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Cuba Journal
National Council of Churches USA Delegation to Cuba
by Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, United Methodist Communications, Nashville, TN

Most of us in the United States have an understanding of Cuba informed principally by a series of conflicts and iconoclastic images. Those clashes and metaphors include the Bay of Pigs, The Missile Crisis, JFK conspiracy allegations, a decades-long U.S. embargo, rafts of refugees, Cuban dissidents living in Miami and a seemingly uneducated ruthless dictator who smokes cigars while in military uniform.

Certainly these metaphors are distorted and twisted by strained relationships between the governments and fueled by U.S. media.

The National Council of Churches USA has through its history participated in sponsored delegation visits that break down such uninformed understandings and help to bring about real change. In this case, our 30-member delegation from at least nine NCC member denominations and five state ecumenical councils to Cuba is to discuss shared pastoral concerns in the context of U.S.- Latin American relations with the Cuban Council of Churches, join in the celebration led by Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew to consecrate a new Greek Orthodox cathedral -- the first new church built in Cuba in more than 40 years, we are told -- and possibly meet with Cuba’s President Fidel Castro. Lifting of the decades-long embargo and the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba has been a goal of the NCC for over 40 years.

Over half of us have never visited this Latin American nation. And for those of us who grew up in the cold war, today our shallow Cuban metaphors began changing.

When we stepped off the plane we were soon struck by how the U.S. embargo affects Cuba. Much of the nation is stuck in a time before the Castro-led revolution of 1959 and the resulting embargo after the Bay of Pigs. Pre-embargo 1950s Buicks and turquoise-colored Chevrolets, many of which are still in excellent condition, are a common sight. New buildings are a rare sight.

We boarded the bus for a short ride to our hotel while an official Cuban tour guide gave us a short history lesson of the nation, including tips of what to avoid and what not to miss. His respect of us as tourists and representatives of the church showed, though I suspect he gives the same respect to all tourists.

After arriving at the hotel and a quick lunch, Geoff Thale, Senior Associate at the Washington Office on Latin America, gave the delegation an overview of the history of Cuba, especially since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. The collapse of Soviet Union had a drastic effect on the economy of Cuba, yet the nation has re-oriented itself and is slowly working toward stabilization.

In the afternoon we attended a speech by His All Holiness, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew at a nearby convention center. Several hundred were in attendance, including many young college students. The presentation was part of several activities leading up to the “Opening of The Doors” celebration on Sunday. Dressed in the traditional long Greek Orthodox black cassock and tall black cap, his theme was world environmental concerns, a theme shared by Castro. Before the speech and much to the surprise of all us, the audience stood, clapped, and in walked Fidel Castro without announcement. He stayed for the presentation without making a speech, yet afterwards turned to the audience and shook hands with those around him. He seemed in good health and genuinely liked by the audience. His appearance is in stark contrast to how a U.S. president would arrive at a similar event. Most certainly everyone would be well searched and there would be rows of metal detectors before entering the center. None of those were present here.

The day ended with an introductory dinner sponsored by the National Council of Churches USA, allowing introductions and plenty of informal discussion with the members of the Cuban Council of Churches.

Earlier in the day, while on the plane, a talkative Cuban-born U.S. citizen was sitting next to me. He was going to visit his brother and other relatives. He looked at me, sensed that I was perhaps anxious about the upcoming trip and remarked, “Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy my home nation. The land is not only sunny and warm, but so are we!”

It is obvious many negative metaphors will be changing for some of us during this visit.