Marc7
Aug 7th, 2005, 12:16 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4749591.stm
wedding is a big occasion in any society, but in Cuba it can also be big business. Many Cuban women see a foreign husband as a ticket out of the country - a passport, possibly, to new prosperity.
The other day I bumped into a Cuban friend of mine in a shoe shop in Havana. She was buying a pair of white slippers.
"They're for my wedding," she told me. I was surprised. I had no idea that she had any wedding plans.
"Who are you getting married to?" I asked.
"A Mexican," she replied.
"When did you meet him?" I wondered.
"I haven't yet," she said.
It turned out my friend was taking part in what is a small, but booming market in Cuba - the purchase of foreign husbands. Usually arranged through intermediaries, many Cuban women consider it by far the best way to leave this country.
But it is not cheap. My friend paid $5,000 for her Mexican groom. That, I am told, is also the going rate for American, Canadian, and European husbands.
A Costa Rican man can apparently be persuaded to tie the knot for around $2,000. Peruvian men, for some reason, are currently particularly good value. Just $800 will secure one.
wedding is a big occasion in any society, but in Cuba it can also be big business. Many Cuban women see a foreign husband as a ticket out of the country - a passport, possibly, to new prosperity.
The other day I bumped into a Cuban friend of mine in a shoe shop in Havana. She was buying a pair of white slippers.
"They're for my wedding," she told me. I was surprised. I had no idea that she had any wedding plans.
"Who are you getting married to?" I asked.
"A Mexican," she replied.
"When did you meet him?" I wondered.
"I haven't yet," she said.
It turned out my friend was taking part in what is a small, but booming market in Cuba - the purchase of foreign husbands. Usually arranged through intermediaries, many Cuban women consider it by far the best way to leave this country.
But it is not cheap. My friend paid $5,000 for her Mexican groom. That, I am told, is also the going rate for American, Canadian, and European husbands.
A Costa Rican man can apparently be persuaded to tie the knot for around $2,000. Peruvian men, for some reason, are currently particularly good value. Just $800 will secure one.