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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Cuba's revolutionary flame flickers among the young

Cuba's revolutionary flame flickers among the young
50 years after Castro's revolution, fervor is fading among the young

By Ray Sanchez | Havana Bureau
December 28, 2008

Havana - A half-century ago, Fidel Castro and his ragtag guerrillas rode
triumphantly into Havana, and life was never the same again on either
side of the Florida Straits. Now, with younger brother Raul in power,
the revolution is staggering forward against huge economic hurdles,
continuing to resist calls for democratic reforms, and forcing ordinary
Cubans to confront a surreal maze of rations, regulations, and
uncertainty about the future.

"We keep hearing about our free education and health care," said one
university student, a 33-year-old communications worker, who asked not
to be named for fear of reprisal. "We have little else."

The Cuban revolution celebrates its 50th anniversary on New Year's Day,
and the regime the Castro brothers brought to power maintains its hold
over the nation. But there are signs of a growing generational divide on
the island, with strongly differing views of the Cuban government's
accomplishments in the five decades since the rebels seized power.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-flbrevoverview1228sbdec28,0,7738178.story

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