Before arriving in Cuba I had some preconceptions. I had imagined that the sanctions imposed upon the island causing, among other things, an habitual lack of fuel, supplies and imports in general would have paralyzed Cuba. Futhermore, the death of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro should have meant a further collapse for the country.
But I saw nothing could be further from the truth: Cuba moves and moves a lot.
Looking with the eye of an economist who works for an NGO, several observations spring out at me. Its transportation system is developed, market offer is diversified, tourism grows at rates of capitalist economies and the rhythm of cities such as Havana become frenetic. While legislation is being enacted in Europe to encourage the reuse of goods and the collaborative economy becomes fashionable, Cubans have been practicing reuse, recycling and collaboration organically for years. Its economy is inevitably circular and this facilitates the movement and innate vitalities of Cuban society, which advance decisively towards a future that seems at the very least dynamic and in movement.
