0:00:14 > 0:00:17'I've travelled to Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'With its unique blend of sun, sea and revolution,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'it's one of the most seductive places on earth.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'It's also been stuck in a time warp
0:00:28 > 0:00:30'since communists took over here 50 years ago.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35It's a steam train. How could it NOT be fun?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39'But Cuba's finally changing.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:42I think Ramon is rather enjoying being the boss!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44'Faced with financial ruin,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'one of the last bastions of communism on the planet
0:00:47 > 0:00:51'is now undergoing a new revolution.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:52800,000?
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- SHE LAUGHS - That must be a palace!
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'Capitalism is coming to Cuba.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You've got a VIP area?
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'The country's being transformed
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'as the government loosens its iron grip.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07'I'm meeting ordinary Cubans
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'to find the winners and the losers in this new revolution,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13'and I'm discovering whether this might actually be
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'the last chance to see communist Cuba.'
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Havana, Cuba's vibrant capital.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Founded in the 16th century by the Spanish conquistadors,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37it's now home to more than two million people.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Many of the cars here are still exotic, pre-revolutionary relics,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and they're the best way of seeing the city.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07You see a lot of the city around the bay here.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10From this distance, it just looks like anywhere else,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12but Havana is like few other cities.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Motoring around today, in a classic '50s convertible,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22you soon see this place has a unique appeal.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26With rum, music, dancing, Havana seems all smiles and cigars.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34It is a really attractive and alluring city.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It's got this glorious colonial architecture
0:02:37 > 0:02:39that is crumbling away,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41but there's such a romance to this place.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Until the late 1950s, Cuba was run
0:02:51 > 0:02:55by an American-backed dictator, General Batista.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59His regime was infamous for decadence, corruption and greed.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Many Cubans suffered extreme poverty,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06even as Cuba became a playground for rich Americans and the Mafia.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Then in January 1959, after a seven-year guerrilla campaign,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12rebel leader, Fidel Castro
0:03:12 > 0:03:16overthrew the military regime and arrived triumphantly in Havana.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19CROWDS CHEER
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Castro introduced radical social changes.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27The Americans were kicked out.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Schools, hospitals and industries were nationalised.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38I want a political, philosophically representative democracy
0:03:38 > 0:03:42and social justice in a world-class economy.
0:03:42 > 0:03:48Cuba became the first and only communist state in the Americas.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49It was the height of the Cold War
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and Castro was welcomed into the arms of the Eastern Bloc.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Backed and bankrolled by his new friends in the Soviet Union,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58he started building what he claimed
0:03:58 > 0:04:02was a workers' utopia on America's doorstep.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07Many Cubans are justifiably proud of the achievements of the revolution.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08After the communists took power,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11they introduced free pensions, free funerals.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Child malnutrition was virtually eliminated.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Rates of literacy soared.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Even life expectancy increased,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22because Castro ploughed money into health care,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24as well as education and the arts.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Gracias.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Visitors can get a taste of that egalitarian legacy
0:04:34 > 0:04:36here at the Ballet Nacional,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39one of the world's leading dance companies.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47I've got my tourist ticket, which cost me about £20.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Most of the people here are actually Cubans
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and the price they pay for a ticket is much, much lower.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The cheapest ticket for a Cuban
0:04:55 > 0:04:58costs only the equivalent of about 15p.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Art for the masses.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03It's a bargain!
0:05:10 > 0:05:13ORCHESTRA PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC
0:05:20 > 0:05:25The arts were an important part of Castro's vision for the new Cuba.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Ballet, traditionally elitist in most other countries,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31is seen as popular entertainment in communist Cuba.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48This Havana dance school, Drodanza, trains 500 students for free,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50an education that, in the West,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52could cost tens of thousands of pounds a year.
0:05:56 > 0:06:0027-year-old Gedera is a recent graduate.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02She's now a professional prima ballerina.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Speaking as somebody who can barely touch their knees,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21let alone their feet, that was magnificent!
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- OK, thank you.- Are you OK?
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Fine.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29I get the impression that Cubans really, really love ballet
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and they sort of respect, almost worship, ballerinas as well?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I'm just wondering whether
0:06:51 > 0:06:53you would be able to have become a ballerina
0:06:53 > 0:06:56if you'd had to pay for your lessons?
0:07:20 > 0:07:22CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:07:33 > 0:07:36THEY PLAY THE LAMBADA
0:07:37 > 0:07:40'Cuba's heady mix of idealism and revolutionary chic
0:07:40 > 0:07:43'already attracts several million tourists a year,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'with increasing numbers from the UK.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'But there's a real dark side to life here.'
0:07:49 > 0:07:53As a visitor, it's very easy to be seduced by Cuba.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56It's a very colourful and an exciting place.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00It's also easy to forget this is still a totalitarian state
0:08:00 > 0:08:04with only one political party, the governing party,
0:08:04 > 0:08:05and no real elections.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Cubans have very limited civil rights.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16For the last 50 years, few have even been allowed to leave the island.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Human Rights Watch describes Cuba
0:08:18 > 0:08:20as the only country in Latin America
0:08:20 > 0:08:24that represses virtually all forms of political dissent.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Dissidents are routinely followed, harassed and imprisoned,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30so few Cubans dare criticise the regime in public.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33I was only allowed into the country
0:08:33 > 0:08:36on the condition I didn't meet with well-known dissidents,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38but I was permitted to speak to ordinary Cubans
0:08:38 > 0:08:40about their daily lives,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and that gave me a great chance to see the reality
0:08:43 > 0:08:45of life in this country at a critical moment in its history.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52To find out what it's like to live in communist Cuba,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I met a woman called Cecilia in a run down part of Havana.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59All Cubans are entitled to heavily-subsidised food
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and other services provided by the state.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Cecilia took me to her local ration shop.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- So!- Buenos.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Buenos dias. Buenos dias. Buenos dias.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14So what is this book that you've got?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33So it's the staples of life, then?
0:09:33 > 0:09:34But this is interesting.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Can you get rum as part of the rations?
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- No.- That's separate!
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- That you have to pay for! - HE LAUGHS
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Approximately 628 people.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01That's very precise! That's not approximate, is it?
0:10:06 > 0:10:07And here's another customer.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'The rations provide very basic food for Cuba's 11 million people.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15'The rations aren't huge and the quality is generally low,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'but distributing and administering food on such a scale
0:10:18 > 0:10:22'still puts an enormous financial burden on the state.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24'Back at her home, I met Cecilia's family.'
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Hi, Umelady.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Umelady? Very nice to meet you. Senor!
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Mucho gusto! Simon.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34- Carlos.- Carlos!
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Yes, that's very lovely of you. Thank you.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'Like most Cubans, Cecilia is employed by the state.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'She works in a government pharmacy and earns an average wage here,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50'about £15 a month.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54'Her house is also state-owned.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Bedroom one. Bedroom two.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05And what are these doing?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18The house is in danger of collapsing?
0:11:20 > 0:11:21My goodness!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Is it frightening to be looking up at the ceiling
0:11:26 > 0:11:28when you're in here in bed,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30thinking the roof could collapse?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Whose room is this?
0:11:43 > 0:11:44Is this for Carlos?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49OK. Carlito! All right.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53There's another support here in this room
0:11:53 > 0:11:55propping up the roof,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58which looks in pretty terrible condition.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00'Since the early days of the revolution,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'the state has controlled all aspects of life,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05'even the building trade,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08'deciding who gets access to a builder and materials.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12'Cecelia's been waiting for a new roof for 16 years.'
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Oh, careful!
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Don't tread there?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23OK, so the floor's...
0:12:26 > 0:12:28We don't want to fall through.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Yeah. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37My goodness!
0:12:50 > 0:12:54'Cecelia's living conditions are difficult, but she's not alone.'
0:12:54 > 0:12:58You can see Cecelia's house from the outside here,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and you can get a sense of the state it's in.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02The roof has partially collapsed.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05You can see all the brick work is falling apart
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and it's far from unique. This is completely normal.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10You look at the house here, one of her neighbours,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12the first floor has almost completely gone.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15There's somebody living here. This is still somebody's home.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18All of the buildings here are in a terrible state.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23None so bad as the one just 20, 30 metres down the road here.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25That's actually collapsed.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Much of Havana is now falling down.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Havana's deteriorating buildings
0:13:38 > 0:13:41are a symptom of a much wider problem in Cuba.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51The economy of the island is in a state of complete collapse.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02For 30 years after the revolution,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Cuba received generous subsidies from the Eastern Bloc.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Russian money, advisors and arms poured into the country.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14The US reacted by imposing a trade embargo,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17which they hoped would quickly topple Castro's regime.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Five decades and more than ten US Presidents later,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25the embargo remains in force.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The economy here has been failing for decades,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31partly because it's been strangled by the US embargo,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35and partly because of inept government management.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37The situation's got worse and worse,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41and Cuba now imports twice as much as it exports.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Fidel Castro stepped aside and his brother, Raul, now runs the country.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49The dire state of the economy
0:14:49 > 0:14:51has forced his government to do the unthinkable,
0:14:51 > 0:14:52loosen their grip
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and send people who had previously been employed by the state
0:14:55 > 0:14:57out to work for themselves.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I've got the official list here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:08The very, very precise list of the 181 jobs
0:15:08 > 0:15:14that the government is allowing people to do as part of the reforms.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16They're very specific.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19They include some you might expect, things like taxi driver,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22construction worker,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24shopkeeper as well.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So those are jobs that in the past
0:15:26 > 0:15:29would have been done by people who were working for the government.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Now, if you get a licence,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34you can set yourself up in that position on your own.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37But there's also a few jobs in here that you might not expect.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41There's a mule driver,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44a palm tree trimmer, a well digger,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48a button coverer, and my personal favourite,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50as part of the reforms
0:15:50 > 0:15:54you can now get a job working for yourself as a dandy.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59'I only spotted a couple of dandies.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'That's a gentleman in traditional costume.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04'But other new businesses were thriving.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'A new word has entered the Cuban vocabulary.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15'Entrepreneur.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:24There's people selling flowers, shoes, clothes,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27calculators, mobile phones.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29It might not seem unusual,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32but you have to remember how novel all this is.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Before the reforms, people could be arrested
0:16:35 > 0:16:39for starting a small business or trying to open a shop.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Now there's evidence of consumerism,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45of an entrepreneurial spirit,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48almost everywhere here.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52The government has always employed millions of workers
0:16:52 > 0:16:54at great expense.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57But the nation's finances are in such a state
0:16:57 > 0:16:59that the regime has decided
0:16:59 > 0:17:02it must cut up to 20% of the government work force.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07They're going to slash one million public sector jobs.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11While the state will continue to run health, education and transport,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14many other services are now shifting into private hands.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18They're calling it an economic upgrade,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22but how might unleashing private enterprise affect Cubans
0:17:22 > 0:17:25who've only ever known life under a communist system?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Azouz? Azouz?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Hola, como estas?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36'Azouz is one of the entrepreneurs
0:17:36 > 0:17:38'on the front line of this economic revolution.'
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Look at these shiny sunglasses!
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Let's see the man that...yeah! - THEY LAUGH
0:17:43 > 0:17:45This is a loo roll holder.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48You've got a towel rail here.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Soap dish.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51This is all stuff that previously
0:17:51 > 0:17:54could only be bought through government shops.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Very, very hard to get hold of, very short supply,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and now, you can buy them privately.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03This is the beginning of a big chain of DIY shops!
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Cliente! He's spotting a business opportunity!
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I've no idea where he's going.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29I think...ah, he's offering them up a sink from somebody else.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55The look on the senora's face here,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57she wants a new sink!
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Go on, do a deal!
0:19:14 > 0:19:17'Building supplies used to come from government shops,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19'if you were lucky enough to find one with stock.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23'Kitchen sinks and everything else were available on the black market,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25'but buying one was risky.'
0:19:25 > 0:19:30If you did some DIY or renovations to your flat or house here,
0:19:30 > 0:19:35and you couldn't account entirely for where you got the money for it,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38or where you bought the supplies,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40then your renovations could be torn down.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42An inspector would come round and say,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45"You're not authorised to do this," and they would take them down.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47HE SHOUTS
0:19:47 > 0:19:48He's got some pipes!
0:19:53 > 0:19:55What happened there? And was a deal done?
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Can we ask how much you got for the pipes?
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Just between us!
0:20:13 > 0:20:15'Since the reforms were introduced,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18'Azouz has become one of 400,000 Cubans
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'who signed up to work for themselves.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23'For the first time,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26'private businesses are paying substantial taxes
0:20:26 > 0:20:27'into the state's coffers.'
0:20:32 > 0:20:33A beer!
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Cheers. Here's to your business. Good luck with it, OK?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- Good luck!- Good luck!
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So why did you want to start?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Why did you start working for yourself selling plumbing supplies?
0:20:47 > 0:20:48How did it come about?
0:21:02 > 0:21:06You're a doctor? Actually practising in hospitals at the moment?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16This is really surprising.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20A trauma doctor, an A&E doctor, working selling plumbing supplies.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Is that normal here? Does it not seem surprising to you?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Drink to that. - AZOUZ LAUGHS
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Thanks, Azouz. DOCTOR Azouz!
