Let’s Push Raul Castro into Reforming Cuba
Many self-proclaimed Cuba experts posited that Raul Castro would bring change to the island when he stepped in for his ailing brother. And we have seen some changes but to attribute them to Castro the younger would be factually incorrect. The types of changes I’m talking about are not being welcomed by Raul or his henchmen, but there’s little they can do to stop them.
Earlier this year a Cuban blogger named Yoani Sanchez was selected as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential list. Sanchez, who faces incredible hardships to post her writings on her blog because of the purposeful lack of Internet access on the island, also won Spain’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. She writes about the absurd nature of life in Castro’s Cuba with her beautifully descriptive prose.
Yoani’s case is one in a million. Her blogging activities fell through the cracks and didn’t appear on the radar of Cuba’s state security apparatus until the Wall Street Journal published an article about her, and by then it was too late for them to do anything about it. Today she’s probably the most famous Cuban that isn’t named Castro.
On Monday, August 24, a dissident punk rocker named Gorki Aguila was picked up by Cuban police for allegedly committing the Orwellian crime of “pre-criminal dangerousness.” Aguila, who fronts a band called Porno Para Ricardo, writes lyrics that are harshly critical of the regime.
To say that Gorki Aguila was well known before his arrest would be an overstatement. That’s because one of the major accomplishments of Castro’s revolution has been to keep the general public in the dark about Cuba’s dissident movement. Those of us who follow events on the island very closely did know of Aguila and admired him for his guts. After having already served time in a Cuban prison, Aguila never backed down. In fact, he only became more vocal, more direct in his criticisms, more punk.
When news of his arrest made its way out of Cuba and onto the Internet through the band’s official website something curious happened: an international support group emerged almost instantaneously. Ernesto Hernandez Busto, a Cuban intellectual who blogs from Spain posted an open letter to one of Cuba’s most famous performers, Pablo Milanés, who was to play a concert in Havana just three days after Gorki’s arrest. The letter asked Milanés, always a darling of the regime, to advocate on behalf of his fellow musician and was signed by many Cuban-born artists and intellectuals living in exile. Gorki Aguila’s arrest was reverberating around the world.
Gee, Hasn’t Henry Gomez forgotten there was a HURRICANE in Cuba this past few days?
People who really want to help Cuba want the US to make it possible for people from the United States to help Cubans to rebuild after the massive devastation caused by Hurricane Gustav.
Here’s just one example among many:
A PLEA TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL
by Dr. Alberto N. Jones September 3, 2008
Three days after hurricane Gustav hit Cuba, the news coming out of the western region are dramatic, devastating and urgent. Tens of thousands of people are without the most basic means of survival, while we, Cuban-Americans who proclaims to respect the Independence and Sovereignty of that nation, are submerged in an endless diatribe, while men, women and children suffer severe and unnecessary needs.
I am therefore making a profound appeal for unity to all men without social distinction, race, creed or sex, to unite our efforts, ignore past postures or antagonistic affiliations, by extending a helping and solidarity hand to our brothers that are suffering in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
No decision or action that we may assume, should have any discriminatory character, sectarian of preferential treatment, which would only aggravate the present tragic situation. Neither must we dilute ourselves attempting to invent the wheel or ice water.
For years, people of all ethnic groups and social stratifications in the United States and beyond, have supported the Caribbean American Children Foundation in our efforts to mitigate the material needs of our people. We learned to beg, accept donations, package, ship and verify its use.
Together, we can turn a child tears into a smile. Suffice to overcome our bashfulness, courage and dignity, for some of us to begin to collect material goods, others money, still others lending their shipping license and together, without names or divisive titles, let’s ship massive amounts of donations with no strings attached, to defenseless victims of these endless natural disasters.
Alberto Nelson Jones
Cacf2@aol.com September 3, 2008
There’s been a hurricane wreaking destruction on Cuba for almost 50 years now: Hurricane Castro.
Only one thing I can agree with: it’s better to focus on the suffering of the Cuban people than on our political differences with their government.
However, according to the political terms set by the Cuban government years ago, any opening of aid or trade with the United States signifies not merely a Cuban victory in the battle of wills, but our acceptance of the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban government as it exists today. Conferring such apparent legitimacy on that government would only give it more power to control its citizens and stifle their democratic freedoms. If there’s a way to help the Cuban people while completely bypassing Castro and his supporters, I’m sure the world would love to hear about it.
On that note, it appears that “Lipmann” is a pro-Castro fanatic (see his website) and Jones is at least an apologist despite his treatment by the Cuban legal system. I think sending either of them money would be a big, big mistake. Just send a few bucks to the Red Cross. Maybe some of it will somehow make it into the hands of genuine Cubans in need.
I’ve posted two videos of Gorki here:
http://rebelrebel.typepad.com/rebelrebel/
The first is a music video, the second a trailer for a documentary on dissident music in Cuba, with a great interview clip of Gorki.
It is worth mentioning some of the lyrics of Gorki. I am making a rough translation from Spanish:
I do not want to be like you, dear mother
you always sing the same old song
I do not want to be like you, comrade
you rise your hands and applaud all time
I do not want to be a blind king´s clown
I piss on your soup and I hit you
I can’t understand why the U.S. trades with China (communist), Vietnam (communist), and even North Korea (communist)but have a trade embargo against Cuba a country that every free nation on earth recognizes except the U.S. Are the politicians afraid of losing the vote in southern Florida. The United Nations condemns the embargo but the U.S. ignores the U.N.on this matter. Aren’t U.S. citizens upset that the government will not let them travel to Cuba whether they want to go there or not they should be upset at this. After all the U.S. is a free country, isn’t it.
Dan, first of all China today hardly qualifies as communist. But besides that your premise is flawed. We DID NOT trade with China for 30 years because they expropriated a couple of hundred million dollars in American assets. When they finally settled we opened up trade with them. Cuba expropriated $1.8 billion (the largest such expropriation in U.S. history). If you want to apply the China standard fine. When are the Castro brothers going to settle?
Secondly, since when is the U.N. the authority on what’s right? Please. Quit while you’re behind.
And lastly this post has nothing to do with the embargo. So why bring it up?
People and the US gov’t forgot that the best way to “control” another country is by trading with them! Just think about it. Commerce is a win-win situation. Goods are exchanged and the CIA can get their “dirty” work done. It’s been done many times. People have very short memories with History. If they have read it.
Henry what do you call a totalitarian government with an unelected governing body that abuses human rights, imprisons political prisoners and randomly shoots Tibetan protesters. I call it communist China. Now back to the blog England, Australia, Canada, Poland, Russia among a few have offered aid to hurricane victims in Cuba. Can the U.S. for this time of need forget their differences and help out, after all the U.S. is only 90mi. away
Dan,
China is certainly an authoritarian state but if you look at its economy, it’s not communist anymore. It’s really a fascist state. That doesn’t make the atrocities and human rights abuses any better but there is some privatization in the economy (much more than in Cuba). Communism is an ideology but at it’s root is an economic theory that China’s leaders have discarded.
As far as the U.S. lending humanitarian aid, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Fidel Castro why he doesn’t allow it in? The current policy of the U.S. does not prohibit humanitarian aid going there. It’s the regime that’s preventing it from getting there.