Anything You Can Possibly Imagine in the Neighborhood

We are all somehow there. So I suggest you a game: Think about the name of that man or women who was always standing in his or her home portal, the balcony, the window, or any other strategic checkpoint, when you got home early in the morning with your boyfriend, or girlfriend.

Picture yourself the house where a cup of coffee is always offered to you, or a spoon of salt. What is hair color of that person who always inform you about food items in the warehouse? I am pretty sure you can identify someone you know by sight and other people you have learned everything about their lives!

Who are those adults playing baseball with young boys on weekend? Who are those loving playing domino? Who are those listening to music full blast? Who like to protest? Who are the ones arriving first if there is a sick people, or a deceased one, in the family?

We could actually keep on mentioning different characters who live in every neighborhood.

Light-hearted, enthusiasts, party poopers, gossipers and quiet people, cooperative or dependent individuals, good-natured and grumpy people…

Workers, housewives, pensioners, old people and people who have decided not to get older…

Boys and girls, white, black, and mix-raced youngsters…all kind of Cuban people who make up the nation we are.

We live together with our difference in our neighborhood. And we are also very united and hence, powerful.

Everything begins and converges there. First, our life, since we play in the neighborhood. We usually fall in love there and we always come back to start all over again.

Then, our society: when you are given the blue scarf in the elementary school you get back home proud. And you feel ready to safeguard the ballot boxes in the upcoming elections. You feel ready to do your students-s watch every September. Later, you become an active member of the High School Students’ Federation (FEEM) and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). You can also become member of the Federation of University Students (FEU). Women federates, UJC or PCC members, all of them are CDR’s affiliates.

You can be a religious person and be CDR affiliate. You can be social activists of any good cause: animal welfare, LGBTIQ+ rights, and be also CDR affiliate.

You can be even detached from everything we mention earlier; you can be even detached from any affiliation to the CDR anything and yet you never quit your neighborhood and share the tasty soup-like food.

That is why, those who know life is very rich want everything to get better. There will be people who will not accept that, but the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution have the floor.

How many times have we heard that phrase of “invigorate processes” and “listen to everybody’s problems and solve them?” Well, we can solve some of these issues there, in our neighborhoods. These days, a hero is touring communities and inertia vanishes. He walks, talks, works, shares concerns with the neighbors as if he himself belong to each of them.

The call is to build good things for all, to sow for all, to protect and care for ourselves. And I am not talking about mere propaganda, but facts; verbs are not rhetorical, we need plausible facts.

We need to learn that we can sow pumpkins or green beans in any piece of soil, even the city center. We must turn those “vulnerable” individuals to Covid-19 into “immune” citizens by taking them whatever they need. We can assess how much we can do for our community to increase neighbors’ life quality. We must unlock the local development potential and join forces…In short, there is no better way to “boost our country” —as the poet said— than by taking profits from the unshakeable unity of our neighborhood.

Nothing new, just retake and update the founding goals of the most diverse and large organization in the country. No one wants violence or insecurity at home. We all agree, right? We all dream on beauty, prosperity and calmness. We must achieve it and preserve it, together.

The Revolution got stronger in the neighborhood because we were united there. Gerardo’s tours reminded us that of Fidel’s who taught us: no imperialism, or lackeys of imperialism will break us if we stand together…CDRs are and must be that bond that unifies everything and everyone.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff