For years, the people of Cuba have been suffering under the Communist regime, and for the most part, have said nothing. I am not Cuban, but I can imagine the pain the people have gone through for 62 years. Also, the fear of speaking out against the Castros, with the possibility of facing prison or worse.
But due to the pandemic, that seems to be changing. The Cuban economy has all but collapsed. Tourism has come to a halt because of the Covid. US sanctions have helped destroy Cuba. People are starving, sick with no medicine or available hospital rooms, and the Cubans now have no choice but to take to the streets demanding action. And despite the power of the Communist Party to restrict free speech, the Cubans can use social media to spread the word.
So the Cuban people now are not only demanding food and health against the Covid; they want an end to dictatorship. And with most of the rest of the world watching and caring (and helping), they may get it.
But I wonder how José Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Yoán Moncada, and the many other Cuban players and former players are reacting to this. They are here now, but all of them have family and friends still in Cuba, certainly a part of the hunger and pain going on there. So are they blaming the US like the Cuban leaders do? Or are they hoping that Cuba will at long last be free of dictatorship?
