Conned in Cuba: The process of being had by a jinetero

The phenomena of jineteros, Cuban con artists, and why they exist in Cuba.

"Hey lady! Where you from???"
"Hi friend. Can I help you?"

The bits and pieces of pigeon English rattle through the streets and into the ears of many tourists in Havana -or any other part of Cuba for that matter.

It's been 50 years since Cuba had its socialist revolution, and the country remains just as complex, complicated, and curious to all of those people who visit it. But if there are a few things that the Revolution has produced, it is good health care, good education, and a whole generation of street hustlers.

They are called jineteros (jineteras if they're women), and they live not to work. Pronounced he-net-ter-o, to tourists they seem like a new Cuban friend, but they really have their sights set on your wallet—and more importantly what is in it.

There is not much money going around Cuba. The average Cuban salary is about $20 US a month (about €14), but, because it is a communist system, there is no chance of getting a pay raise -even to $21. Everyone remains equal -or so they say.

The US embargo is part of the reason to blame for the unique phenomena of the street hustling jineteros that look to charm you out of your money. The country has been left in the dark and cut out of US trading circles for nearly half a century. The US Treasury just announced that it would easereflect restrictions on travel and money transfers to Cuba, and it is to be hoped that it will on the Cuban economy. But in the meantime, the current credit crunch is hitting Cuba just as hard as the rest of the world.

The only new money coming into Cuba comes in the tourists' pockets and for many young Cubans, the sight of a tourist equals easy money..

Some jineteros take it even further than just charming tourists out of a few hundred Euros. Some go as far as to "fall in love" with foreigners , who then send them money from abroad, and, in some cases, even marry them so they can get a visa and get out of Cuba.

In one case that was heard through the radio bemba (Cuban slang for the grapevine), a German man fell in love with a Cuban woman. Shortly after he went back to Germany, his inbox was flooded with e-mails from his Cuban love saying that she was pregnant. Money was needed for diapers, clothes, and everything else that a new extra mouth needs. Of course, the man didn’t hesitate to send money to the woman and his future child. Eight months later, he showed up in Cuba to surprise his love -only to be greeted at her front door by his Cuban lover, her flat stomach, and her new boyfriend.

But it is hard to blame many young Cubans who simply want to buy the latest pair of Pumas, which their monthly salary will never make possible, and It is easy to understand why being a jinetero is such a popular non-profession-profession in Cuba: why work hard and make $20 a month, when you can not work and make $300 from scrounging off tourists?

So for tourists who plan on making a trip to what some call the Mecca of Latin America, keep the smile on your face but you hand on your wallet.

By sheena

En escroquant les touristes, les jineteros de Cuba peuvent gagner jusqu'à vingt-cinq fois le salaire mensuel cubain. Un choix très vite fait. (A écouter en V.O. (cliquez sur le fichier MP3) à la fin de l'article. A noter également qu’en passant votre souris sur les mots en italique, ces derniers apparaissent traduits en surimpression.

Article publié en partenariat avec MyCow.eu