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Ignacio Berroa on the realities of Cuba

I’ve been putting my custom GPT through some testing as I ask it questions from the collective interviews I conducted with over 60 jazz masters a couple of year ago. If you are a subscriber to Music Savvy or have visited my Youtube channel, you’ve seen the impressive results of asking it certain questions about playing jazz.

As I continue to test to confirm that the GPT is finding relevant points within these interviews, I asked Ignacio Berroa on the realities of Cuba. Since he was speaking about his home country, the result was an excellent encapsulation of his many great points.

Ignacio Berroa shared profound insights about Cuba, highlighting both his personal experiences and broader political realities.

He described Cuba as a dictatorship with no elections for over 61 years, challenging the narrative of Cuba as a paradise with free education and healthcare. Berroa emphasized the cost of these “free” services, arguing that they are not truly free because of the low wages and high work demands placed on Cubans. Additionally, he stressed the lack of freedom of expression, stating that criticism of the government could lead to imprisonment, contrasting this with the consequences of free speech in the United States.

Berroa also touched on the misconception surrounding the embargo against Cuba, explaining that despite claims of scarcity due to the embargo, goods such as Johnny Walker, Black Label, and Marlboro cigarettes are available for the elite. He debunked the notion that the embargo is the root cause of Cuba’s hardships, suggesting instead that the country’s rich soil and resources should suffice for its people’s needs.

Throughout his discussion, Berroa expressed a deep love for his homeland, coupled with a critical perspective on its governance and international perceptions. His desire for people to see the real Cuba, beyond the propaganda, reflects his hope for a more nuanced understanding of the country’s complex reality.

I think this is important to hear especially after the recent interview of the dictator Vladimir Putin by the ‘useful idiot’ Tucker Carlson.

Watch the six-minute clip from my interview with Ignacio as he provides a first-hand description of the “People’s Paradise” of Cuba.