Saturday 10 December 2016

Aleeda Rodriguez Pedrasa,

the guardian of the glasses,


she has arguably one of the most unique and unusual jobs in the world, she has to guard John Lennon's glasses from holiday makers who want their picture taken with him in John Lennon Park in Havana, Cuba, she is paid by the Cuban federal government to make certain that the statue of John Lennon in Havana has a pair of eyeglasses on when holidaymakers appear to take a picture of themselves with the statue, in 1964 Fidel Castro declared a ban on Beatles’ music in Cuba, as section of his all-out war against capitalism, but the band was so well known that people smuggled copies of their records into the island, but when John Lennon became an outspoken political dissident, criticising the United States for its involvement in overseas affairs, Castro openly embraced him, and in the year 2000, on the 20th anniversary of Lennon’s death on December 8th, he even unveiled a bronze statue of the legendary musician, in the Havana park that bears his name, 

and then the problems started, his glasses continually went missing, enter Aleeda Rodriguez Pedrasa, who for 245 Cuban pesos a month, (at today's rate £7.35 or $9.25), more than what many other Cubans make, looks after the glasses, what a strange and unusual job.


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