In the state cafeteria “everything is bought and sold, even what one cannot imagine”
14ymedio, Julio Cesar Contreras, Cienfuegos, 20 August 2024 — At the cafe tables in the Tomás Terry Theater in Cienfuegos, all kinds of deals and business agreements take place, and the authorities turn a blind eye. From foreign currency and illicit substances to the body of a cienfueguera girl, in a place managed by the state-owned Artex, “everything is bought and sold on the premises, anything one can imagine,” whispers a bar customer.
Facing José Martí Park, a central area of the city, Terry’s cafe is not empty even when there is a blackout. Sitting at a table, tapping his foot impatiently, Adrián – who uses a false name so that he is not “booked” by the Police – waits for a foreigner who is looking to rent a room in a hostel. “This is my daily struggle: Getting tourists and hosting them in private homes, with a commission for me for each client I get,” the 26-year-old man tells 14ymedio.
Those who, like him, travel around the city looking for potential customers are known as “managers,” a name that gives more prestige to their profession than it really has. “The owners of the hostels charge between 15 or 20 dollars a night, and I take a percentage of that,” he says.
For a few months – Adrián has only been in business for two years – the difficulty in attracting foreigners has increased, and tourists hardly arrive in the city or prefer to stay in state hotels. Because of this, the business of the young cienfueguero has been “low,” and the customers who do stay in private homes are now, for the most part, those who have a very specific interest: to be out of sight of the authorities.
“It’s not that you like this mess of prostitution, but sometimes the opportunity presents itself and you have to take advantage of it, because things are very hard wherever you turn, and that’s one way to hook tourists,” he explains. Norm