The Cuban YouTuber Camila Carballo showed in one of her videos the deterioration that the Gerardo Abreu Fontan Workers' Social Circle (CSO) and Coney Island are experiencing.
"This is full of garbage. It's a shame, there's not even sand left. There is a lot of neglect, that's the truth. I have no words to describe the sadness that visiting places like this causes me. This is a dump," said the young woman.
Both institutions were built with private funds in Cuba. They are located in the beautiful neighborhood of Miramar, in the Playa municipality, in Havana. They were expropriated by the regime and, 60 years later, they are just a reflection of the government's neglect.
The CSO Gerardo Abreu Fontán was originally the Military and Naval Club, created for officers of the Armed Forces, dissolved in 1959.
The regime seized it and turned it into the Central House of the Armed Forces, but later handed it over to the unions, for the "enjoyment of the people," and it was mismanaged until they left it in its current state, completely destroyed.
"These premises could generate a lot of money and be enjoyed by the population. People would come, because these Miramar beaches have a tremendous advantage being within the same Havana," the young woman commented.
In 2022, the CSO Abreu Fontán received harsh criticism from the population for the high prices of its gastronomic offerings. People believed that it should be in line with salaries, but the situation has worsened instead of improving. There are hardly any leisure offers at the place. It's empty.
The reasons for the deterioration of these entertainment institutions are not necessarily economic in nature but rather strategic issues of the government.
If these public spaces are not used, a void is created in the popular imagination, and in a few years, the regime may use these lands to promote initiatives in line with its interests, as has already happened numerous times, especially in such a valuable area as Miramar.
Coney Island was inaugurated in Havana in 1918. The project was inspired by a large amusement park created in Brooklyn. It immediately gained fame and notoriety. It came to be considered one of the most famous amusement parks in Latin America.
Four years later, the elegant La Concha Resort opened, which along with Coney Island Park and the Habana Yacht Club, were at the time the most splendid and entertaining venues in Marianao.
The Cuban government has all these entertainment facilities, along with others in the same area, in a dilapidated state.
Regime officials claim that the abandonment is due to a lack of resources to maintain the buildings or keep the equipment. However, the State has indeed promoted multimillion-dollar investments in nearby areas for facilities intended for tourism.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
