2021 in Review: Major Moments in Cuba
Fireworks behind the Capitolio in Havana, Cuba || Photo by Claudio Pelaez
Like much of the world, 2021 has proven to be a monumental year for Cuba. As the New Year is upon us, we took time to reflect on this past year and created a list of major moments. We hope you enjoy our snapshot of 2021.
01 CUBA HITS THE TOP OF THE GLOBAL VACCINATION CHARTS
With its three homegrown vaccines, Cuba has fully vaccinated 85% of its population, putting this small island nation ahead of many of the world’s largest and richest countries, according to Reuters.
02 MONETARY REORDERING
Almost a year after the so-called "monetary reordering" in Cuba, it seems that the economy is more disorganized than ever. What promised to be a process of unification of the CUP-CUC currencies to strengthen the national currency (CUP) has ended in a return to the dollarization of the Cuban economy and an exchange rate regulated by the informal market. The government's promise of a 24 CUP to 1 USD rate exchange, comes at stark contrast to the black market exchange reaching 72 CUP for 1 USD.
03 JULY 11th protests
The July 11th protests in Cuba marked a historical event in the life of this island nation, and ignited political discussion in civil society. Today, social networks as well as the press, both official and private, address destiny, and the possibility, or lack thereof, of an internal opposition to the current government. The vast majority of Cuban people affirm that economic reform is the solution to national conflicts, instead of radically opposing the government.
What is certain is that as of July 11th, the Cuban government has rapidly responded to the demands of the population including reinforcing the work of social and community organizations, supporting disadvantaged populations in marginal neighborhoods, requiring state-run enterprises to address public concerns through tangible action, and improving infrastructure such as repairing dilapidated roads. The leaders are proving to remember the social purpose of the Cuban Revolution and in turn, demanding that their officials comply with that principle.
04 Health crisis and THE emergence of donations
The health crisis that started in Cuba last July due to the peak number of COVID cases is just starting to stabilize. Through the support of the government, international community, and local donation initiatives, the Cuban people have found ways to address shortages. These collaborative work systems have been very effective and are here to stay. This past month, EEAbroad collaborated with one of the most popular, effective donation distribution projects, Solo El Amor, and plans to continue collaborating with them throughout the next year.
05 CUBA SHINES IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS
Cuba won 14th place in the number of Olympic medals received last August in Tokyo.
Cubans ruled the boxing ring with four gold medals out of a total of seven, including the golds for Mijaín López, with his fourth Olympic crown, and Luis Orta, with his first. The Cuban rowing duo of Serguey Torres and Fernando Dayán won gold medals, too, in the 1,000-meter tandem canoe (c2-1,000) event. As for women, Judoka Idalys Ortiz won silver and became a legend in Cuban judo. Also, the Cuban discus thrower, Yaimé Pérez, received a bronze medal.
Be sure to watch the seven moments in Cuban gold medal history and follow Play-Off Magazine (IG @playoffmagazinecuba) to stay up to date with Cuban sports.
06 REOPENING TOURISM ON THE ISLAND
As of mid-November 2021, Cuba fully reopened its international borders, simultaneously lifting a mandatory quarantine for visitors, as well as increasing the number of daily international flights.
While EEAbroad has temporarily suspended all in-person travel and programs due to the unpredictable and continuing COVID-19 situation in the U.S. and abroad and the humanitarian and economic crises in Cuba, we are thrilled to continue offering virtual learning opportunities and virtual tours to inspire future travel with us. Our goal is to continue to share the beauty and complexity of Cuba until we can all safely and responsibly visit the island again.
07 THE BIGGEST HITS OF 2021
We invite you to watch the most popular Cuban music video this year from reggaeton duo Kimiko y el Yordi, together with a list of the top ten most-listened-to Cuban urban artists on Spotify.
08 REINFORCEMENT OF THE U.S. EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA
Throughout Biden’s campaign, he pledged to lift some of Trump's 243 sanctions against Cuba. A handful of these sanctions include the discontinuation of U.S. cruises and flights to the island (except for Havana); the cancellation of U.S. consulate services in Cuba; the elimination of remittances (meaning the inability to send U.S. bank transfers to Cuba which is how many families help their Cuban relatives); and the designation of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”
However, since Biden took office nearly a year ago, not a single sanction has been eased and the U.S. voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba. EEAbroad joins the calls of U.S. civil society organizations, House Democrats, and Cuban people urging President Biden to normalize relations with Cuba.
So there you have it! We hope this 2021 Year in Review sheds some light on what’s been going on in Cuba. While some of the implications of the past year have led to us temporarily suspending in-person travel, we are thrilled to continue offering virtual learning opportunities and virtual tours to inspire future travel with us. As soon as we’re able to safely and responsibly return to Cuba, we will be the first to let you know.
Meanwhile, we hope you will learn now and travel later. We wish everyone a happy and healthy 2022!
