[in Spanish] Cuba has always been fighting for its freedom. [in Spanish] 100,000 died, and even though we lost the war, the country had changed. There is little question that Meyer Lansky had thoroughly corrupted Batista. It's not a lie. They didn't promise anything. They promised a revolution and they did a revolution. [in Russian] These guys were bound to become either martyrs, or national heroes. Una revolución! -Fidel Castro! -[cheering] He told Khrushchev, "You should unleash the entire Soviet nuclear arsenals." Apocalypse. [in German] Cuba will never bend its knee. Cuba has come a long way. From island paradise in the Caribbean, over 400 years of colonial occupation, to being the lone outpost of socialism in the Western hemisphere. Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has led the country for half a century. Everyday life on Cuba is focused on him, his maxims, and his cult of personality. But behind this static facade, a transformation is underway. Why did secret agents become one of the island's most important sources of income? How did the Pope manage to mediate between Cuba and its sworn enemy, the United States? And what will happen after the Castros? The history of Cuba is 500 years of poverty and insurrection, and a dream of freedom that the Cubans have never given up on. During the Cold War, Cuba was firmly on the side of the Soviet Union. Education and health were positive aspects of the Castro era. [in German] Cuba was the first Latin American country to provide universal access to schools, to university, as well as universal healthcare. The demise of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in the early 1990s hit Cuba hard. Economic support worth billions of dollars suddenly disappeared. Cuba's infrastructure collapsed, and even basic food items were suddenly in short supply. Any opposition to the regime was repressed. [in Spanish] The majority of people in Cuba don't believe in this system. After 56 years, you'd have to be an idiot to still believe that it can work. Many disenfranchised Cubans decided to flee the island. Among them is Alina Fernández Revuelta, Fidel Castro's illegitimate daughter. Forgoing a privileged life among Castro's inner circle, she fled Cuba with a fake Spanish passport in 1993. Seeking refuge in the United States, she immediately spoke out against her father's regime. [in French] The government steals. Perhaps to keep, perhaps to sustain itself. It's a fact. This has been going on for 35 years. The government has found a way to try to keep going, but obviously it won't last. But unlike Alina, most people did not have the option to flee Cuba. On August 5th 1994, anti-Castro demonstrations erupt in central Havana. The events may seem small, but it's the first time under Fidel Castro's rule that public anger has manifested in the streets. But even so, anti-Fidel protesters are immediately confronted by pro-Fidel sympathizers — and the police. [all chant] [in German] These were the first serious riots after the crisis began. In 1992, 1993, Cuba hit a real low point. One trigger for the protests was the opening of a new kind of store in Cuba in the early 1990s. These stores catered only to tourists and Cubans with relatives abroad, because they only accepted US dollars. The majority of the population could only watch in envy. [in Spanish] Young people who wanted to leave took to the streets to protest, "I want to leave, let me leave!" And Fidel asked them, "What do you want?" "We want to leave." "Well, then go ahead, leave." The distance between Cuba and the United States is a scant 90 miles. It may not seem like much, but there are no ferries, and no other boats available to most Cubans. After Fidel Castro granted his permission to people wishing to leave Cuba, tens of thousands took to the sea in flimsy handmade rafts and floats. They were called "balseros" - rafters. Many of them told their stories in the Catalan Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name. [in Spanish] I think the demonstrations triggered something. And the Cuban government had to react. They always had an option, a safety valve. If things got too bad, they could open the valve and let people out. Castro told his police not to oppose any attempts to leave the country. Most of those fleeing underestimated the difficulties of navigating on the open ocean. Without help, they had little chance to make it to the United States. I had an airplane at the time which I used to go to the Bahamas. It was a play-thing, a hobby, and we flew quite a lot to determine several things. With a group of amateur pilots, José Basulto founded the aid association Brothers to the Rescue. 1994 was an avalanche. Before 1994 we had found 4,200 refugees at sea. In 1994 we assisted the Coast Guard to find 35,000 more. Rafts were identified from the air, and their positions radioed to the Coast Guard, who intercepted the rafts. The rafters were brought by Coast Guard ships to Guantanamo Bay, where they were registered before being sent to the US. Together, the US Coast Guard and Brothers to the Rescue saved thousands of lives. The exodus did not last long, before Cuba once again closed access to the malecón. [in German] Fidel personally came down to the malecón with his entourage. The point was to publicly reclaim this space and to show that things were under control again. In 1994, Cuba was in the midst of an economic crisis. Tourism on the island mainly benefitted the army, securing its financial survival. To find new sources of income, Cuba began selling secrets collected by its spy services. For decades, essentially up to 1995, the Cubans were almost perfect in the United States. Because they had been so successful for so long, they stopped being creative. They became predictable. And in the spy services, being predictable is fatal. In 1985, the Cuban Intelligence Service recruited the services of American Ana Montes. She then applied to join the US Defense Intelligence Agency. As a double agent, she helped the Cuban intelligence service identify several American spies while still working for the DIA. In Washington, Montes was regarded as an expert on Cuba, and acted as a consultant on Cuban affairs to various politicians. It took a slip-up during a routine interview to unmask her as a double agent. