Seeing the Future through the Eyes of the Child: Representations of Youth in Post-Soviet Cuba

Abstract

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought with it significant changes within Cuban institutions and the country's outlook on the future. The period following the collapse of Cuba's primary trading partner was euphemistically called the "Special Period in times of peace," as this period was characterized by the negative effects it had on social programs and people's livelihoods. As a result the Cuban government began to allow for more capitalistic practices, which brought about many new challenges including an increase in inequality. A literary boom that took place during the "Special Period" has offered a critique of the government for the way in which it has failed to follow through on its promises. A common trope that has emerged out of this literature is the abandonment of the child through lack of support from Cuba's main institutions, especially education as well as growing inequalities that threaten the child's future. This portrayal of the abandonment of Cuba's children has appeared alongside a growth in inequality within Cuba that feeds into the further separation of the youngest generation from the pre-Soviet way of life. Through analysis of texts produced in the post-Soviet period: Conducta (2014) by directed Ernesto Daranas, Todos se van (2007) written by Wendy Guerra, Suitehabana (2003) directed by Fernando Pérez and Habanastation (2011) directed by Ian Padrón, which function as case studies of a broader trend, it is shown how the abandonment of children in the post-Soviet period represent anxiety for the future of Cuba.