General Raul Castro’s Plastic Bag at the Papal Mass

General Raul Castro's Plastic Bag at the Papal Mass / Juan Juan Almeida
Posted on October 3, 2015

Juan Juan Almeida, 22 September 015 — When, before a crowd gathered in
the Plaza of the Revolution in Havana, Pope Francis celebrated the first
of three Masses on his visit to Cuba, in the first row was the elegant
Lorena Castillo de Varela, first lady of Panama, and next to her General
Raul Castro, and on his other side the president of Argentina Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner. And, in the row behind, between the legs of the
famous bodyguard and grandson Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, almost
hidden in a corner, the inseparable representation of Cuban culture, la
jaba — the plastic bag.

Perhaps no foreigner noticed this detail. Reasonable, for the Royal
Academy of the Spanish Language defines la jaba as: a dark stain on the
lumbar region with which some children are born; a box specially made
for carrying bottles, china or other fragile objects; a kind of basket
made of woven reeds or palm leaves; and/or a bag of cloth, plastic, etc.
to be carried in the hand. Of course, the scholars cannot imagine that
the word jaba, in Cuban, has a special dimension, almost solemn,
representing much more than any of its forms.

When the paper bag died for lack of paper back in the '70s, la jaba
became an indispensable part of the life of every Cuban, so much so that
today it deserves a monument. It is a necessity that cannot be
associated with a race, nor a sexual orientation, nor a gender, creed,
ideology or level of intellect. Walking out without a plastic bag is
like walking alone, like listening to an Andalusian tune without good
company, like drinking non-alcohol beer or smoking nicotine-free cigarettes.

For some it is synonymous with poverty; for others, status, opulence and
progress. An old and redundant joke says, "The body of any Cuban is not
divided into three parts, but rather four: head, trunk, extremities and
jaba."

The plastic bag is used by everyone. It is the perfect addition: for
errands; to protect your shoes in the rainy season; as an automotive
sealant; as a hairdresser's accessory (for making highlights); as well a
form of payment [with goodies in the bag] for some workers in the system
of state-owned businesses.

And, as shown in the photo, it can hide a Coca-Cola, the essence of
Cuban change. General Raul Castro, putting himself on the level of the
humble, has asked his bodyguards to bring his snack in a jaba.

Source: General Raul Castro's Plastic Bag at the Papal Mass / Juan Juan
Almeida | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/general-raul-castros-plastic-bag-at-the-papal-mass-juan-juan-almeida/