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The Documentary: Human Cubans

Jose Augustin

23/11/2014 GMT

Human Cubans

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Human Cubans

Life in modern Cuba including internet connectivity, the LGBT community and US doctors

Life in modern Cuba including internet connectivity and communication, the LGBT community and US doctors.

British journalist Nick Baker and Anglo-Cuban journalist Arnaldo Hernandez Diaz discover a vivid snapshot of Cuba including topics around the internet and online communication, LGBT issues and a surprising medical story.

Cuba is one of the planet’s least connected countries. Most Cubans cannot afford to get online, but there are ingenious ways to circulate downloaded material and long waiting lists for expensive mobile phones. Nick and Arnaldo meets some of Cuba’s bloggers and one of the country’s first online real estate agents to ask what happens when Cuba gets online.

Despite its homophobic past, Cuba is keen to liberalise attitudes to LGBT people. This is thanks to the efforts of Mariela Castro – the president’s daughter – who explains why Cuba funds free transgender surgery. Nick and Arnaldo also meet a variety of people from Cuba’s LGBT community including Fransisco, who came out to his wife and son; Mercedes, a lesbian activist and Jose Augustin, who was exiled from his family and now awaits gender reassignment surgery.

Finally, Nick and Arnalso hear from Tachira and Jo, who have just qualified as doctors. They are Americans and among a group of 20 students who trained for free this year in Cuba by promising to return to practise in poor communities in the US. Tachira and Jo discuss their experiences as ‘honorary Cubans’ and Cuban healthcare.

(Photo: Jose Augustin awaits gender reassignment surgery)

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