Memories of Underdevelopment (1968 )

" I discovered Elena didn't think as much as I did. I try to live as European and she makes me  feel the underdevelopment  at every step"
says Sergio Corrieri  who is the main character of  Gutierrez film.The place is Havana of 1961, aftermath of  Bay of Pigs incident through missile crisis in 1962. Sergio's parents and his wife leave Cuba for the United States, he stays, to see what  will happen to " first genuine Latin American revolution; " as sarcastically described by his Bourgeois friend Pablo, he is also getting ready to leave the island.
Sergio does not work, but he lives a comfortable life in big apartment with the income coming from other rental properties. Sergio is the man with intellect. He refuses to participate to social and political history, to him in past things were better, " Havana was the Paris of the Caribbean " but now the stores are burned down, and empty. Sergio's solution for his own political and social alienation is Elena, a sixteen years old virgin,  he quickly managed to seduce her, Elena belongs to uneducated, "underdevelopment" crowd, and the proof of this, she is "inconsistent" this rule applies to most of the Cubans, " inability to gain experience, and developed " therefore inconsistency leads to "underdevelopment" which he despise constantly.

Thomas Gutierrez Alea's , Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) film is doesn't trap itself to propaganda of revolutionary Politics, yet clearly tells us the story of psychological  one. The cultural imperialism is real and here to stay. Not to be effected ratter difficult task, fight against it another story. The last segment of the film places  live- footage of Fidel's speech before the Missile crisis " Vencermos " calls out the leader of the revolution, "we shall overcome".

Nazim Hikmet

"what remains from you is a silhouette I can no longer cuddle and embrace

 although you are really exist, there at my city flesh and bones

 your red mouth which- I've been banned its honey, your big eyes really exist

 and  giving away yourself like rebellion water and whiteness of your skin which,

                                                                                                   I can not touch.."

ON  LIVING

                              Living is no laughing matter

                              You must take it very seriously

                                                like a squire- for example,

                              I mean, without expectation beyond and above living,

                                                I mean living must be your whole occupation.    

                             

                              You must take living seriously,

                              I mean, so much so and such a degree,

                              for example,- your arms tied in back,  your back against the wall,

                              or else, in a laboratory with your large glasses,                                                 

                                                and white uniform

                                                         you can die for people..

                              even for the people whose faces you never seen

                              even though nobody forces you

                              even though you know living is most beautiful and real thing                               

                              I mean, you will take seriously living

                              even at your seventies, for instance- you will planted olive trees

                                                not for the kids either,

                                                even you afraid of dying, because you don't believing dying

                                                living , I mean weights heavier

 1947

ON LIVING

II

                              Lets say, you're sick

                              considered critical

                                               surgery  a  must,

                              chances are, you may not get up  again

                                                                 from white table.    

                             

                              It is not possible not to feel the grief leaving this life so soon

                              yet you're still laugh to jokes you been told,

                              you would look out  of the window to see, if it's raining

                              or else, you will  impatiently wait the latest news                                                

                                         

                              Let's say you are fighting,  for the things worth fighting for,

                                                                            you are on the front line
                              there, at first attack, that same day it is possible falling
                                                                            down  and  dying.
                              you will aware of this with a strange anger,
                              yet you will be madly curious to find out
                              the end of the war, perhaps will last many more years.

                             Let's say, you are in jail,
                             you getting  near fifty
                             still eighteen more years to go before Iron gate to open,
                             still you live together with the outside,
                             with the people, animal, fights and breezes,
                                                     I mean, beyond the walls
                                                     I mean, where ever you are,
                                                     you never going to die, kind of living.
                                                                                          
1948

ON LIVING

III

This earth will grow cold
star among stars,

as such one of the tiniest,

a gilded particle, on blue velvet

our great earth.

This earth will grow cold one day,

neither a block of ice

nor like a dead cloud,

but like an empty walnut will roll along

in pitch darkness everlasting...

as we speak, you will grief and

                                 saddened for

such a world must be loved

to be able to say...
"I lived"

                              

1948 February