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In most cases, when you're running a spy, the spy is simply there to steal the secrets. Ana Montes was much more than that. She actually helped shape US policy on Cuba. One of her nicknames was the Queen of Cuba. When they lost her, they lost a lot. Cuba's economic situation remained desperate until a new potential backer appeared on the world stage. Cuban intelligence began working in Venezuela. [in German] In 1999, Cuba found its new savior in Hugo Chávez. He took on the role that the Soviet Union had played before. Not with ideological pressure, but at least on an economic level. He provided oil and pumped billions into the country. Like Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez was a socialist, and also like him, a fervent opponent of US influence in Latin America. In 2002, more than 1,000 Cuban agents helped put down an anti-Chávez coup from within the country's army. [in German] Chávez then designated Castro as the father of the Latin-American revolution, at least in Venezuela. Relations between Venezuela and Cuba intensified. Cuba sent teachers and doctors, and spies to help repress any opposition to Chávez. In exchange, Venezuela delivered oil. [in German] Cuba does not have the resources to meet its domestic demand for energy. The oil that is found there is not enough. Power plants have collapsed. They need to find other ways to supply themselves. This is what Venezuela helped with. Hugo Chávez treated Castro like a Venezuelan elder statesman. Chávez even ruled his country while living in Cuba for months on end. Its oil made Venezuela rich, and financed both Venezuela's and Cuba's socialism. Cuba received $1.5 billion worth of oil per year. It sold half on the international market, generating profits in excess of $800 million a year. Even today, the Cuban intelligence service is very active in Venezuela. They help to counter the political opposition in exchange for the government's ongoing support for Cuba. But they still have thousands of officers, and as long as these officers are in place... And, I mean, frankly, the current Venezuela leader owes his survival to the Cubans. He's in no position to force the Cubans out. And they have no interest in leaving. Despite Venezuela's support, however, Cuba's supply situation remained critical. Fidel Castro and his propaganda sought to blame everyone else, and particularly the USA. [woman] We love Fidel! [in German] He was the uncontested leader of Cuba. He was the father of the nation. Whenever he appeared in public somewhere people applauded and shouted, "Fidel, Fidel!" It was clear that he was their leader. Cuba's army controlled 40% of its economy. The profits were used to finance the military apparatus. The people of Cuba received almost nothing. The government ensured that the military and secret services maintained their position of power. Real private enterprise and political parties remained banned. [in German] There has always been opposition, but more of an intellectual opposition that would manifest itself in criticism in magazines. But there was no, or almost no organized opposition. One exception to this were youth groups within the Catholic Church, which had always demanded human rights and free elections. One of them, a young man named Oswaldo Payá, even founded a Christian Liberation Movement — the MCL. But even before, Payá was seen as a troublemaker by the regime. During his mandatory military service, he refused to transport political prisoners, and was promptly arrested. [in Spanish] When my father was 17 years old, he was kidnapped and sent to forced labor camps, like many other young men at the time, who were persecuted for listening to rock, for listening to the Beatles, for having long hair, for being homosexuals, for having any kind of religious beliefs, for not participating in the regime. What set Payá apart is that he always condemned the United States' Cuban policy. But his criticism and opposition work also stayed within Cuban law. [in Spanish] We say that every Cuban should have a vote and the people should be able to vote in free elections. There should be a parliament that one can be elected to, and out again. There should be multiple political parties. Payá knew that his demands were not possible within the framework of Cuba's socialist constitution. But he saw a legal way out. Under Cuban law, there is the possibility of holding a national referendum that could change the law. All he had to do was gather at least 10,000 signatures. [in Spanish] That's why we started the Varela project. It's a way for Cubans to claim what is rightfully theirs. We want to make ourselves protagonists of our history. Payá's MCL movement called for freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, free elections, and free market enterprise. They had little trouble collecting the required 10,000 signatures. The government, however, refused