mistressjaime

Hi, my husband and I are going to Cuba for religious reasons. We are visiting a group that practices and studies our denomination's beliefs. She said they are not allowed to have a church in Cuba. They requested us to bring up to date books..are these ok to take there? Will we have any problems from the government? They are new thought Christian books...authors like Eric Butterworth, Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, etc.

VidaNaPraia

Are you a religious fanatic so blinded by your own beliefs or simply naive, even thinking of smuggling, into a country with which the US does not have normalized relations, material that could be thought of as subversive and possibly banned propaganda, to a group that states to you that their government considers them illegal?
You would be putting yourself, and more probably this group, at risk IMO.
And the US should not waste further political capital bailing any more independently acting Alan Gross clones out of Cuban prison.

Wanna help Cubans? Spend dollars, lots of dollars, and maybe bring a bag of often hard to find OTC medicine/medical supplies. Maybe the group can use them to bring into the fold folks who need those supplies, or more likely sell them to fund their activities.

Have a lovely trip.

mistressjaime

Actually VidaNaPraia we are not religious fanatics at all. We practice positive spirituality. We called the group in Cuba to find out what they wanted us to bring, and they requested these books. I just wanted to confirm that they were not illegal, as I am not sure how the Cuban government views religion. I don't see any reason why they would be, it's just on positive thinking and Christianity-nothing subversive. I have no intention to smuggle anything-I planned on fully disclosing everything I wanted to take into the country. But I don't want to take a bunch of dollar store junk-I would prefer to give what people are requesting. Medical supplies are a great option, thank you for the suggestion. Blessings!

Doc Savage

I really doubt that taking a reasonable number of non-pornographic non-political books into Cuba "for your own reading" will cause any raised eyebrows.

VidaNaPraia

The group itself has told you their government considers them illegal.
Isn't it more than a bit ingenuous to then say you don't know how th Cuban government views them?


IMO if you reveal to Aduana the complete details of what you wrote above, you'll be on the next flight home, if you're lucky.
As do savage said, one copy each of "a few books for personal reading on your vacation" would probably not provoke a search. A carton of multiples might..
However, IMO you are being used as a pawn by people quite used to manipulating people in the system they grew up in.

Cubans, except maybe the very poorest whom you are unlikely to meet even through this group, do not need "dollar store junk". I recently read a comment that Americans giving dollar store items to Cubans is like oil sheiks visiting in NYC giving Lamboghinis to Americans because only the deprived drive a Ford.
As mentioned, the best thing to support Cubans is to spend dollars freely. Those in contact with foreign tourists help family with their earnings.

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Just out of curiosity, docsavage, how many trips to Cuba have you made? I'm looking for travel tips.

djjaguar64

There are 2 religions in Cuba Catholicism & Santeria! You remember the American guy who brought in electronic equipment and was arrested.

VidaNaPraia

It's lucumi, more correctly, actually.

Arrested. Convicted. Imprisoned.
Cost the US quite a bit politically/diplomatically to get him back.
Clearly the OP is too naive to believe this could happen to her or too blinded by her need to spread her religious beliefs.

I think it's natural for some Americans to want to "do good", when going to a place that is perceived as poor/deprived, but they do not fully understand the larger political situation they are sticking their fingers into.

VidaNaPraia

An article about religion in Cuba, for reference:
http://www.csw.org.uk/our_work_profile_cuba.htm

djjaguar64

Santeria rules, 80% ^

djjaguar64

http://www.upi.com/Canada-looks-for-.../?spt=slh&or=5

VidaNaPraia

Apparently Pearson and Diefenbaker were not the "bad guys" that Kennedy (and Nixon as VP) was thought to be by many Cubans.