0:21:56 > 0:21:59That's very interesting.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Azouz didn't really want to talk about it,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03but I know already that doctors here
0:22:03 > 0:22:09can earn as little as £15 a month,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12which is really a pittance in any country.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I suppose, in a way, his story shows the best and the worst of Cuba,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18because he's not from a wealthy family,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21but he's been trained as a doctor by the state.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24He works in Cuba's world-class health system,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and yet he's not making enough money as a doctor to survive,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33so he's got to supplement his income by selling plumbing supplies.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35It's an extraordinary situation
0:22:35 > 0:22:40and raises some pretty tricky questions about life in Cuba.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45The state doesn't have enough money to pay doctors
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and many take second jobs to survive.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It's ironic the communist government is now hoping capitalist businesses
0:22:53 > 0:22:56might provide them with enough money in taxes
0:22:56 > 0:23:00so they can save the economy and protect their public services.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Surely what all this really shows
0:23:02 > 0:23:06is that Castro's communist system simply hasn't worked.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21I headed out of the capital and into the countryside,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24the traditional engine of the Cuban economy.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30They've grown sugar here for more than 200 years,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and Cuba was once the world's biggest producer.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40After the revolution in 1959, Castro nationalised the sugar industry
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and put tens of thousands to work on collective state farms.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It worked well, at least for a few years.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55This is the Toledo sugar mill.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59In its heyday it was one of Cuba's largest sugar factories,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03processing more than 5,000 tonnes of sugar cane a day.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05But in the last decade,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07half of Cuba's sugar mills have closed down.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14HE SIGHS
0:24:18 > 0:24:20This is a sad place.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28The Cuban economy was really built on sugar, on the sugar industry.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33And the profits from it became completely indispensable
0:24:33 > 0:24:36to the communist government.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40But the collapse of the Soviet Union
0:24:40 > 0:24:42was a catastrophe for the sugar industry,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46because it had become completely dependent on Soviet subsidies.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52The Soviets used to buy entire harvests at inflated prices.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55This guaranteed income meant that Cuba didn't need to compete.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Workers had jobs for life, and many became lazy.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59They had a saying,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03"The government pretends to pay us, and we pretend to work."
0:25:03 > 0:25:06State farms became inefficient and corrupt.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So when the Russian orders abruptly stopped in the early '90s,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12the impact was devastating.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14There were shortages and even starvation,
0:25:14 > 0:25:19a time Castro euphemistically dubbed, "the special period."
0:25:19 > 0:25:24What happened on state farms also happened in state factories.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Bureaucracy, incompetence, corruption, and the American embargo
0:25:27 > 0:25:30all combined to drive the economy off a cliff.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Across most industries,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35output is now lower than it was before the revolution.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Twenty to eight in the morning,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40which will be rush hour in most countries,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43but the motorway here,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47we're on a four- or five-lane motorway,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50and it's almost completely empty of vehicles.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I can't think of another country in the world I've been to
0:25:53 > 0:25:57where a road of this scale is so empty of cars, vans and lorries.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Great if you're a driver,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03but not so good if you're the economics minister
0:26:03 > 0:26:07and trying to build the industry and economy of your country.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'But there is one obvious area of the economy
0:26:15 > 0:26:17'that's doing well - tourism.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19'100 miles east of Havana,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22'one part of the sugar industry's found a new lease of life.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:24BELL CLANGS
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It looks like it should be in a museum!
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- HE SHOUTS OVER STEAM - It's a working steam train!
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Hola! Mucho gusto.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Mucho gusto.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39How long have you been driving the train?
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Looks like I'm the driver's mate, and we're going for a little trip!
0:27:18 > 0:27:20In a steam train!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27HE SOUNDS WHISTLE
0:27:37 > 0:27:40It's a steam train, how could it NOT be fun?!
0:27:43 > 0:27:45It is a curious thing.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49This machine has so many quirks and makes so many different noises,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52it feels like a living creature.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54And one with awesome power.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03THEY SING GUANTANAMERA
0:28:08 > 0:28:11The days of plentiful sugar harvests are over,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15but Hannan and his crew are among the lucky ones who still have jobs.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Looks like celery.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Eat some sugar!
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Where it all comes from.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Three million visitors come to Cuba each year
0:28:30 > 0:28:33to enjoy its beaches and Caribbean culture.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37It's a trade worth almost £2 billion in precious foreign currency,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39but the government reforms are aimed
0:28:39 > 0:28:41at boosting visitor numbers still further.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43They want to milk the capitalist tourism industry
0:28:43 > 0:28:45for every bit of money they can get.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48WHISTLE BLOWS
0:29:01 > 0:29:04I headed south into the nearby Zapata National Park.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11It's home to one of the most iconic locations of the Cuban revolution,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13The Bay of Pigs.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16GUNS FIRE
0:29:21 > 0:29:25In April 1961, 1,500 anti-communist Cuban exiles,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27backed by the CIA, invaded the Bay
0:29:27 > 0:29:32in an attempt to overthrow the new socialist government.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Fidel Castro personally led the island's defence.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40The fighting ended with a crushing defeat for the invaders.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47The Bay of Pigs is the place where, as Fidel Castro put it himself,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51"Yankee imperialism was defeated and humiliated,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53"and socialism triumphed."
