A Sword for Dissidents who Want Improvements
but Without a Sword for analyzing Cuba’s defective government
By Benjamin Noria
HAVANA TIMES – I remember once reading a book that said that dictatorships become more repressive when they are in moments of crisis. Well, I can give you the TV show Con Filo, hosted by Michel Torres Corona and broadcast on Cubavision, as an example.
Don’t think of repression just as the picture or representation of the police’s physical violence against protestors in the street or dissidents in interrogation rooms, because the general and broader term of repression involves every act that the State or government body undertakes with the objective of neutralizing its opponents’ activity.
That said, the Government is behind Michel Torres Corona, just like they are behind Humberto Lopez and his program; and everybody knows that there is no freedom of press or speech in Cuba. It’s the Communist Party’s Ideological Department that decides what can and can’t be said on national television. There isn’t proof, nor is it a habit, nor is there any alternative private TV available to think that Michel is spontaneous with his speech or that he produced or created the show without being under government influence.
However, while it may not be clear in the case of these two individuals, I think we can say that over 50% of the Cuban diaspora population living in different countries across the world want political and economic changes in the country.
This can be seen in Facebook groups: Desmintiendo al NTV de Cuba, No más dictadura en Cuba, Cubita Now, DIARIO DE CUBA, Cántalo TV, Play-Off Magazine, 14ymedio, El Cambio Es Ya, Cuba Libre, Yo Voté No, Cuba Levántate, Despierta Cuba, Cuba Rostros de Represión, CubaDecide, ADN Cuba, Observatorio Cuba, as well as Archipiélago and a few more. I believe that so many voices can’t all be wrong.
Michel regularly uses sarcasm and irony to refer to people who are fighting for civic and political liberties for Cuba, and for progress and economic prosperity. The reality is that sometimes dissidents protest with a certain level of vulgarity and exaltation; not wanting to justify them though, the government’s constant lies, insane ideas, atrocities and embezzlement of public funds does lead to inevitable anger.
I don’t know what evidence Michel Torres Corona needs to understand that Communism-phobia will continue to grow and that there’s nothing that will stop it; I don’t know what proof he needs to understand that Communism has failed for good as an unfeasible ideology.
Why don’t they list the scientific principles of Communism that the Cuban government follows on Con Filo? Why don’t they list the bases that prove the government continues to implement the sustainable socialism that it has been trying to instate over 62 years of revolution. Why don’t they show the mistakes on this show that were made in implementing Communism in the country in the early years of the Revolution, such as the UMAP, forced labor camps where people were sent because they listened to banned music, because of the way they styled their hair or wore unauthorized clothes, or even for being a homosexual.
It couldn’t be more crystal clear, Con Filo (with a sword) for the dissidents who want improvements, but Sin Filo (without a sword) for analyzing Cuba’s defective government that wants to hold onto power no matter what.
Below is an example of the Con Filo show on Cuban TV_
Cunning little brother Raul Castro recognized that “Communism phobia” was on the rise, not only within Cuba, but in the world at large. That is exactly why he changed the words communist and communism in the Constitution of Cuba, to socialist and socialism thinking that doing so might fool people. Long prior to him doing so, Big Brother Fidel had declared that he saw no difference between communism and socialism and used the word “socialismo”, but taking great care not to mention democratic socialism. I found the use by Benjamin Noria of “The Communist Party’s Ideological Department” interesting. Is that synonymous with the Propaganda Department?