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Modern Cuba
Cuba has an ambiguous appeal. Contrary to popular belief, Cuba is open to tourists, not from the U.S. but from Canada and Europe. Cuba is somewhat of a backwards nation. Most of its citizens reside in overcrowded slums. Cuba is stuck in a nostalgic, postcard worthy image of the 1950s. Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida. However, it is separated by a cultural and political divide ten times that distance.

Cubans
Cubans' culture is steeped in Spanish and African traditions. The population is around 11.2 million strongly nationalistic cubanos. Los cubanos are proud of their distinct identity, their cubania, which was forged under Fidel Castro.
The Cubans' identity owes much to four decades of socialism focused on reshaping the human character to form the "new man"-a person who puts what's best for society before personal ambition. To Cubans, the word "revolution" means the building of a more equal society.
Cubans are considered an intensely moral people. They are confident and unreserved. They are not totally unaware of their unfortunate situations. They often crack jokes, aimed at themselves or the absurdities of life in Cuba.

Erasing Color and Class
About 55 percent of Cuba's inhabitants are of Spanish-African ancestry. Throughout the colonial epoch, the white, Spanish-born population looked down on the blacks and the creoles (island born), regardless of color. Colonial Cuba was a hierarchical society, with whites at the top of the scale and blacks at the bottom, though relations are more relaxed than in the U.S.
On the eve of the revolution, Cuba was a relatively developed yet divided society with a predominantly white middle class spread throughout the island's cities. A large, mainly black underclass lived in marginal conditions, often without basic amenities. The majority of the rural population, white and black alike, was mired in poverty.
Castro's revolution outlawed institutional racism and dramatically improved the lot of most blacks and those who lived in rural areas. Malnutrition and diseases were eradicated. Although racism still exists, Cuba is today marked by a relatively harmonious intermingling of ethnicities. The quest for a classless society has diminished class consciousness. Cubans call each other companero (companion) and greet each other, even as strangers, with a kiss or hug. Doctors and other highly trained specialists are no longer regarded as a separate class.
Nonetheless, Cuban society retains marked with inequalities. Today's privileged class is made of senior Communist Party officials and military figures, who enjoy benefits denied to most Cubans. More recently, a new class of nouveau riche, macetas, has emerged.

This is a picture of the type of cars that most Cubans drive. Leading artists, musicians, and sports stars are among the few who are permitted to own modern cars.