0:29:53 > 0:29:57And as such, it's a real icon of the revolution.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00It's also very symbolic, largely because
0:30:00 > 0:30:02there are a number of graves along the roadside here
0:30:02 > 0:30:04where Cuban soldiers fell,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07defending the island and defending the revolution.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13This area is crammed with revolutionary propaganda.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18The authorities don't want Cubans to forget their past.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22And they try to unify Cubans
0:30:22 > 0:30:25by warning them of the threat of more attacks.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33We were just driving past a school here,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36a primary school which is closed at the moment,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41but every day during term time the students, it would appear,
0:30:41 > 0:30:46pass this rather inspiring educational motto which says,
0:30:46 > 0:30:52"Every Cuban must learn to shoot, and shoot well."
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Next to a primary school!
0:31:00 > 0:31:01Buenos dias!
0:31:01 > 0:31:02ALL: Buenos dias!
0:31:02 > 0:31:08'63-year-old Satanino was just a boy when the Bay of Pigs was invaded.'
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Satanino, do people here still remember the attempted invasion?
0:31:35 > 0:31:37It must have been pretty terrifying.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Given the revolutionary status of the Bay of Pigs,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02you might think the government would be reluctant
0:32:02 > 0:32:04to introduce capitalist reforms here.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08But in just a year, the number of private guest houses
0:32:08 > 0:32:10shot up from just 12 to more than 80.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Thanks to the new reforms, the Bay area is booming.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22'Among the new openings is Tiki.'
0:32:22 > 0:32:23Oh, wow!
0:32:23 > 0:32:26'A B&B and cafe built by Satanino,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28'partly on top of his house.'
0:32:28 > 0:32:29Look at the view!
0:32:29 > 0:32:32My goodness!
0:32:44 > 0:32:47It sounds like a real opportunity for you. Is it going well?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05'The government restricted the tourism industry in the past.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09'Now, albeit reluctantly, the regime has finally realised
0:33:09 > 0:33:11'it needs to make serious money from its coastline,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14'one of its most valuable assets.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17'There are plans to build more luxury hotels across the island,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20'even multinational-owned golf resorts.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23'For now, Satanino's own ambitions are a little more modest.'
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Like other people in the area,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Satanino's not just offering tourists food,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31he's offering them a place to stay as well.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32SATANINO: Permiso?
0:33:33 > 0:33:35The cleaner's in. Buenos dias.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Is he a good boss?
0:33:41 > 0:33:43SHE LAUGHS
0:33:56 > 0:33:57What do you teach?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02It must be quite an exciting time,
0:34:02 > 0:34:03cos this is opening,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06more tourists coming, things are really changing?
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Only weeks after the Bay of Pigs invasion,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Fidel Castro invited western journalists to tour Cuba.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39One of the first stops on this PR jaunt
0:34:39 > 0:34:41was a newly collectivised rice farm
0:34:41 > 0:34:44intended to impress on his foreign audience
0:34:44 > 0:34:46that socialism was working
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and the country would soon be able to feed itself.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I travelled deep into Matanzas state,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56following in Castro's footsteps.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Most Cubans live in the countryside.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Like the Cubans I met in Havana,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03farm workers have also benefited hugely from the revolution,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05with free health care and education.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09But economically, the revolution has been a disaster out here.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Today the island imports up to 70% of its food.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Ramon?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- HE LAUGHS - Buenos dias, Ramon!
0:35:19 > 0:35:20Buenos dias.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23What are you doing here, Ramon? What's going on?
0:35:33 > 0:35:37'Ramon's spent most of his life working on a collective rice farm.'
0:35:37 > 0:35:40This doesn't look like it's the hardest bit of the work, I imagine?
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Now look at the tractor!
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It looks loved and cared for, but it does look quite old.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28'Cuba's Soviet era of bureaucracy
0:36:28 > 0:36:31'imposed some peculiar rules on what could be farmed.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34'Even out in the countryside, people had to toe the line.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Here and across the country,
0:36:38 > 0:36:43local people used to plant extra crops in the wild
0:36:43 > 0:36:45to supplement their rations,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48but if the authorities found out, found the crops,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50they'd rip them out.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55The state had to control everything and everyone.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02But now the authorities are letting go.
