Zoe Oro-Hahn

Two Cubans

First, a joke of sorts.  People say that when two Cubans are in a room together, one will, without fail, begin to talk about Cuba, the Revolution, and Fidel Castro.  They’ll share stories of the horrors they saw, the years of hardship, the one dish they ate over and over again until they couldn’t eat it again (for one of my tias, it’s split pea), and stories of the family they’re still trying to contact and get out.  

I have had conversations about Cuba with Cubans (my grandparents, my mother).  But I have also had these conversations with people from Syria and Germany and the United States.  And the same things are talked about, with just the slightest shifts in history and politics. To an extent, they have been the second Cuban in a conversation surpassing boundaries.  The fear of one’s own government and the desire to flee to somewhere that promises itself to be safe and fair is becoming a shared feeling; and the stories of migration themselves look increasingly similar, with shared burdens and challenges. 

Second, an invitation.  Come, be the second Cuban – you might find something you recognize. 

Computer Game, 2019