Haroldo Dilla

I must confess that I read Periodismo de Barrio less than I should, even though my daughter tells me off more and more for not doing so. However, from what I have read, I can claim that it is one of the most interesting intellectual and media projects that have ever been carried out in Cuba.

Laritza Diversent is the director of CUBALEX, a non-governmental agency that is committed to providing free legal services to Cubans. She is a young professional who speaks softly and has well-defined ideas, such as those that lawyers use when they file a lawsuit.

Fernando Ravsberg escapes labels, which always attracts attention; however, it isn’t exactly a virtue. For example, in his views on Cuban society, he has picked on the evident signs of unrest without ever focusing on the opposition’s noisy protests, or how they are repressed.

Haroldo Dilla: “I ask myself, is it reasonable that honest and decent people get involved in publicity shows in support of the Cuban government? Of course, I don’t think it is, and here are my reasons…”

I have two pieces of news laying in front of me. One is about the situation of Cubans now in Ecuador. The other is the image of Colonel Idael Fumero saying that secret investments are being made by Cuban emigres in private initiatives on the island.

The Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU) is without a doubt the Cuban opposition organization with the most extensive membership and the most intense activism. Especially strong in the Eastern tip of the country, its activities have become part of the political landscape in Santiago de Cuba and other southeastern Cuban cities. Despite this, it has little visibility. I believe there are two reasons why.

People in Cuba emigrate because they have no prospects in a country with a devastated economy, an authoritarian system of government and highly limited options in terms of personal realization. Cubans not only live poorly, they can’t complain about it and are unable to picture a brighter future. They are also terribly bored.

The defeat suffered by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) isn’t simply an electoral catastrophe. It is, first and foremost, another pivotal moment of the decline of the Chavista project.

The drama Cubans are going through in Central America is a multifaceted issue that cannot be summed up with a simple explanation. I won’t attempt to offer an exhaustive explanation here and limit myself to highlighting what I consider to be the most shameful aspect of this situation: the complicity of the Cuban government and those who remain silent about the incident.

If I were to say the most dynamic part of Cuban society lives, not on the island, but across the world (particularly South Florida), I wouldn’t be saying anything new. This is true economically and demographically but it is also true culturally and intellectually.