0:37:02 > 0:37:03In a remarkable turnaround,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05the state is allowing farmers like Ramon
0:37:05 > 0:37:10to lease government land and become their own bosses.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14He's now hiring seasonal workers to help him farm,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17but motivating them can be quite a challenge.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20It's ten to eleven in the morning. Have they not turned up?
0:37:29 > 0:37:32This is the problem with being the boss, with being the man in charge!
0:37:32 > 0:37:34You have to worry about all these different things!
0:37:34 > 0:37:36You have to manage the people as well and get them here!
0:37:41 > 0:37:44'One of the biggest headaches for new farmers like Ramon
0:37:44 > 0:37:48'has been how to make overgrown fields productive again.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51'Much of Cuba's agricultural land
0:37:51 > 0:37:54'has been covered by an aggressive weed called marabou.'
0:37:55 > 0:38:00Some of your fields were in this sort of condition,
0:38:00 > 0:38:01completely overgrown?
0:38:21 > 0:38:24So you finished the day bleeding from head to toe?
0:38:29 > 0:38:32'It's midday when Ramon's gang eventually turn up for work.'
0:38:34 > 0:38:36So finally, here come the workers. Ramon!
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- They're all late! - HE MIMICS CRACKING WHIP
0:38:49 > 0:38:51That's what's going in.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53It's still wet. Well, it's damp, at least.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58That's what they're going to pop in.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59It's wonderful to hold, actually.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03When you think of what a staple this is
0:39:03 > 0:39:07for billions of people on the planet,
0:39:07 > 0:39:08but a lot of Cubans as well.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13'Rice production's now rising,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16'as more than 150,000 Cubans have signed up
0:39:16 > 0:39:18'to lease their own farmland
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'and take control of their own patch of the island.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22'It's a huge change
0:39:22 > 0:39:24'and could help to transform the economy of the country.'
0:39:28 > 0:39:32What Ramon's done here is very impressive.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Taking ownership of the land, taking responsibility for it,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40clearing it, running it, maintaining it.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Managing workers who aren't necessarily used to being managed.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49It's a hell of a task, a hell of a headache.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55But if he gets it right, he gets the reward.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00So how does it feel to be the boss man now, the man in charge,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03rather than one of the workers, as you were in the past?
0:40:13 > 0:40:15I think Ramon is rather enjoying being the boss!
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Work done, Ramon invited me home to meet his family.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26You can tell it's a farming community
0:40:26 > 0:40:29when they're drying corn outside!
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Do you not take your shoes off?
0:40:31 > 0:40:35I'm taking my shoes off. It's OK!
0:40:41 > 0:40:44No? You want me to put them on?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47They're muddy, they're muddy.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Hola! Simon. Is this mum?
0:40:51 > 0:40:53This is mum, I presume?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Hello. Buenas tardes.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56Como estas?
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Kisses!
0:40:58 > 0:40:59This is what we like to see!
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Look at this, food already on the table!
0:41:06 > 0:41:07This is your rice?
0:41:07 > 0:41:10So is that chicken, but what have we got down here?
0:41:14 > 0:41:18'It seemed Ramon wasn't the only new entrepreneur in the family.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20'Thanks to the reforms, his son, Carlos,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23'has set up a bicycle taxi service.'
0:41:39 > 0:41:42So this is a very exciting time for the family, then?
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Turns out, Mum has opened a clothing stall, I think.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Can you tell us a little bit about that?
0:41:57 > 0:41:59It's a very enterprising family!
0:42:27 > 0:42:29This food is really delicious.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Have you thought about opening a little restaurant as well?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34No.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39THEY LAUGH
0:42:41 > 0:42:44It's really interesting to see what's happening
0:42:44 > 0:42:47with the family here and in this area as well,
0:42:47 > 0:42:51because it shows that the reforms aren't just affecting
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and changing the lives of the Cubans who live in cities,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56but they're changing the lives
0:42:56 > 0:43:00of the millions of Cubans who live in the countryside as well.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15It was the weekend, and I was back in Havana.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20But rather than heading to the beach,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23some of the locals were heading to a bustling market,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25unlike any I'd ever seen.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Buenos dias!
0:43:32 > 0:43:33Buenos dias!
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Buenos dias. Sorry to trouble you.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38Can I just ask you what are you selling?
0:43:45 > 0:43:47So it's got a living room, a balcony, a bathroom,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49and it's all in great condition.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06'Under communism, Cubans were only permitted to swap their homes.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10'But now, for the first time, people have the freedom to sell.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13'That's created a property market almost overnight.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15'This is a city up for sale,
0:44:15 > 0:44:19'and change for some can't come quickly enough.'
