By Laura Gomez
HAVANA TIMES – In an increasingly aging society, senior citizens see satisfying their most basic needs as a dream. In Cuba, it is becoming increasingly difficult to access footwear and clothing, especially for retirees. Eloisa does not want to give her last name because she is embarrassed, she says. At 73, she is one of those pensioners who suffers from the burden of scarcity and lack of resources despite having worked her entire life.
HT: Describe life for a retiree today?
Eloisa: Very tough, barely enough to eat poorly for a few days. Everything has gone up, food, medicine, gas, electricity, all services. That’s not to mention the scarcity and the lines. Prices seem like they’re from another country. Not to mention buying something essential like a pair of shoes.
Is that the worst for you?
Right now, I couldn’t tell you, but luckily, I don’t have to follow a medical diet, I can eat whatever appears. However, buying shoes is a dream. I don’t know how people with school-age children manage without any help. More and more, I think about the past, I don’t know if it’s good or bad for older people, but that nostalgia is natural. As a child and teenager, I always had access to any type of footwear, clothing, and handbags for any occasion, be it parties, graduations, or even funerals.
So how was your transition to total scarcity?
It doesn’t happen suddenly, of course. I was a primary school teacher, I earned little. Salaries have never been much in this country, where you always have to be thinking about what you’re going to eat next, but occasionally I could buy something. With retirement, it was a disaster, and the final blow was that Ordering thing [the economic reforms of 2021]. Recently, from having two pairs of reinforced and glued shoes I don’t know how many times, I went to having only one pair, which suffered total deterioration. Currently, my sneakers don’t have very good soles. I improve them with cardboard that I change every time it rains, you can imagine that I’ve caught cold, had fungi, and been looked down upon for this situation. It’s totally impossible for me t
