Ravaged face of old Havana gets make-up for summit

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 13 (Reuters) New Chinese traffic lights, anti-mosquito fumigation campaigns and half-finished paint jobs on crumbling houses reflect what many Cubans see as papering over the cracks of a dilapidated city to prepare for the Non-Aligned Summit.

Residents say there had not been such a cleanup since Pope John Paul's historic visit in 1998 drew the world's attention to a city center that once was one of the jewels of the Spanish colonial empire and is now one of Havana's most rundown areas.

For the first time in years, Communist authorities have painted white and yellow lines onto main roads to be used by dozens of visiting heads of states, finally giving the few Cubans who own cars a sense of what lane to drive in.

Another novelty, along 5th Avenue, the main thoroughfare: traffic lights imported from China. They show both colors and, on large electronic display boards, a digital count-down of time between signals.

Small potted trees have been planted along Havana's sea front promenade. Opposite, fresh paint glistens from some sides of crumbling houses while other walls remain untouched, showing up cracks and holes from decades of neglect.

Many Cubans see the preparations for the summit -- its official aim is to discuss the world's rich-poor divide -- with a mix of humor and cynicism given the massive problems facing a city that is home to a fifth of Cuba's population.

''This is all about the government just applying make-up to the city. ... It's all about entertaining the presidents. A lot of summit, summit, summit, and everything remains the same,'' said Miguel, a 66-year-old pensioner, who like many Cubans was nervous about giving his full name.

''Those leaders should know what country we live in,'' added Miguel, who glanced suspiciously around as he talked. He supplements a eight dollars a month pension by selling fruit and vegetables.

Many visitors see Havana as a time warp. Cars from the 1950s are common. There is no advertising, no neon lights and few restaurants or cafes.

Old Havana, a mix of colonial buildings, Art Deco gems and Mafia-built hotels from the prerevolutionary 1950s, was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1982 and is undergoing restoration work.

But work is confined to city blocks where tourists stroll.

In the rest of the historic center, overcrowded houses have almost no air-conditioning, running water is erratic and power shortages are part of daily life.

The government admits there is an acute housing shortage.

But those problems also come amid features that make Havana a standout in Latin America -- like the numerous well-dressed school children who are all vaccinated and enjoy full access to schooling and free medical care.

FUMIGATE THE PROBLEMS AWAY? Residents say that there has been an increased campaign to fumigate buildings and keep at bay mosquitoes that cause dengue during the summit amid reports of hundreds of cases.

''There are so many problems just a block from here,'' said one businessmen in Havana's tourist center. ''You name it.

Water, power shortages, potholes, dengue, crime''.

On a city thoroughfare there are two tunnels. One, for presidential motorcades, has been freshly painted. The second, used mainly by Cubans, is untouched.

''It's make-up what they've applied to the city and what they done to La Old Havana is a laugh,'' said one arts student, as she traveled through the darker and dirtier of the two tunnels.

REUTERS LL RN2354