866 --> 00:15:30,800
Chevrolet, yes!

222
00:15:33,133 --> 00:15:36,466
So, this is the last car he 
bought. It's a 60 Chevy and that

223
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,200
was the last time you could 
import any kind of car into Cuba

224
00:15:40,333 --> 00:15:42,300
from the United States or 
virtually anywhere.

225
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,400
These are the original windows.

226
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,866
The guy had it in a garage 
so it's in very good shape and

227
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,900
he agreed to sell it to Julio.

228
00:15:58,566 --> 00:16:02,833
It's the original radio, 1960, 
works. It's an old time radio.

229
00:16:02,966 --> 00:16:05,933
They have tubes and when it 
goes inside a garage, you can't

230
00:16:06,066 --> 00:16:07,000
get good reception.

231
00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:24,033
Here it goes. The oil light 
goes off. You're ready to cruise

232
00:16:38,266 --> 00:16:42,033
Cuba's intervention into 
the economy extends to sports.

233
00:16:42,633 --> 00:16:47,000
Just down the street from the 
car shop is a very Cuban

234
00:16:47,133 --> 00:16:48,133
training camp.

235
00:16:51,466 --> 00:16:54,966
For over a century, boxing 
has been big in Cuba.

236
00:16:56,033 --> 00:16:59,366
The Olympic games are often 
dominated by Cuban boxers.

237
00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:03,933
The tradition continues but 
what is really different is now

238
00:17:04,866 --> 00:17:07,600
women boxers are 
appearing in Cuba.

239
00:17:11,333 --> 00:17:14,700
Since I was a child I watched 
boxing on TV and I loved it.

240
00:17:14,833 --> 00:17:18,933
And boxing for Cuba is to say, 
well many say it's like baseball

241
00:17:19,033 --> 00:17:20,966
But to me, boxing is 
going for the gold.

242
00:17:21,233 --> 00:17:23,233
It's like the king of sports 
here in Cuba.

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And when women's boxing 
gets certified, it will be more

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pleasurable.

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I think the Cuban people will 
accept women's boxing with

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devotion and tremendous pride.

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In fact, when I was walking down 
the street like right now on the

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way here, a neighbor told me 
that we will approve women's

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boxing, and you know, I say 
of course, that will be

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something fantastic.

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Boxing for Cuba is everything.

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We've been training female 
boxers here for several months,

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waiting for official approval.

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Now we currently have four 
women boxers training here.

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We only have one that is 
training today but we have

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four in total.

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As you can see, there is a 
girl who is 56 kilos and we

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have other girls competing at 
41, 60 and 52 kilos.

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In my opinion these girls, when 
they open up boxing to women,

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they have the talent to be 
national champions and maybe

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world and Olympic champions.

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Just as we have Cuban 
champions in the men's sport.

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Boxers from this training camp 
have been world champions

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and Olympic champions.

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We have a pyramid structure 
here where the boys are

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selected from the base, 
the basic training centers.

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The quality ones move upward, 
hopefully arriving at the top of

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the pyramid, the national team 
as they get older.

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Here right now, we have a world 
champion, Daniel Matellón,

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a world champion.

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Daniel has been a student 
here since childhood.

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Many other champions 
began their careers here.

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I have never laced up a boxer's 
gloves before but I think I am

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pretty good at it. They 
could probably hire me.

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These boxers are not 
professionals but they're

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professionals. They're actually 
government employees, it's what

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they do.

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Since 1957, Fidel Castro ended 
professional sports here in Cuba

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He wanted every Cuban to take 
part in sports and the best to

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become government employees 
and receive their success in th█

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Olympics and other places.

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Oh, my gosh! These folks work 
six days a week, all day

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that's what they do.

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So they have to be really fit. 
I'm not going to take any of

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them on.

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Are you sure you don't want 
to go out and just spend five

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minutes training?

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The number one sport in Cuba 
is baseball but boxing is the

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number two in popularity.

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It's always been the case since 
about 1900, there have been

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these great professional Cuban 
boxers before 1957 and

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afterwards there have been 
these remarkable amateurs.

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It will be really interesting to 
see what happens now with the

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changes taking place.

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I began boxing as a hobby. 
I was the only woman who

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came here to train in the gym. 
But since sports in Cuba are

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free, you can practice the 
sport of your choice.

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I was accepted here to 
start my training.

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To be a female boxer in a gym 
where all are male, everyone

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around you are guys, it is super 
fantastic because you're the

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center of attention.

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Everyone loves you. 
Everyone supports you.

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Each boxer tries to teach me 
a little of his technique, try

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to help me, try to teach me 
his style, the boxing technique.

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And now more girls are starting 
to box and I serve as an

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inspiration to them because 
I have a higher technical level,

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intense desire and a graceful 
style as a female boxer.

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And despite my age, the young 
female boxers watch me and

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are inspired.

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From boxing, Myra takes us 
to a street gathering unlike

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anything we would see in 
the United States.

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It's an impromptu celebration 
of Cuba's African roots

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through music.

