Tuning with the Enemy: Cuba
by Takashi Yogi
I was attempting to find the cause of a wobbly hammer
in a piano in Cuba. Students at the music school watched
intently while we gringos resurrected some battered
Russian pianos. We came from Michigan, Vermont, Iowa,
Oregon, California, New York, France; sixteen piano
technicians against hundreds of piano relics. Then I
found the problem. There in the wooden hinge of the piano
hammer were two termites having dinner.
I knew from the start that this trip was crazy. I met
the leader of the project, Ben Treuhaft, when he passed
through Santa Cruz to raise funds for Send a Piana to
Havana. He's the son of author Jessica Mitford, and the
fearless revolutionary spirit has been inherited. He has
been taking pianos to Cuba since 1995 in defiance of the
US embargo of Cuba. He got permission from the US
Commerce Department to send pianos with the restriction
that they not be used for "human rights abuse or torture".
But the Treasury Department threatened to fine him $1.3
million for trading with the enemy. Ben's work sounded
interesting, so I volunteered to add my modest piano
repair skills to the brigade in late February. That is
how I spent 10 days of my vacation time, paying over a
thousand dollars to work hard in a country with marginal
food, no toilet seats, and horrible pianos.
What I learned from this experience is the absurdity
of the forty-year US embargo of Cuba. The Cubans are
struggling to get by with relics that predate the 1959
revolution. Cuba is a living museum of American cars from
the fifties, kept running with determination and baling
wire. Their pianos also are the same vintage, except for
hundreds of cheap Russian pianos. But even those imports
ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. I
saw many talented children valiantly struggling to
practice on broken, out-of-tune pianos. Food is scarce,
especially in Havana, where ration stores have meager
supplies. Medicine is also scarce. Buildings are
crumbling for lack of materials. But the Cubans are
patient and determined. The embargo hurts the Cubans, but
it will not bring Castro down; if anything it supports him
by allowing him to blame the US for all the privation.
The US embargo keeps other countries from trading
freely with Cuba. For example, an Italian ship docking in
Cuba cannot dock in the US for six months. The last UN
vote on the embargo had only the US and Israel voting for
it. But the US bullies all countries to conform, making
it difficult and expensive for Cuba to obtain supplies
such as pianos and piano parts. So almost all the pianos
in Cuba are falling apart or being eaten by voracious
termites. We helped a bit by bringing 50 donated pianos,
parts and tools, and by conducting classes for Cuban piano
tuners. But the only real way to beat the termites is to
end the embargo.
The Cubans have overcome the material limitations to
create some remarkable social programs. I saw extensive
music education programs not only in Havana, but in the
rural areas. Any child can get free piano lessons, or
violin lessons, or ballet classes. Literacy is about 96%.
We saw one school that offered a complete acrobatics
program. Cuba provides free medical care for everyone.
Infant mortality is lower than in Washington D.C. I
didn't see anyone homeless. We visited a large
psychiatric facility that provides excellent therapy
programs including painting, pottery, weaving, dance,
sports, and music. We enjoyed a performance by the
residents' band and chorus. The Cubans have even turned the
shortages of the embargo into benefits. The lack of petroleum
has forced a massive conversion to organic agriculture and
alternative transportation. There are many bicycles and horse
carts, and the buses are always crowded. But there are no
traffic jams in Havana (2 million), and the air is clear.
The embargo works both ways. It keeps us from getting
Cuban music and culture. The music of the Buena Vista
Social Club is an example of what we might be missing by
erecting barriers. We are also missing valuable ideas
about education, health, and agriculture. Cuba conducts
advanced medical research and has developed some new
vaccines. We could also be selling food and goods (lots
of toilet seats) to Cuba and enjoying its fine beaches.
Cuba poses no military threat to the US. Perhaps what
our government fears is that Americans will peek over the
wall and see what a poor but dedicated country can
accomplish when it values the welfare of its people,
especially children, more than military might. I hope
that music can help to breach the wall. As in ancient
Jericho, when the people blow the trumpets, the walls will
come tumbling down.
Published in the Aptos Times
Home Page: http://tyogi.org/