【古巴 Cuba】
被偷走的時間 Stolen Time
古巴人有個笑話：「古巴唯一家電信公司是國營的，所以也是古巴最好的電信公司。」網路在這裡使用不像在其他國家那樣便利，所以來古巴有些人選擇戒網路，而另一些人則會購買網路卡片（簡稱網卡）在特定的地點或餐廳使用。雖然被告知Wifi 用完要登出網卡帳戶，不然可能會被非官方提供的網路入口店家偷走剩下的網卡時間，但我仍然因為大意而被偷走了一些時間。一如那些我被偷走的時光一樣，古巴被偷走的時光被凍結在來自舊時的街道和住宅中進退兩難。
A Cuban joke goes “the only telecom in Cuba is state owned, so it is also the best in Cuba.“ Unlike other countries, using the Internet here is not so easy. So, some travelers chose to do full Internet detox whereas others will purchase some Internet Cards that connect only at designated spots or restaurants. Even though I was told to log out after using the Card because some private hotspot providers might steal my remaining time by copying my account number and password, my time was still stolen. Like what happened to me, Cuba’s time and future has also been stolen, as is evident when strolling down its time-frozen streets with buildings from a distant past.
因為美國迫使世界其他國家對古巴禁運的關係，這裡的市街光景就像「停」（PARE）的交通標誌所暗示一般給凍結在介於50到60年代之間 。許多車子都是50年代的拉風老爺車。路上隨處可見的馬車讓我有種時空錯亂的幻覺。在Santa Clara我甚至看到了大包廂馬車當作 collectivo （黑牌共乘計程車）使用。
Because the US requires other countries comply with its embargo on Cuba, life here seems to be frozen from the period between the 1950’s and 1960’s, as suggested by the PARE/ stop sign. Many eye-catching classic cars are actually from the 50’s. The ubiquitous horse carriages create the illusion of time and space disconnect. To add to the confusion, I even saw a large horse carriage in Santa Clara being used as a collectivo, which means an unlicensed shared taxi for the locals.
時光偷竊變得更不仁的地方是位於古巴中部的千里達。因為鄰近其他加勒比海國家，從十七世紀開始千里達就受惠於非法買賣黑奴來經營蔗糖、咖啡和菸草產業。19世紀千里達升級成為古巴最重要的蔗糖貿易中心。隨著蔗糖產業蓬勃發展所需要的人力，千里達自然就成為了黑奴買賣的大本營。許多白人殖民者使用非洲黑奴被偷走一百多年的人生時光來致富。這也是後來卡斯楚在1953年領導革命之戰來弭平種族歧視的原因，同時順便消除1901年以來美國趁古巴獨立初期的政治空檔而掌控古巴的政治與經濟，更進一步造就貧富懸殊的社會動盪，如賣淫、毒品、賭博和暴力等亂象。
Time-theft becomes unkinder in Trinidad, located in central Cuba. Due to its location being closer to other Caribbean countries, Trinidad long benefited from the slave trade to support the manpower needs of its cane sugar, coffee and tobacco industries. By the 19th century, Trinidad became the center of the cane sugar trade. With its increased demand for manpower in the burgeoning cane sugar industry, Trinidad naturally turned into a stronghold for black slave trade. Many colonizers made their fortune with time stolen from black slaves for more than 100 years. This is one of the reasons Fidel Castro led the revolution in 1953 to close the gap between the black and the white. Meanwhile, the revolution served as another way to erase social turmoil caused by the enormous gap between the rich and the poor. Such turmoil, including prostitution, drugs, gambling and violence, was a direct result of the US taking advantage of the vulnerable Cuban economy and political instability from its time as a young nation in 1901 all the way through to the attempt to overthrow Castro’s government with the infamous US-led Bay of Pigs invasion in April, 1961.
雖然被美國政府偷走了古巴時間，但卻偷不走古巴人的尊嚴。雖然路上可以見到乞討的人，但基本上都仍然衣著乾淨無體味。古巴雖然一度被美國的禁運逼到連嬰孩沒有足夠的食物而轉而投入共產主義的懷抱，從而接受蘇聯的物資救濟與貿易，實際上骨子裡卻是個不折不扣的社會主義國度。這讓古巴人民享有良好的免費教育以及免費的醫療，驕傲地活在那被偷走時間的國度中。
While the US government has stolen Cuba’s time, they cannot steal Cubans’ pride. Beggars can be seen in the streets, but most of them are personally clean as well as dressed in clean clothes. At one time, Cuba was sanctioned and embargoed to the point where it had little choice but to embrace communism in order to receive much needed financial aid and resources from the Soviet Union. However, Cuba has always been a true socialist nation at heart; Cuban people enjoy free education as well as free medical care, which allows them to live proudly in their time-stolen country.
在被偷走的時光中，雖然日子過的苦，但人們卻不能沒有娛樂。古巴的娛樂似乎也以一種時光倒流六七十年的狀態存在。在Viñales鎮上的主要廣場角落的Centro Cultural Polo Montañez文化中心，說明白點就是個夜店，而且是個跳舞不做作的人適合的好去處。在這裡人們盡情享受熱情的音樂混合跳著salsa, rumba和lambada。有別於現在一些台灣夜店的陰暗與萎靡，這裡在溫暖的光線下呈現的是種自然的社交娛樂，人們夜夜盡情舞出60年代的歡樂。
While Cuba’s time has been stolen, and although life can often be tough, one cannot live without entertainment and fun. Cuban entertainment seems to exist in a frozen state where the clock has been turned back 60 or 70 years. In the corner of Plaza Mayor in Viñales sits the Centro Cultural Polo Montañez. To be more specific, it is a dance club, a great place for unpretentious and carefree dancers. Here people appreciate passionate music mixed with salsa, rumba and lambada. Much different from the dark and sometimes seedy modern dance clubs in Taiwan, what prevails here is a natural way of socializing and entertaining. They dance to their heart’s content and each night recreate that happy atmosphere of the 60’s.
Viñales夜店熱舞的影檔連結如下：
Here is a link to a YouTube video to see the feverish dancing at the club.
https://youtu.be/WekosJlvw04
我不清楚偷走的時光該如何還來，也不理解繼續這樣懲罰他們有什麼意義？我只能如實地呈現我所見到的古巴當下。如果真能為這個苦難的國家做點什麼，也許可以在這裡呼籲所有去古巴旅行的同好，請多帶一些基本物資當作小禮物送給途中你將遇到的堅韌而美麗的靈魂。
I’m not smart enough to possibly know how Cubans can get back their stolen time, nor why they continue to be punished by their big neighbor to the north. But what I can do is show you today’s Cuba as I saw it. What you, as a visitor, can also do is bring along some basic goods with you as small tokens of your appreciation for seeing Cuba and give them to the strong and beautiful souls that cross your path along the way.
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