America's move to reestablish relations with Cuba after 50+ years has been making headlines around the world. Ties between the US and Cuba were severed since 1960 when the US imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. This has crippled economic and social development in Cuba. But President Obama has taken a bold step to dramatically improve relations with Cuba. Now many of you might be wondering what this news development has to do with Belize. Well, there are a fair number of Cubans living here in Belize, not to mention the 97 medical professionals in the Cuban medical brigade. So we wanted to find out what this change in US policy means for them? 29 year old Yadielis Martinez has been living in Belize for about 5 years and owns Brisas Del Mar restaurant on Caye Caulker. Today via telephone from Caye Caulker Martinez explained how significant this rapprochement is to Cubans living in Belize and their families back in Cuba.
Yadielis Martinez, Caye Caulker resident
"Well I thinks it's very important for the people who lives in Cuba because if the Cuban government and the United States government have a good relations, that means that they are going to open lot of things that are closed at the moment. I don't know if you know, but Americans, they can't go to Cuba because the US government, they don't let them go to Cuba. They are not allowed to go to Cuba. So this is not good for Cuba because the tourism industry is very important for the economy in Cuba. I don't think that nothing is going to happen with the doctors or with the program because I think a relation with the States is something that everyone is waiting for a long time. Cuba has a lot of programs and relationship with different countries like here Belize, Brazil, Venezuela - with a lot of countries and I don't think that nothing bad will going to happen for the programs. For us, it's very good because we have our families and everything there and we have friends. We go there every year, but we are here working and I think everyone Cuban that is not there, their lives will continue."
Martinez is from Matanzas, Cuba. She lives on Caye Caulker with her husband and 8 year old son.
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