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Do you sleep together in the one room?
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Is that difficult?
0:44:30 > 0:44:32SHE LAUGHS
0:44:37 > 0:44:39THEY LAUGH
0:44:41 > 0:44:44There's more to the new housing market, of course,
0:44:44 > 0:44:45than saving a mum's blushes.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Allowing people to buy and sell property,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55creating a property market,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59is probably the biggest single social change of the new reforms.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03It's also a most significant loosening of the grip
0:45:03 > 0:45:06the state has over Cubans since the revolution.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09House prices are rising,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13and this property boom is attracting a new breed of entrepreneurs.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Businesswomen like Acaena.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59Can I see what properties you've got in the notebook?
0:45:59 > 0:46:00Can you just show us some?
0:46:07 > 0:46:09How much? That must be a palace!
0:46:26 > 0:46:29You've gone from selling cheese in the countryside
0:46:29 > 0:46:34to selling properties that are worth an absolute fortune.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Your life has changed in an extraordinary way.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57SHE LAUGHS
0:47:02 > 0:47:04'The authorities say that creating a property market
0:47:04 > 0:47:06'and the rest of the new reforms
0:47:06 > 0:47:08'are just tinkering with the socialist system,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11'but it looks a lot like something else to me.'
0:47:13 > 0:47:17This is the absolute foundation of capitalism.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Allowing people to buy and sell property creates capital.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24It means people can take out loans on their houses, for example,
0:47:24 > 0:47:28to open a fast food joint or open a tailoring business.
0:47:28 > 0:47:34It really feels like this is the start of fundamental change in Cuba.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37With all this money changing hands, you have to ask,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40where's it all coming from? It's not just local.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47Havana International Airport.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50A flight had just landed from Miami,
0:47:50 > 0:47:54packed with Cuban-American passengers.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57For decades the US banned Cuban-Americans
0:47:57 > 0:47:58from visiting the island,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00but they can come and go as they wish.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05That's the first major thaw in US-Cuba relations for 50 years.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09But almost as significant as the human traffic,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12is what the passengers bring with them.
0:48:14 > 0:48:15Travellers are allowed to bring in
0:48:15 > 0:48:18what are termed "gift parcels" for relatives,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20which basically is presents for the family,
0:48:20 > 0:48:22but it's not unusual to see people turning up here
0:48:22 > 0:48:25with half a dozen suitcases
0:48:25 > 0:48:28and huge bags packed with stuff.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Visitors arrive with televisions, clothes and even food
0:48:35 > 0:48:38that's sold on to Cuba's new shops and restaurants.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41But just as importantly,
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Cuban-Americans also send or bring cash to the island
0:48:44 > 0:48:47to help their Cuban relatives survive.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50This informal trade is worth billions of pounds every year.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54I actually find this quite ironic,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56because Cuba's always made great play
0:48:56 > 0:48:58of the fact that it's independent.
0:48:58 > 0:49:04But in reality, it's always been very dependent.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Dependent on the Soviet Union during Soviet times,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10and now it depends in large part
0:49:10 > 0:49:12on the United States and Cuban-Americans
0:49:12 > 0:49:15for many supplies and for remittances.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19And that surely proves how fundamentally weak
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Cuba's economy actually is.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Officially, capitalism is still a dirty word in Cuba.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47The government still insists their reforms are just
0:49:47 > 0:49:51a slight modification to the communist system.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54But market forces are taking root,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58and that means there are losers and there are winners.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01There's a small, growing middle class in Cuba
0:50:01 > 0:50:03and I headed to one of their new hangouts.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10So this is La Pachanga, a burger bar over here.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12It seems to be very successful,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15judging by the number of cars that are outside.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17It's also got security on the door.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21- Hola!- Buenas noches. Buenas noches.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26'La Pachanga is owned by the former manager of a state hotel.'
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Sergio!
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Buenas noches.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40A few months ago, Sergio opened La Pachanga inside his own home.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42For Cubans, its menu of burgers and fries
0:50:42 > 0:50:46is an exotic taste of life beyond the communist ration shops.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54You've got a VIP area?
0:50:54 > 0:50:55Can we have a look at that?
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Would we be at least allowed to have a look at the VIP area?
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Come on, let's see!
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Rather privileged.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06Oh, my goodness!
0:51:09 > 0:51:10You've even got a bar here.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14This a burger joint with a difference, eh?
0:51:14 > 0:51:18So how do you get to be a VIP and come in here?
0:51:18 > 0:51:20What qualifications are required?
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Was this your dream?