to hold the now required referendum. The issue of the Varela project was taken up when former US President Jimmy Carter visited Cuba in 2002. I don't know what's gonna happen with the Varela project. I think it would be very good if your officials would decide to publish the entire document, let there be a free and open debate in Cuba. Fidel Castro's response? A crackdown on the opposition. In 2003, he had 75 members of Payá's movement and other opposition groups arrested. [in Spanish] It was a message of terror that was heard by the Cuban people. He told them, "We give the orders." "Don't think that you can change things." [Cason] They received very long sentences, some of them 25, 28 years. They all went off to jails. Generally they tried to put them as far away from their family as possible to make it very difficult for them to be visited. The charges: conspiring with American diplomats, and treason. Oswaldo Payá was not arrested, but his initiative had failed. [in German] I think this was another instance where the revolution perverted what it stood for. They organized a witch-hunt against the opposition and had people sentenced to long prison terms by kangaroo courts, which was entirely outside any legal framework. Relatives of the arrested dissidents formed a new protest movement. They called themselves Ladies in White. They protested the unjust arrests and demanded freedom for their relatives. [in Spanish] My father had received death threats from state security for years. And it wasn't just death threats. They actually tried to kill him. On July 22nd 2012, Oswaldo Payá died in a car crash. The Cuban police claimed that the car, carrying four passengers, was speeding and crashed into a tree. The driver and the passenger in the front seat survived. They were travelling from Havana to Bayamo when the accident happened. At first, they claimed to have been hit by a truck, but retracted their statements in front of television cameras later on. Oswaldo Payá and his group's youth movement leader, Harold Cepero, were both killed in the accident. The driver, a Spanish politician named Ángel Carromero, was arrested for involuntary manslaughter. Oswaldo Payá's funeral was attended by tens of thousands of Cubans. His family is convinced his death was orchestrated by the government. Shortly after the funeral, the driver, Ángel Carromero, was sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly speeding, and using his cell phone while driving. [in Spanish] It was a trial full of lies and false testimony. It ended with a guilty verdict for the driver. After his release, Ángel Carromero claimed on American television that there had been no accident at all. [in Spanish] I think they died later, because there was no accident. We were just simply pushed off the road. We were not exceeding the speed limit. We did not hit a tree, as they had claimed. When I was taken prisoner and put in a cell in Bayamo, I had no access to a lawyer, or to anybody, except for the soldiers who were watching me. They forced me to record a video, al-Qaeda style. If you see the video, I have bruises on my face, it's hard for me to talk. There are curtains behind me. I'm reading the message they wanted me to read. I had two options. Do what they want, or don't come back. Is Carromero telling the truth, or did he really lose control of the rental car? The Cuban authorities stuck with their version, but doubts and contradictions linger. [in Spanish] I think my father was targeted by the Cuban government from the beginning. I think that the Cuban government was simply waiting for an opportunity. Fidel Castro claimed that Payá was in the pay of the US government, but never offered any proof. However, the United States continued to be his nemesis, and, according to him, the cause of all of Cuba's problems. In particular, Castro saw the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay as a constant provocation. US soldiers have been stationed here, without interruption, since 1903. [in French] In the eyes of the Cubans, it's like a thorn in their side. There are armed Americans, people displaying a kind of sovereignty on Cuban territory. September 11th 2001 changed the balance of world politics. The United States sought allies in their war on terror. How would Cuba and Castro react? [in German] Castro condemned terrorism. He opposed it. At the same time, he said, "We don't want this to result in war." "No al terrorismo, no a la guerra." [in German] I clearly remember when he said that. The USA invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, hunting down al-Qaeda terrorists. But it was unclear which of the many suspects were actual terrorists at all. Almost all suspected high-level enemy combatants were held at Guantánamo Bay on Cuba. Since the base was not part of US territory, US armed forces and the CIA could operate outside of the restrictions of US domestic law. This posed no problem for the Cuban government. [in German] Raúl was asked what he thought about this by journalists. He answered, "We were asked beforehand." Soon, the first accusations of torture and prisoner abuse emerged from Guantanamo. Despite international protests, the prison was not shut down under US President Barack Obama. Of more than 800 prisoners here, most were let go over the years. But the fact remains that the United States, who have always accused Cuba of human rights violations, did themselves violate international law in a military base on Cuban soil. Castro's regime exploited the situation and regularly denounced the crimes committed at Guantanamo. For them, it was another