Mad About Cuba

A Malayali Revisits the Revolution

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In 1982, when Ullekh N.P. was still a young schoolboy in Kerala, he first came across Cuba and Fidel Castro in political discussions at home and on the streets. Kerala’s active communist movement and high literacy rates had made Castro a recognizable name in the state, and Cuba was idolized as a repository of ‘communist’ values.

While growing up in the north Kerala district of Kannur—a bastion of Marxist politics—Ullekh delved into Cuba’s history, culture, literature and political legends in Leftist journals and through Malayalam translations of Cuban works. The great strides the tiny Caribbean nation made in biotechnology, public health, pharmaceuticals and agriculture despite American sanctions were seen as a testament to the power of public-sector-led growth.

Ullekh was finally able to travel to Cuba in 2023 on a journalist visa. Mad About Cuba documents his visit and observations. Through conversations with senior bureaucrats, scientists at Cuba’s fabled pharma research institutes, youth beginning their careers, students and many others, he paints an intimate and objective picture of the nation that has managed to withstand American sanctions for over six decades.

Will the Revolution endure? What does the future hold for this island? How will its remarkable transcontinental bond with Kerala pan out? This wonderfully written book attempts to provide answers.