Havana/“I am sure that it will not take long for Cuba to once again be the pearl of the Caribbean.” With these words, Mike Hammer, head of the US Diplomatic Mission in Havana, concluded an emotional interview this Saturday. broadcast on YouTube by the communicator Enrique Santos. The diplomat has traveled throughout the country against all odds – enduring hostilities from the regime, with acts of repudiation and arrests of those who met with him– to know in depth the situation on the Island and talk to ordinary Cubans.
Despite the intimidation, Hammer says moved that “no person canceled their visit with him” and that, therefore, “he will continue going wherever he is invited,” because “people ask to be given a voice.” “People feel betrayed, what they describe is the failure of the Revolution,” he added.
For Hammer, the country’s current circumstances are one of total collapse. “This was not seen in Cuba a few years ago, it is very sad,” he commented, referring to the increase in crime due to “despair” and the increasingly common scene of finding elderly people digging through the garbage. However, the diplomat clarified that these circumstances are not new for the country’s provinces, which have been suffering blackouts of more than 20 hours for many months. “What is happening is that now this is beginning to be felt in Havana.”
Despite the intimidation, Hammer says moved that “no one canceled their visit with him.”
Hammer, who was ambassador to both Chile and Africa, says that, after the ravages from Hurricane Melissawas surprised to see the living conditions in the east of the country. “I was ambassador in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the most needy countries, and sometimes, in some neighborhoods in the east, when I closed my eyes I felt like I was there, in Africa.” The diplomat continued explaining in the interview how the Trump Administration is trying to directly support the Cuban people, taking great care that resources are not diverted. “The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced an initial three million dollars in humanitarian assistance and an additional six million that are coming through Cáritas.”
The Catholic Church in Cuba has served for several years as a mediator between the Cuban and American Governments; His role has been key in the release of many political prisoners, as was the case of José Daniel Ferrer. On the subject, Hammer regretted that the only alternative to prison is exile. “That has no justification and they know it – referring to the regime – but they are afraid of them.”
Despite the panorama described by the United States representative on the island, the interview closed with an optimistic tone. “There is nothing sadder than seeing a Cuban without hope. But things have changed. The day is approaching and people know it!”, commented the diplomat with a smile on your face. “The regime must allow change to happen.” At that time, the interviewer asked Hammer about the strong rumors that General Alejandro Castro Espín, son of Raúl Castro, would be holding talks with the United States about a possible transition to democracy, to which the diplomat responded with an apology, explaining that it was a “sensitive issue that he could not talk about.”
