Cuba: Struggling to make ends meet

Oppress man, man must live. Exploit man, man must live. Do what you want, man must live, says Black Stalin.

Roberto Cantalapiedra, 40, for example, who says he used to earn 162 pesos a month as a mason with the government's building and maintenance company in the Isle of Youth, had to quit his job to be able to earn enough to support his 12- and 14-year-old sons. "Now I freelance doing masonry, electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, and welding. I feel better and I make enough to support my family."

Emilio Zaldívar delivers and installs liquefied natural gas tanks for his neighbors on his Chinese-made bicycle. When times are slow, he also refills their 55-gallon tanks of drinking water, charging 5 pesos for his services.