way of turning attention away from Cuba's own problems. Unknown to most Cubans, meanwhile, Fidel Castro lived with his family in his well-guarded luxury residence at Punto Cero. [in Spanish] There are about 200 men in charge of Fidel's personal protection. There are other units, too, that join them. Logistically, it is huge. The Castro family's compound was conceived as wholly self-sufficient, because Fidel feared being poisoned. [in Spanish] The food was all grown there. It was being taken care of by army officers. There was a cow for his milk, buffaloes for his milk, it was all there. Vegetables also. He's very disciplined when it comes to food. There were two chefs employed 24 hours a day. He had everything within reach, and everything was protected by guards. Aside from Punto Cero, Fidel Castro also owns a small vacation island near the Bay of Pigs called Cayo Piedra. But the "Máximo Lider" himself does not live a life of luxury. He instead lives under a regime of the highest levels of security. His occasional public appearances, where he loved to be a man of the people, were a nightmare for his security apparatus. The Castro brothers' real wealth lies in the almost unlimited power they wield over the island. Juan Juan Almeida, himself the son of a revolutionary commander, grew up within the Castros' inner circle. [in Spanish] The difference is in their power. They are Godlike in their power. What makes us different from God? God decides about life and death. Well, Fidel Castro gives us life, or takes it away. Fidel Castro's private life was almost never discussed in Cuba. He had at least 11 children with seven women, including five with his wife Dalia. Most of his sons and daughters lived on the island. [in German] "Hijo de Papa", as they say in Cuba. "Father's son", or "father's daughter". They live a sheltered life in Cuba, so that the people in general do not know how well-off they are. Pictures of Fidel Castro's children are rare. The eldest son, Fidelito... Alejandro... Antonio... Alex... Ángel... and Alina. [in Spanish] These guys grew up among the mighty, but outside of their decisions. Perhaps Fidel's omnipresence... Perhaps Fidel's omnipresence made them reject public or political positions. I think that they preferred sailing, or going out for a stroll. They preferred to enjoy Cuba and all it has to offer. They feel that it's theirs by right. Hasta la victoria siempre! What would a Cuba without Fidel Castro look like? An accident in October of 2004 made the question more pertinent. [Wulffen, in German] There was an outdoor rally in Santa Clara in 2004. It had been raining before. This probably made the stage so slippery that he fell. Fidel fell and hurt himself badly enough to not be able to continue his duties for awhile. Since the revolution of 1959, the question of who rules the island was clear for most Cubans. But of the top revolutionary leaders from back then, only the Castro brothers survive to this day. Raúl Castro has been President of Cuba since 2008. He has chosen not to deviate from most of his brother's policies. [in German] This is why, as long as the brothers are alive, no-one has dared to rise up. There has never been another leader, nor anybody even with the kind of leadership persona it would take to threaten the Castros' position. Raúl took over his brother's duties, first temporarily, then permanently. He became president at the age of 75. Juan Juan Almeida, after his parents divorced, lived for several years with Raúl Castro. [in Spanish] I can tell you that I loved him very much. I admired him. For me, he was like a second father. I would describe him as a family man. Raúl's wife, Vilma Espín, was herself a veteran of the revolution, and a former member of the Council of State. Since Fidel kept his own family out of the spotlight, Vilma Espín was called Cuba's First Lady until her death in 2007. She and Raúl had four children, in addition to their foster son, Juan. [in Spanish] Raúl had a marshal's uniform made. It looked good on him. When Raúl's children or people living with him... wanted something, it was very easy to convince him by saying, "Wow, that marshal's uniform looks great on you!" Raúl is a Marxist, he's a communist, he's an admirer of the Soviet Union. If you go to his office, you see pictures of all the generals of World War Two, the Soviet generals. Above all else, Raúl Castro ensured the army's grasp on power. Under his leadership, the military controlled large parts of Cuba's economy and foreign trade. [in Spanish] Raúl doesn't like cameras. He doesn't like to be in public. Raúl suffers from agoraphobia. Raúl lacks many things that Fidel had to excess. Cuban politics did not change with Raúl in charge. Fidel was no longer involved in day-to-day politics, but he remained the symbol of highest authority. Here, he is visited in the hospital by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. [in German] I attended the military parade in honor of Fidel Castro. Everyone thought he would come. But his health was such that this was not possible. What I saw then was that the people were aghast at how sick Fidel was. [applause] Official appearances guarantee public applause. [in Spanish] What is happening to him now, that he has to stay at home, unable to rule, this has to be the worst punishment for Fidel. He can't rule over anybody. I imagine that he must be in a terrible mood. Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez died of cancer in 2013. Cuba lost one of its chief allies. The low cost of oil further hampers Cuba's chances of continuing to receive oil under Chávez's successors. Venezuela, economically, is going down. It's the only supporter they had. Venezuela was giving Cuba over 100,000 barrels of oil a day for free. Of which they use half and half they sell it on the international market. So as soon as the market went down, like it did, to eight or ten dollars a barrel, whatever they sold in the market was nothing. I mean, they lost a tremendous amount of income. In the fall of 2015, Pope Francis visited Cuba. 60% of Cuba's population is Catholic, even though the country is officially atheist. [in German] The Catholic Church becomes more important during the crisis of the late 1980s and 1990s. They became more involved in ordinary people's lives because they distributed medicine, aid, and social assistance. This increased the role they played. The remaining incarcerated members of Cuba's opposition movements were allowed to leave Cuba for Spain, thanks to the mediation of the Catholic Church. But their relatives among the Ladies in White were briefly interned themselves during the papal visit. [in Spanish] I urge all political leaders to persevere to do everything possible on this path in order to secure peace and well-being for their people, and all of the Americas. This would be a strong example of reconciliation for the entire world. Pope Francis is originally from Argentina. Even before his visit, he used his influence to mediate between Cuba and the United States. [in Spanish] Francis didn't just ask for changes, but also involved himself in the negotiations to bring about these changes and to allow Cuba and the United States to sit down and normalize their relations. Fidel Castro, a former Jesuit student, meets Jesuit Pope Francis. The two men spoke Spanish and got on well. Castro had opposed the Church for a long time, even banning Christmas from Cuba during the Cold War. But those days are behind him. [in German] A man like Fidel needs no political position. He shines even without a uniform, or other official apparel. He embodies moral authority. He is Cuba's father figure, and is still regarded as such. Socialist organizations helped to ensure a maximum turn-out for the papal masses in Cuba. It was a quid-pro-quo, as the Pope had, behind the scenes and long before his visit, worked to reconcile Cuba and the United States. [in German] The Pope's main intention was to visit Cuba, but he was also an important factor in the negotiations. He succeeded in that both the USA and Cuba were able to claim this as a win. After decades of animosity, and with the mediation of Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama sees the opportunity to make history. To end the United States' isolation in Latin America. And even in Cuba, the need for a new era is apparent. Even the whole opening of relations with the United States isn't because they think they lose anything. Everybody in their intelligence services is saying this is a good thing. Politically, financially, Cuba comes out the winner. Why wouldn't they do it? April of 2015 marked the first time that the presidents of Cuba and the United States had met since the Cuban revolution. [in German] Since the early 1960s, there has been a half-century where the United States were Cuba's sworn enemy. Now, we have the situation that Raúl and Obama hold a press conference at the same time. This was coordinated politics. It shook the image of this sworn enemy. A handshake was staged for the TV cameras. The first concrete result of this "Cuban Thaw" was the re-opening of the US Embassy in Cuba by Secretary of State John Kerry. Diplomatic relations had been cut in 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis had brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The embassy was shut down in 1963. In 2015, the same US Marines who hauled down the US flag back then brought it back to Cuba, handing it to their young successors. For a former advisor to US President John F Kennedy, it was an event that had been a long time coming. The United States politics for all the years since then, and until Obama acted, were among the worst and silliest things that any country had done. Here we're recognizing China, Russia, you name some of the worst regimes, and little Cuba is the place where we keep focusing politically. "No, you can't do anything with Cuba." But many, especially companions from Cuba's former communist allies, are not convinced by the apparent rapprochement. [in German] I think Cuba is sincere, and it needs to collaborate with everyone, even the United States. I don't know whether this sincerity is reciprocated. I can't say. I would be wary. I think the United States' policy is to crush Cuba in its embrace. Since the 1990s, money transfers from exiled Cubans to their families on the island have been Cuba's main source of foreign currency. Now, Cubans hope for more tourism, an end to the US embargo, and investments from American companies. And perhaps, in the distant future, the end of the American presence at Guantanamo. [in German] In regards to the most difficult questions, when it comes to returning property, Guantanamo, repayment of debts, I can't imagine how there could be progress. [in Spanish] It doesn't mean that it will be hugs and kisses between us and the United States, nor that everything will be nice and sweet and that there will be a panacea against all ills. There will be confrontation, and there will be problems. What we need is the political willingness to make progress. In Washington, the negotiations with Cuba are not without criticism. Despite their mishandling of Cuba's economy, the Castro brothers are seen as having won their