U.S. culture already widespread in Cuba as ties resume
*Even an embargo and decades of cold war can’t keep American culture in check. That could be either a good thing, or not. VL
By Andrea Rodriguez and Michael Weissenstein, Associated Press
Even Cubans who don’t speak a word of English eat “un cake” on their birthdays.
They wear “los tennis” and “bloomers.” Their kids go crazy for Taylor Swift and “The Big Bang Theory.” U.S. science fiction master Ray Bradbury has pride of place on their bookshelves beside revolutionary poet José Martí.
[pullquote]The fact that the two countries remained culturally close through decades of conflict is likely to prove essential as the U.S. and Cuba move beyond the reestablishment of diplomatic relations.[/pullquote]Far beyond the antique Chevys on its streets and the memorials to Ernest Hemingway, Cuba is a country whose language, music, literature and fashion are steeped in American influence despite a half-century of official hostility.
The U.S. flag that rises over the Havana waterfront at the symbolic reopening of the U.S. Embassy on Friday will instantly be the most powerful symbol of the American presence in communist, anti-imperialist Cuba. But it will be far from the only one.
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[Photo by Gerry Balding/Flickr]
