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Article: Together but not scrambled: a black English man, Rotimi Ogedengbe, visits Cuba and discovers that the island is not the racism-free paradise it claims to, be.(Essay)
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I couldn't wait to get to Cuba. Like many a left-leaning, independent traveller, I'd had a long-held ambition to get there 'before Castro dies and corporate America ushers in the age of McCuba'. But as a black English man what really drew me to Cuba was my perception of it as a model colour-blind society.
I had my first experience of Cuban officialdom at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport. As a gesture of solidarity I wanted my passport stamped (due to the US embargo this only happens on request) but I chickened out when I caught sight of the surly, burly white-Cuban immigration official waiting for me in his booth. Dressed in immaculate military uniform, ...