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1970 was the critical year for the economy.
with the zafia (sugar-cane harvest) of "the
ten million." That was the number of tons
the island needed for take-off, and Fidel
bet double or nothing all other activities
were halted, all categories of the population
were mobilized. That's how I found myself
a cane-cutter (not one of the best, I must
take my share of blame for the final failure).
We were somewhere out in Oriente, in the
asphyxiating heat of July. I got a close-up
look at the solidarity and disorganization,
the hospitality and dignity of the Cuban
peasants, the beauty of their daughters
(which wasn't exactly a discovery and the
stoic good humor of los de abajo, but also
the fleeting, intangible presence of los
de arriba, the dignitaries with their dark
glasses who towered impassively over it
all like janissaries. It was my last trip