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Sounds a little bit like having a demanding baby!
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Ah! Back into the normal world.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Never lasts in the VIP room!
0:52:15 > 0:52:17'It hasn't taken long for Sergio
0:52:17 > 0:52:20'to master the basic principles of the free market.'
0:52:20 > 0:52:23If there's one thing that Sergio's been really,
0:52:23 > 0:52:25I think, quite innovative about,
0:52:25 > 0:52:30he's branded almost everything with La Pachanga.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33La Pachanga, you can see it's on all of the tables.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Like countless fast food franchises around the world,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Sergio hands out merchandise
0:53:09 > 0:53:12branded with his ketchup and mustard superhero.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15La Pachanga T-shirts, caps, even bumper stickers,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18can be seen all over Havana.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22It's all designed to encourage brand loyalty, and it's working.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Behind the scenes.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30And look, more La Pachanga.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31Buenas noches!
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Flipping heck, there's not a lot of room! Sorry!
0:53:34 > 0:53:35Let's go! Let's go!
0:53:41 > 0:53:44HE LAUGHS
0:53:46 > 0:53:48'Sergio now employs more than 40 people
0:53:48 > 0:53:51'and tonight there's just about room to squeeze in one more.'
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Guess what the gloves are for?
0:53:56 > 0:53:58It's not a customs check.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02It was either this, or I would have to do the washing up.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04I can't stand doing the washing up.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Credit to this gentleman. He's doing it very well.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16The magic formula!
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Is being a boss part of what you enjoy
0:54:23 > 0:54:25about this whole enterprise, this whole business?
0:54:40 > 0:54:42How many meals are you serving every day?
0:54:49 > 0:54:521,000 meals a day? My goodness!
0:54:52 > 0:54:56'A meal here typically costs about £3,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59'that's around a week's wages for most state workers.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02'La Pachanga's popularity shows
0:55:02 > 0:55:06'just how much private money is already flowing around Havana.'
0:55:08 > 0:55:11Oh, no, I failed! Look at that, it's a disaster!
0:55:12 > 0:55:15All I had to do was flip the burger.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17The burger is fragmenting,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20disintegrating under my watch here.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22OK, so you definitely do not want me
0:55:22 > 0:55:25working the burger cooker, really, do you?
0:55:25 > 0:55:27You want a proper professional in here.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29I should get out of the way!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I return, sir, to you...
0:55:32 > 0:55:36- HE LAUGHS - ..your La Pachanga hat!
0:55:41 > 0:55:43So can you imagine yourself in five or ten years
0:55:43 > 0:55:44becoming the McDonald's of Cuba,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47with La Pachanga branches across the country?
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Is that the ultimate aim? Is that the goal?
0:55:49 > 0:55:51THEY LAUGH
0:56:07 > 0:56:08Wow!
0:56:10 > 0:56:13Gracias!
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Thank you, Sergio. Let's give it a try.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Look at the size of this.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25Excuse me. There's no delicate way of doing this.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27I'm not really a burger fan, but this is good.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32It's a tasty, meaty meal of a burger.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35This place really does surprise me,
0:56:35 > 0:56:38not least because we have to keep remembering
0:56:38 > 0:56:44that until very recently, this was a fully communist state
0:56:44 > 0:56:47with a really quite authoritarian government.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51I'm amazed at how quickly people have embraced the changes.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54It's all going surprisingly well.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04HE PLAYS TRADITIONAL CUBAN SONG
0:57:09 > 0:57:12Castro's mantra for Cuba was, "Socialism or death,"
0:57:12 > 0:57:17and for most Cubans, socialism's all they've ever known.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20But even the Cuban government has had to acknowledge
0:57:20 > 0:57:23the need for urgent change.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27They think they can allow just a bit of capitalism into Cuba,
0:57:27 > 0:57:30using it to generate tax revenues
0:57:30 > 0:57:33that will preserve the best aspects of the socialist legacy.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38But it seems to me the genie is already out of the bottle.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Embracing capitalism will set in train
0:57:40 > 0:57:43an unstoppable momentum for change.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46It won't be long before the new middle classes
0:57:46 > 0:57:49start demanding greater personal freedoms,
0:57:49 > 0:57:50questioning authority,
0:57:50 > 0:57:54even calling for democracy and the end of one party rule.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Cuba is now experiencing its second revolution
0:57:57 > 0:58:02and I think the impact will prove as monumental as the first.
0:58:02 > 0:58:07I suspect this really was my last chance to see Castro's Cuba.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12HE SINGS TRADITIONAL SONG
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Hasta la victoria, siempre!
0:58:42 > 0:58:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd