Abstract

Cuba: Salvation through Sugar

Pre-revolutionary Cuba's favorite slogan was "sin azucar no hay pais" --a free translation is "sugar equals survival." This bare equation was held as an article of faith by Cuba's ex-rulers and time and again thwarted plans for agricultural diversification. When Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959, the slogan came under sharp attack: Sugar went hand in hand with economic stagnation; sugar meant monoculture and economic dependence on the U.S. sugar was condemned for guilt by association with the island's old governing classes. These themes have figured in the political speeches of Cuba's new leaders, in key revolutionary legislation, and in countless newspaper and magazine articles appearing during the past four years, and have helped to create what can only be described as an anti-sugar mentality on the part of planners and alike.