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Cuban doctors who arrived in Brazil last year to provide medical treatment and aid for Brazilians were met with racism by some Brazilians. Nevertheless, the Cuban doctors didn't let ignorance or racism get in the way of helping their neighbors and the thousands of Brazilians who are grateful for Cuba's assistance.
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Cuba is one of many countries both praised and admired by the world. It holds the reputation for being despised by American politicians even Congressman Marco Rubio, whose parents come from Cuba has condemned the so called thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations since 1959. The Castro Brothers have had to work around tightropes to keep the Caribbean country from total economic comatose since the beginning of 54 year old embargo on Cuba. Of the two brothers, Raul Castro has made the most compromises in diplomatically engaging the U.S. at international events and an 18th months long secret negotiations. Raul shook hands briefly with President Obama during Nelson Mandela's funeral and has proven to be more lenient on budding rapprochement with the U.S. than his famous brother Fidel.
America and Cuba Now want to be friends
Fidel Castro is one of the very few if not the only foreign leader to outlive 50+ years of a crushing U.S. embargo, hundreds of CIA assassination attempts, being labeled as both terrorist and an existential threat of the United States, still being protected and admired by ordinary people and other world leaders and ruling for decades to safely reach retirement. He has become a legend within his own right despite his shortcomings.
The Cuban people have continued on with life and managed to find creative ways to eradicate poverty while connecting to the rest of the world through trade, economic cooperation, political amnesty, famed healthcare aid abroad and have friends in high places outside the U.S. sphere of influence. Cuba's friends include China, Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, many African and Asian countries who have praised Cuba's success in eliminating illiteracy (that was once above 40%), its longstanding revolution, providing technical and physical support for neighboring Caribbean countries in terms of trade and economic development. Supporting liberating and developmental movements across Africa, Caribbean and the Americas and has offered aid to many countries in need of improving social wellbeing. The tiny Carribean nation has served as an inspiration to many countries suffering from the aftershocks of Western intervention and consequences of the Cold War choices and ideology. Its an inspiration that the U.S. has tried to downplay and crush for years.
Case of the Cuban 5
PS there are a few unfinished business between Cuba and the United States concerning high profile prisoners. A Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez currently in prison for 16 years is still uncertain about his future. So are the Cuban Five serving their prison sentences in Miami after being convicted of spying for the Cuban government in 1990s. Than there is Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther revolutionary fighter who was wrongly accused of killing a New Jersey police officer in 1970s. Refusing to serve a then six year prison sentence, Shakur broke out of prison in 1979 leaving the United States to an ironic freedom in Cuba where she lives to this day. An arrest warrant is still out for her and if she returns to the U.S., she may face arrest.
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