Sociolismo ("partner-ism"), also known asamiguismo ("friend-ism"), is the informal term used inCuba to describe the reciprocal exchange of favors by individuals, usually relating to circumventing bureaucratic restrictions or obtaining hard-to-find goods.
It comes from the Spanish wordsocio which means business partner or buddy, and is apun on theofficial government policy ofsocialismo (socialism). It is analogous to theblat of the Soviet Union or the termcombina inIsrael.[1] It is a form ofcorruption in Cuba.[2]
The term is particularly associated with theblack market economy, and perceivedcronyism in Cuba's state controlledcommand economy.Socios can be black market operators who "facilitate" (steal) goods that are officially reserved for the state. They can also get someone a job or obtain paperwork.
The system is used by anyone who needs to send an e-mail or print a resume but does not have a computer, or needs paint or cement but has no access to an Office Store or Home Improvement Store. Gary Marx,[3] theChicago Tribune'sHavana correspondent, reports the system works this way: Cubans send out signals they need something, make telephone calls and visit neighbors and friends to find the right person who can get things in motion.
Few people own cars and the buses, orcamellos, are slow and overcrowded; many Cubans spend hours each day arranging rides to get to work, school or accomplish a task.[3] People often must reach out and secure what they needpor fuera ("through the outside") orpor la izquierda ("through the left"), slang terms that mean "outside the official system".
The system has different levels and obligations. Friends, neighbors and relatives do favors for each otherwithout expecting anything in return. But with lesser-known acquaintances,exchange is more normal for such things as shampoo, a piece of chicken, fruit, or cash.[3]
Sometimes the favors extend to hundreds of people. Employees of a state company inPinar del Río were given special treatment at a local hospital in exchange for paper, pens and other scarce materials and services.[3]
"Sociolismo" lets any person with control over some resource exchange access to the resource for some current or future personal material benefit. Complex networks of reciprocal obligations thus became an important part of the functioning of the Cuban economy.
Daily life involves maintaining the personal relationships necessary to ensure access to necessary goods and services, through unofficial channels, or through official channels but by unofficial means. Though the term became prominent during the economic downturn known as theSpecial Period in Cuba, usage has continued into the mid-2000s.[4]
Aspects of Cuban sociolismo were exported to the United States via Cuban immigrants, who relied on friends and relatives in their new country for help in finding jobs, since they were not able to verify their skills or employment in Cuba. This was particularly prevalent in the largestCuban-American community, in Florida.[5]
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