A new session of the National Assembly is now in progress. What happens inside the Palacio de las Convenciones, however, does not generate high expectations among Cubans. Not even the official confession of the poor quality of the teachers in secondary and primary educations succeeds in making us feel represented. For years, we parents have complained – without any result – about the educational disaster created by the presence of young people without much preparation at the front of the classrooms. Only now does the parliamentary committee recognize it.
With the same slow motion effect we hear promises of building materials, licenses for anyone who wants to use their car as a taxi, and more products for newborns in the ration market. All of these promises we have received like a starving person who is offered only a glass of water. But I clarify that we are not disappointed, we did not expect too much from the parliament that meets today.
Perhaps if the National Assembly would meet inside one of the Chevrolets that circulates through the streets of Havana, Havanans would dare to demand what we really want. Only in the ancient seats, sheltered by the anonymity, protected by the speed, would we succeed in externalizing what we want. Believe me, what is said in these rolling old tin cans does not stop at criticizing the impossibility of buying sand or rebar, nor at the demand for more fabric to make diapers. Amid the rattling of the gas engines and the screech of the doors, another parliamentary session occurs: smaller, with less power, but – indisputably – more authentic.
Photo caption:
Reverse with “V” for Victory. Graffiti in various streets in the Vedado neighborhood.