Whenever thinking about Cuba, the images of Cuban cigars and the sounds of machete cutting through the thicket of sugarcane is what immediately pops in one’s head. Indeed, according to Ortiz, tobacco, and sugar were a major driving force for the Cuban economy, without which the country would have never survived. Taking a closer look at Ortiz’s arguments, one can figure out what the premises for the given items to become the key element of the Cuban economy were, as well as suggest other paths for the Cuban economy development which could have been chosen except for sugar and tobacco.
To start with, the investment issue was the aspect that spurred the tobacco and sugar industry. Indeed, geographically isolated from the rest of the world, the island of Cuba does have considerable issues concerning economical cooperation with other countries. Hence follows the need in the foreign countries’ support; the latter was especially topical in the early 1900ies. According to the statistical data which Ortiz provides in his book, 2/3 of the sugar plantations were under the control of the United States, which meant that the Cubans had to sustain sugar plantations to get more investments. In addition, the majority of Cuban tobacco companies were also controlled by the USA.
The specific of the work on plantations and the unique labor force was also a big decision point in picking cigars and sugar export as the key economic strategies. To train a foreigner to grow and pick tobacco, as well as make cigars and produce sugar from sugar cane, a considerable amount of time is required, while the local people knew the drill extremely well. Hence, it was most reasonable to improve the “sugar abilities” of the native citizens.
In addition, the issue of transculturation must be noted as one of the key reasons why tobacco and sugar were continuously used as the key means to boost the Cuban economy. According to Ortiz,
In Cuba, the cultures that have influenced the formation of its folk have been so many and so diverse in their spatial position and their structural composition that this vast blend of races and cultures overshadows in importance every other cultural phenomenon.
Hence come the social-economical premises that triggered the development of sugar and tobacco production, which the Cubans have been relying on for quite a long time.
Another significant factor was the issue of quality and origin that made the Cubans focus on importing the same product for so many years. As Ortiz explained, Cuban cigars and sugar have been considered the best of the best since the time immemorial, and the Cubans were willing to live up to the high standard which their predecessors had established. With the reputation which the Cuban tobacco and cigars had, it was unreasonable to switch to producing something new. While people considered the Cuban cigars and sugar as the top-quality goods, there was a solid reason to go on with these “trademarks”.
Moreover, there were also certain concerns for the rights of the Cuban workers that the policy of the Cuban monopoly also concerned. According to what Ortiz said, working on sugar and tobacco plantations along with sugar and cigars manufacturing, was one of the leading industries; hence, working for the given industries was rather enticing idea and the key means to earn sufficient salary.
However, with a rapid flood of foreigners producing the same goods, the Cuban workers would have their salaries reduced greatly. As Ortiz claims, being the world leaders in sugar and tobacco production allowed to push the above-mentioned singular abilities “towards the organized exercise of their rights and freedoms.” Consequently, it was the sugar and cigars production that attracted foreign investors to Cuba and its market and at the same time reminding people of their national identity.
In addition, it is necessary to keep in mind that there were certain social issues that gave reasons to export sugar and cigars. It is important to take into account that each of the products was intended for a specific sort of public. As Ortiz explained, “In the production of tobacco intelligence is the prime factor; we have already observed that tobacco is liberal, not to say revolutionary. In the production of sugar, it is a question of power; sugar is conservative, if not reactionary”
Therefore, it seems that Ortiz’s arguments are quite legitimate. Offering a cadence of impressive facts, Ortiz convinces the readers that on a certain time slot, Cuba laid all its economical hopes on shipping tobacco and sugar to other countries; and, as a matter of fact, the given strategy proved quite right. Even though further on, the country started importing other goods, such as nickel, the entire world still remembered it as the country of sugarcane and cigars. With Cuban economics still based on sugar considerably, sugar and tobacco still remain the things that are first associated with Cuba.
Reference List
Ortiz, Fernando. Cuban counterpoint: tobacco and sugar. Translated by Harriet de Onis. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995.