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We're here in the streets, 
an alley called Hamels.

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00:21:59,033 --> 00:22:01,866
This is the place where the 
Afro-Cuban culture breathes.

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00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,500
We come here to see the rumba.

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The rumba is a genre of music 
that is born spontaneously.

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As a matter of fact, every 
Sunday has become a meeting

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place for rumberos.

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00:22:29,566 --> 00:22:34,133
Every Sunday, a rumba group 
performs here.

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00:22:34,233 --> 00:22:37,900
The musical rhythms, chants, 
themes, expressions emerge

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00:22:38,033 --> 00:22:39,300
spontaneously.

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00:22:48,166 --> 00:22:52,566
It is a meeting place for 
Cubans and a way to have fun.

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00:22:57,266 --> 00:23:02,400
Along with that, we had a 
chance to see incredible call

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00:23:02,533 --> 00:23:05,933
and response singing 
and dancing taking place.

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00:23:06,066 --> 00:23:12,166
And drumming that is associated 
with Santeria religions, popular

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00:23:12,300 --> 00:23:14,600
culture and Catholic faith.

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00:23:15,300 --> 00:23:15,866
A mixture?

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00:23:15,933 --> 00:23:17,400
A mixture, absolutely.

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One thing that strikes me here 
is that Cubans everywhere

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00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:27,500
acknowledge the huge importance 
of African-Cuban culture

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in the society.

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00:23:28,733 --> 00:23:31,633
Everywhere, they brag and 
brag as they should.

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00:23:32,566 --> 00:23:35,900
But one of the last things that 
Fidel Castro said when he was

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00:23:36,033 --> 00:23:40,366
leaving the presidency, he 
regretted he was never able to

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00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:44,133
incorporate African-Cubans into 
the higher echelons of

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00:23:44,266 --> 00:23:45,833
government and the 
Communist party.

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00:23:46,666 --> 00:23:51,600
Well, it's easy to outlaw 
prejudice in society but

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00:23:51,733 --> 00:23:55,566
you know there's nothing you 
can do, uh, about people's

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00:23:55,700 --> 00:24:00,466
attitudes. That takes education, 
it takes longer even than the

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fifty years of the 
Cuban revolution.

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00:24:02,633 --> 00:24:06,533
It will come, I have no doubt 
about it. That there will be

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a growing sense of equality 
of all Cubans.

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00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:17,766
It's safe to say that in terms 
of advances of people of color

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00:24:17,866 --> 00:24:21,233
in the society, Cubans could 
teach the United States

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00:24:21,366 --> 00:24:22,300
a huge amount.

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00:24:27,300 --> 00:24:31,766
As the situation becomes 
normalized, we are both gonna be

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enriched by the opportunities 
to share those values together.

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00:24:49,300 --> 00:24:55,300
Join us next time In the Americs 
with me , David Yetman

350
00:24:56,466 --> 00:24:59,466
Ecuador is mostly 
jungle.

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00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,800
That's not well known by 
the casual traveler

352
00:25:02,933 --> 00:25:04,666
or even most Ecuadorians

353
00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,000
since the bulk of them 
live in the Western...

354
00:25:08,533 --> 00:25:10,533
The Amazon has few roads

355
00:25:10,666 --> 00:25:13,833
and until recently few 
people besides the 
Indians

356
00:25:13,966 --> 00:25:16,266
who have lived there 
for eons.

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00:25:16,733 --> 00:25:18,900
Things are changing.

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00:25:20,033 --> 00:25:23,466
With the influx of tourists, the 
Cuban government has realized

359
00:25:23,533 --> 00:25:27,533
they need to accommodate the 
culinary needs of these hordes

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00:25:27,666 --> 00:25:30,433
of people now coming into Cuba. 
One of the ways they have done

361
00:25:30,566 --> 00:25:34,933
it is to allow for semi-private 
enterprises, families to operate

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00:25:35,066 --> 00:25:38,366
semi-private restaurants. And 
these restaurants are ordering

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00:25:38,433 --> 00:25:41,600
it to attract certain clientele. 
This particular place is the

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00:25:41,733 --> 00:25:44,100
first place in Havana to 
offer sushi.

365
00:25:53,633 --> 00:25:56,533
Funding for In the 
Americas with David Yetman

366
00:25:56,666 --> 00:25:59,266
was provided by 
Agnese Haury

367
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:08,100
Funding for In the Americas 
with David Yetman

368
00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:11,533
was also provided by 
the Guilford Fund.

369
00:26:20,533 --> 00:26:24,166
Copies of this and 
other episodes

370
00:26:24,300 --> 00:26:27,133
of In the Americas 
with David Yetman

371
00:26:27,266 --> 00:26:29,500
are available from 
the Southwest Center

372
00:26:29,633 --> 00:26:31,866
to order call 
1-800-937-8632

373
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,533
Please mention the episode 
number and program title

374
00:26:36,366 --> 00:26:39,466
Please be sure to 
visit us at intheamericas.com

375
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,666
or at intheamericas.org