Amidst the collapse of the Soviet bloc between 1989-1993, the Cuban state shocked the world (and perhaps its own citizens the most) by announcing the legalization of neoliberal-style investment between agencies of the Cuban government and foreign companies. ETECSA, a Cuban-Mexican effort to modernize the communications grid, was one of the first and most visible joint venture projects. It seemed particularly ironic to average Cubans because the confiscation of utilities like the telephone system and the electrical grid from foreign-owned companies was still remembered as a lasting, nationalist achievement by the first revolutionary government of 1959. Soon, however, ETECSA’s less than sparkling performance in the 1990s made it the butt of island jokes. Its acronym, said Cubans, stood for Estamos Tratando de Establecer Comunicaciones Sin Apuro [We Are Trying to Establish Communications Without Rush]. Santiago de Cuba, 2016
