HERIBERTO SEDENO RETURNS TO HAVANA, CUBA AFTER ALMOST 50 YEARS IN U.S.A. EXILE

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HERIBERTO SEDENO RETURNS TO HAVANA, CUBA AFTER
ALMOST 50 YEARS IN U.S.A. EXILE
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Heriberto Sedeno left Havana, Cuba on October 2,
1962. He arrived in Miami, Florida as an
unaccompanied Cuban child he was 16 years old at
the time. He was one of over 14,000
unaccompanied Cuban children who arrived to the
US between 1960-1962 under the auspices of the
Pedro Pan program. This program functioned under
the umbrella of the Cuban Refugee Program at the
time, the most comprehensive program devised in
the US to meet the needs of incoming refugees.
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Shortly after Mr. Sedenos arrival to Camp
Matecumbe in the outskirts of Miami, the Cuban
Missile Crisis ensued on October 22, 1962. This
crisis part of the Cold War cut off the daily
flights from Havana to Miami thus stopping the
arrival of children to the US. It established a
US blockade to Cuba and subsequent economic
embargo, which after 50 years is still in place.
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Heriberto Sedeno returned to Cuba on March 5,
2010 for a 17-day reunion with his cousins, the
only remaining members of his family living in
Havana with their families. His visit was made
possible by a relaxation of the US Department
guidelines, instituted by President Barack Obama,
to allow Cuban born US citizens to visit their
relatives in Cuba.
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Upon his arrival to Jose Marti airport in Havana,
Mr. Sedeno was greeted by his cousins who after
almost 50 years of separation started to
reconnect family ties. It was a very emotional
encounter seeing that his beloved Havana had
suffered the effects of the Castro Marxist
hardline communist rule. This was evident by the
demise of the 1959s standard of infrastructure
with unpaved road, decayed buildings, frequent
water and electricity stoppage and little means
of transportation. The basic food needs were
still rationed, the people earning less than 1 a
day to meet their basic needs. While medical
help is free, there is very little supply of
medicines. Education is free, but there are no
jobs after graduation.
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The Castro regime in order to get needed dollars
has maintained a small area around the Old
Havana for the enjoyment of visitors. Mr.
Sedeno toured familiar sites from his childhood,
such as El Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro
in the harbor entrance built between 1589 and
1630 to defend the city against pirates and enemy
fleet. By the side of the Morro, he visited the
fortress of San Carlos de la Cabana built in mid
18th century, which was the headquarters of Che
Guevara in the early days of Castro revolution in
1959. The Havana Cathedral, which is the only
example of a Baroque façade designed with
asymmetrical features --one of the towers is
wider than the other. It is officially named La
Catedral de la Virgen Maria de la Concepcion
Inmaculada de La Habana finished in mid 18th
century.
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Mr. Sedeno, nostalgic trip to Havana where he
left almost 50 years at the Jose Marti airport of
Havana ended March 22, 2012 but this time as an
American citizen proud to come back to America
his adoptive homeland.