Cold War. We see their arrogance back again now, with who's leading the negotiations with the United States, who's Avina Videl who we threw out for espionage in 2003, and Gustavo Machin, her deputy, who we threw out for the Ana Montes espionage case. I think that is classic Castro brothers. They could have picked anybody in the world to be the front men... and they picked two spies. Both sides hope to benefit in the long term. For now, humanitarian issues, such as the delivery of medicines and regulating visits, are the main concerns. The message our president has sent to everyone is, "The Cubans are not a threat." And so it will make it even easier for them. They can steal everything they've wanted to steal at a reduced risk, more efficiently. For any enemy of the United States, Cuba is now your greatest ally. Because not only do they have agents throughout the United States, Cuba has its own version of the National Security Agency. So if you are the Russians or the Chinese or the Iranians, if you want to know what US communications are saying right now, there's only one country to go to. Cuba eavesdrops on US communications with the help of a Russian-built base on the island. It was shut down in 2001, only to be put back online in 2014. Today, 3,000 Russian technicians maintain the base, which is directed at the United States. Cuba sells the fruits of its eavesdropping on the international market to the tune of an estimated $100 million a year. A spy base does not seem conducive to a continued Cuban Thaw. The future of this spy base will show in which allies Cuba places stock in the future. This will likely be left for Castro's successors to decide. Raúl Castro has announced that he will step down in 2018. [in Spanish] The way our country is being ruled does not work anymore. I have a 17 year-old brother. If you talk to him about the revolution or the heroes of revolution, he has no idea. If you talk about European football or hip-hop, that is what he knows. Regarding other things, he is clueless. Revolutionary language apparently no longer appeals to young Cubans. But what comes next? [in Spanish] I have faith in the youth, in those who were born after the revolution, who don't have any affiliation or romantic notions concerning the revolution of 1959. They're not bound to that process, and all they want is democracy and prosperity in our country. Cuba's youth will be left with the unenviable task of shaping their county's future between revolutionary nostalgia and the need for change. [in Spanish] We cannot think that young people are just like us. I think they will defend the country. They will defend what they have with the means that they have now. It has been 50 years since the revolution. When we started to defend our country, it was not like this. When we started to defend what we wanted our homeland to be, we did it by throwing stones, going on hunger strikes, fighting with the police, with the army, and then even with guns. Now it is different. Now they have other issues, and other ways of defending the country. As time goes by this will keep on changing, but surely they will defend it, I have no doubt about that. Already, access to US television, cell phones, and, albeit limited, to the internet, shows that Cuba's government can no longer decide what Cubans have a right to know. [in Spanish] Like it or not, our neighbor, the North American consumer society, attracts people very much. They believe that everybody can live equally. They don't realize that equality doesn't exist even for Americans. [in Spanish] There is still a lot to accomplish in Cuba. For instance, I believe that full and open use of the internet is a necessity, not only for the people, but for Cuban society as a whole. I believe that we have been left behind because of the limited level of access to these new, important technologies. Until Cuban society can realize the true possibilities of these new technologies, it's as if we were still living in the 20th century. [singing in Spanish] The days of the Castro brothers are coming to an end. An entire country is waiting for what comes next. [in Spanish] You cannot change 54 years... in six months. I think the first time we'll talk about real change will be in 2018. This is when Raúl Castro said that he will abdicate. We will see who his successor is, what policies are created, what civil society and infrastructures are set up. We are in a period of interesting and important change, which we have to encourage. [in Spanish] What I believe will happen is that when the two old men disappear, there will be an accelerated process of reforms that will liquidate this military-state capitalism. As happens very often, there will be tension between the most orthodox, and those who want reforms more quickly. This will inevitably create conflict. Most Cuba experts believe that the island's next leader will arise from within the old political and military apparatus. Whether this leader will be willing to make democratic or economic reforms remains to be seen. For centuries, the inhabitants of the largest island in the Caribbean have dreamt the dream of freedom... while their home suffered under the yoke of foreign masters, Spain and the United States. Time and again, saviors and saints arose, spread hope, and failed. Heroes turned to tyrants, hungry for power and wealth. For Cubans, a new era will begin in 2018. With so many unanswered questions left, tensions, or even conflicts, it seems, will be inevitable. But Cubans on the island, as well as abroad, share one overwhelming hope. That this time, history will not repeat itself.