MICROBRIGADAS IN CUBA - A COLLECTIVE FORM OF SELF-HELP HOUSING

The Microbrigada movement in Cuba shows an innovative and efficient approach in relieving the housing problem of a country in the developing world in the special context of socialist development. It can be characterized as a form of collective self-help, whereby a certain number of workers from a factory or from an office are set free from their regular duties in order to build houses for themselves and their colleagues. After a boom period in the 1970's, when over 80,000 dwellings had been built by the microbrigades, there was a decline of the movement after 1979, as the formation of state brigades and the introduction of industrialized building methods were thought to be a more efficient means to produce mass housing. However, this expectation did not materialize for a number of reasons, which lead to a review of the current housing policy, and the merits of the microbrigades were reconsidered. After a speech of Fidel Castro in mid 1986, when he suggested the revival of the movement, more and more workers joined Microbrigades, which today have a labour force stronger than any time before. Also new variations of the Microbrigade concept have evolved, like the 'Microbrigadas Puras' or the 'Microbrigadas Sociales' with a strong community base. It looks as if microbrigade movement will remain an important feature within the Cuban housing policy for many years to come. In spite of the obvious success of the movement, the model of the microbrigades is designed to suit the Cuban social context and cannot be easily transferred into another society, particularly where other basic needs, like health care, education, and food represent mayor problems and housing is attributed a lower priority. However, certain isolated aspects of the microbrigade movement might prove attractive even in advanced capitalist societies, like the one of swapping your regular job for a different occupation during a year or two