Carter in Spanish

By Manuel Alberto Ramy

After touring the restored buildings of the 18th-Century Convent of Belén in Old Havana, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made a few statements to the journalists who have not ceased to follow him.

Perhaps influenced by the language spoken in the venerable halls, now devoted to assisting the community that lives in the area, the visitor spoke in Spanish.

What did he say?

Here goes:

“Estoy aquí para visitar al pueblo cubano, a las autoridades, los jefes del gobierno y los ciudadanos. Es un placer para nosotros poder volver a La Habana y que se puedan mejorar las relaciones entre los dos países”.

[“I am here to visit the Cuban people, the authorities, the heads of government and the citizens. It is a pleasure for us to be able to return to Havana, and may the relations between the two countries improve.”]

And what about Alan Gross?

“Hemos hablado [con] algunos oficiales del caso del Sr. Gross. No estoy aquí para sacar [a] él del país.”

[“We have talked (with) some officials about Mr. Gross’ case. I am not here to remove him from the country.”]

I think a good politician knows what ideas to express in any language. Mr. Carter doesn’t go off course, least of all in this convent, which, in the 19th Century, housed the island of Cuba’s very first weather observatory and forecasting station.

It is obvious that Mr. Carter didn’t come here “to remove” Mr. Gross, but we can speculate that he came, among other genuine reasons, as an observer and promoter of HOW to achieve his release, thus not only solving a human problem but also breaking the trend toward a greater distancing between Washington and Havana.