August 9, 2001

The Guardian - In a country where there is plenty to complain about, you won't hear a word said against the dust and deafening noise from building sites springing up all over Old Havana. What's more, the disruption will continue for many years - but still there will be no criticism, because this is the massive job of restoring the historic city to its former glory, and the residents can see for themselves that they are slowly but surely reaping the benefits. Old Havana became a Unesco world heritage site in 1982, although the work of restoring the crumbling buildings and the rotten infrastructure was started shortly after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Unesco is working closely with the City Historians' Office and its influential boss, Eusebio Leal, to coordinate the work and raise the funding.  "Ask any taxi driver, any person on the street and you won't find anyone who is against what we're doing," Mr Leal said. "Our main aim is that Old Havana will not become a museum. We want to see here what has been done in places like Bath and York - a coexistence between daily life and the historic."  But before the work could start with any urgency they needed money. The Cuban economy must still struggle against the economic embargo imposed on it 40 years ago by the US. It lost its main economic support when the Soviet Union collapsed 10 years ago and the country does not have access to the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. The most generous donors are Spain, Italy, Canada, France and the European Union - the countries that also invest most heavily and send the most tourists to Cuba. When the city was founded in 1519, defences were immediately built against constant attacks from passing pirates and rival British and French colonialists. By the 17th century the city was a transit point for the gold and silver being extracted from Peru and Mexico on its way to Spain. Castles, fortresses and turrets still dot the landscape. There are so many old cannons that they are used to decorate the streets. But as Havana grew and the sugar industry created greater wealth, the inner-city residents moved out to the leafier suburbs to build more grandiose houses. Their former mansions were split and split again to maximise the rent and no one took care of the infrastructure. And as one corrupt government followed another in the first half of the 20th century, short-term gain had priority over any consideration of the city's long-term future. For many years after Castro came to power, the authorities could barely slow the decline. Now, however, the city is undergoing constant improvement, with entire new streets and plazas nearly or already complete. But you don't have to stray far to see how much still has to be done. Just a block or two from any of the main sites are pot-holed roads, piles of rotting rubbish and crumbling buildings propped up by wooden beams with their bare-chested residents sitting on doorsteps watching the tourists stroll by and gossiping about nothing in particular. Those in the know walk in the middle of the street to avoid falling masonry. Cuba's main foreign currency earner is now tourism. The problem was how to attract tourists to a city that was falling down. First the authorities restored the museums, then the hotels. "We're now filling in the gaps between the hotels and the museums," said Mr Leal. Art galleries are opening with the artists living and working upstairs, while restaurants and hotels continue to be built. The restoration of Old Havana as a whole is the aim of the project but a few buildings stand out. Whole sections of the San Francisco de Asis convent collapsed when restoration work was started, killing one workman (in communist Cuba, the building is used for art exhibitions and concerts). The latest grand project is to restore the Belen convent, built in 1720 by the Franciscans. The huge building fell into disrepair after it was abandoned in 1925 but it is now being rebuilt, partly as a hotel, partly as an old people's home. Archaeologists are digging in the 19th-century toilets and a team of experts is due in to talk about the correct colour of the floor tiles. Nelson Aguilar, who is overseeing the project, said that nothing would be rushed. The work, which has already cost $8m (£5.6m), would progress when they could raise the money for the next stage and when they were ready. "We can call on experts from anywhere in Cuba to take us forward," he said. "Everyone here is agreed that to get it right we must not rush. Our national heritage is very important." One of the first projects of the City Historians' Office is a school for artisans where ageing carpenters, plasterers, gardeners, stonemasons and iron workers are teaching youngsters the skills needed to rebuild Old Havana before they take their trade secrets with them to their graves. Reynando Rios, a carpenter with 50 years' experience, said: "Nothing could be more satisfying than seeing my students' work take shape all over the city." Without the attention to detail, schools and hospitals could have been built faster. The old people's homes could have been up and running by now. But Azalia Arias, from the Historians Office, said: "We're not just talking about buildings here. It's the human aspect that makes what we're doing so important." No one is saying how long Old Havana's restoration will take. That depends on how quickly the money can be raised. Much also depends on what happens politically in Cuba in the next few years and on how relations will develop with the US and the Cuban American community in Miami, only 150km away. What is certain, however, is that the residents of Old Havana, while they are seeing the quality of their lives improving, will have to live with the sound of cement mixers and tour guides for years to come.