This holiday was my 4th time to visit Cuba. I had 3 holidays there before I ventured to Africa. What strikes me though is the fact that there are so many similarities between Cuba and Uganda.
In general the countries are very different. Different parts of the world. Different government rulings. Different languages. Different ways of living.
It’s when you experience the cultures that the similarities are found.
The journey from the airport to the hotel, reminds me a little of Uganda. There are no slums in Cuba, but there are blocks of flats and tight knit communities. The dust sweeps across the roads, and yes, the roads here are tarmac and not so pot-holed as in Uganda, but that dust - it could be African dust! Then there are the people. Waiting at the roadside. Undoubtedly not begging like in Uganda, but waiting to hitchhike to their destination. Hitchhiking is one of the main means of transport for Cuban people, and Cuba is a very safe place to hitchhike. Just seeing them though, and those walking with their cattle pulling carts, simply reminds me of Uganda.
The people are all so welcoming in both countries. Both countries have hardships, and I wonder if that’s what makes the people stronger; happier? There’s little emphasis on the materialistic world often attached to our country’s way of living.
Oh and the music. Music and dancing everywhere. The dances may differ but the rhythm of the music underlies life here, as it does in Uganda. Our Cuban friend even managed to try and get my Dad to salsa - not very successfully might I add!
I never realised before this trip that there is a thread of Africa underlying in Cuba’s history. The Aborigines initially lived in Cuba, and when these left and the Spanish took over the Country, they imported African slaves to come and work the land.
So I’m not mad when I hear that African rhythm in the Cuban music. It’s there for sure! Deep rooted in Cuba’s history.
