Think Tank goes to Cuba and brings back firsthand observations
Nov 8, 2019, 3:00 PM
I just returned from two fascinating weeks in Cuba. I talked to all sorts of people. I discussed health care with Cuban doctors, disillusionment with a retiree who fought in the 1959 revolution, and job prospects with young college graduates and others.
One thing for sure: most Cubans know a lot more about us than we do about them. (Every week someone brings a hard drive filled with American TV, including all the news networks, which is quickly copied and distributed).
But most Americans’ knowledge about Cuba seems frozen in 1959. In the comfort of their homes, but not publicly, Cubans speak freely and candidly. What they had to say was an eye-opener.
Along with world-traveler Francine Hardaway (whose father did business in Cuba before the 1959 revolution), we discuss:
- A primer on Cuban history since contemporary Cuba cannot be understood without a basic understanding of its history.
- Government control: what the government runs and what it does not.
- What works and what doesn’t (and three things this poor and often dysfunctional country actually does quite well).
- What is the impact of the American embargo? And how are Americans viewed?
The Think Tank airs on KTAR News 92.3 FM on Sunday at 1-2 p.m. and repeats at 9-10 p.m.
Podcasts are available after each show is broadcast.
