Extreme Poverty Is Responsible For Cuba Being the Life Hack Capital of the World
The Cuban economy has been the focal point of many a discourse apart from being an important research for topic for the economists all round the world for a long time now. Decades of extreme economic isolation along with the fall of the Soviet Union were factors which contributed to these economic doldrums and the resultant factor has been extreme poverty taking over the life in Cuba today. This poverty which is still dominant in Cuba today has resulted in turning it into the life hack capital of the world as people are left with very little amount of money which they generally use to meet up some of their basic needs which helps them to survive somehow.
Here we will point out certain examples which will certainly exemplify the fact that has been discussed above:
- Making Do: – Suppose you are a national of Cuba and your fan has stopped working. You would definitely not get anybody to repair it. Rather you are not in a position to take the help of a mechanic who can repair the fan on your behalf as you are always seriously short of fiscal resources. This has become an integral part of the Cuban lifestyle. Thus for more than 30 years now, people has been repairing their own things now and has termed it as making do in the popular culture.
- TV Antennas: – A normal TV antenna in Cuba is generally made out of abandoned lunch trays. This is an excellent innovation but the sad part behind this is the fact that this awesome example of creativity has been carved out of extreme poverty.
- Toys: – Every child in this world is quite possessive about its toys. It doesn’t matter what the background of the child is, it has its own collection of toys. The same thing applies for children in Cuba. They also possess toys, but these toys are generally made out of plastic glue bottles, ink containers, bottle caps, and all sorts of similar stuff. Another thing regarding these toys which will amaze you the most is the fact that they are mighty effective and they normally work.
- Rikimbili: – Rikimbili is the Cuban substitution of a motor powered bike which is another important example of life hack inspired by extreme poverty which would definitely give you a glimpse of the contemporary Cuban economy. These bikes are basically scrap heaps designed out of random materials but one thing is generally a common feature i.e. the fuel tank is almost always a used plastic bottle of soda. As these bikes are made out of random materials, most of them vary in shapes and sized.
- Sandwich Maker: – A Cuban sandwich is a fusion of a ham and cheese sandwich. They are made out of sliced roasted pork and glazed ham. This is mainly due to the fact that the Cubans love pork. Then they provide the sandwich with other required ingredients and then they finally press them into a sandwich. But they do not possess a sandwich maker to set things straight. Thus, they need to get their work done via a brick covered up with foil. Pretty good and effective idea one must admit!
- Fans: – This is another life hack worth the mention. The fans of Cuba. Another awesome creation which is once again and more significantly driven by the poor Cuban economy. These fans are made by using the rotatory parts of the old phones and the old vinyl records are used as blades. This might sound very childishly crafty but one can be rest assured that they do work and that to pretty effectively.
Thus, we can easily come to the conclusion that this discourse not only exposes the Cuban lifestyle but brings to the fore the fact that although derived by utmost poverty and an unruly Cuban economy, the innovations are pretty much worth the mention and they have been influencing all factors of the lives and has thus turned Cuba into the life hack capital of the world. But, this lead only exposes the extremity of the struggle in the life of Cuba today.
