Monday, February 28, 2011

My Wish for Cuban Youth: Part 4

This post marks the fourth entry for the current Roots of Hope blog prompt: "My Wish for Cuban Youth."

A Future at Home

By Tomas Bilbao
www.CubaStudyGroup.org

In a recent documentary titled “Grandchildren of the Revolution,” which was filmed recently in Cuba, many young Cubans express their lack of faith in a future within the island. Of all the challenges Cuba faces, and there are certainly many of them, the loss of its most valuable resource, its youth, may be the most damaging. One cannot talk about the need for political freedom, economic progress or reconciliation without taking into account the role of Cuba’s youth. One need only look at the roll played by youth in processes of transformation around the globe, most recently in Egypt, to appreciate the vital role that it plays in determining the future of those nations.

It is no secret that a significant portion of Cuba’s youth, seeing no future for themselves or their children on the island, have taken to risking their lives in rafts in hopes of a better future elsewhere. This drain on Cuba’s talent, on its thirst for new and innovative thinking is leaving a generational void that has important political as well as economic consequences. For a country facing a deep economic crisis plagued by low productivity, the loss of its youngest workers represents a major challenge. In addition, as the country’s population ages due to low birth rates and the high emigration of youth, its need to finance social security commitments will no doubt represent a further drag on its economic performance. Additionally, there are important political consequences to the outflow of youth.

With thirty percent of Cuba’s population born since the special period that followed the end of Soviet subsidies, the country’s youth is perhaps better equipped than anyone to understand the failures of the system to provide opportunity as well as the consequences of the excessive restrictions on personal freedoms. While Cuban leaders boast about achievements in the country’s educational levels, thousands of graduates from Cuban universities every year find themselves unable to pursue their professional goals given the lack of jobs, low salaries and lack of access to information and the outside world. This disaffection is a necessary ingredient to transforming Cuba into a country that offers opportunity for all its citizens.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family...” This inherent and universal right is rooted in the understanding that the future of a country is intrinsically linked to the opportunities it offers its youth. Cuba is no different. Its future will depend on its ability to offer the “grandchildren of the Cuban revolution” a future where they can realize their dreams, provide for their families and help shape the direction of their country. My wish for Cuba’s youth in 2011 is a future at home, inside a Cuba that respects the individual talents of its youth, provides conditions for their growth and success, and the ability to shape their future of their children.

Tomas Bilbao is Executive Director of the Cuba Study Group in Washington.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

My Wish for Cuban Youth: Part 3

This post marks the third entry for the current Roots of Hope blog prompt: "My Wish for Cuban Youth."

Sueños cubanos, cambios internos

By Raciel Alonso

Una buena amiga mía, cubana y bienintencionada, para explicar la letargia que parece inundar la juventud de Cuba dijo que la pereza es algo natural, innato en la isla. Nunca he estado de acuerdo con esta afirmación que no es extraña a mis oídos y, para refutar definitivamente su convicción, tuve que pensarlo un poco.

Resulta bastante fácil, a veces, desde este lado del charco estrecho y profundo donde el mundo se entiende de otra manera, dictaminar sentencias que interpreten de una forma reduccionista los diversos factores que impulsan y fecundan el estado de parálisis en el cual se encuentran los jóvenes cubanos. Yo mismo, confieso ante los ojos impávidos del mundo, he sido víctima de la acumulación de frustración que lleva a semejantes conclusiones. Sin embargo, es preciso y necesario examinar cuidadosamente el contexto histórico-político de Cuba para empezar a comprender por qué las cosas son como son.

Lejos de ser una infausta herencia biológica de nuestra estirpe, el estancamiento que nota mi amiga (y que no niego, por cierto, sino intento anclar a la realidad más concretamente) se produce mediante una cantidad de factores culturales que serían demasiados para enumerar en este blog. Me limito entonces a identificar los tres que a mi modo de ver las cosas han contribuido más a la situación antes mencionada: más de tres siglos de colonialismo, cincuenta años de socialismo malinterpretado y un instinto de supervivencia irreprochable.

Lo primero y lo más alejado del mundo cotidiano son los casi cuatro siglos de colonialismo (económico, político, cultural, etc.) que no por ser parte de un pasado remoto dejan de repercutir hasta hoy en la isla. Dicho periodo fomenta, con la ayuda de una sociedad conscientemente tratando de homogenizarse, una hegemonía social que se encarga de atropellar cualquier manifestación de resistencia. Cuando el resto de Latinoamérica se rebela y no es ya posible contener el viento del cambio, el pueblo consigue su independencia en la dimensión política (quizás simbólica), pero la ideología colonial y su vasallaje económico-cultural perduran.

Cambiada la corona por el ídolo de la nación, no hay cambios más que superficiales. De ahí la Cuba en la cual hasta mi niñez (ya que salí de la isla a los diez años), a pesar de refugiar una población afro-cubana y mestiza mayoritaria, tener ascendencia española era de lo más chévere y todo el mundo sabía que “hay que mejorar la raza.”

Con la llegada del socialismo ocurren otros cambios en la superficie política de Cuba. En vez de ser todos iguales bajo el amparo de la ciudadanía, entonces todos eran miembros de una misma clase económica. Pero la realidad seguía siendo inequívoca: asimílate al sistema o te venceremos, “en la unión esta la fuerza” y cuidadito con llevarle la contraria al Fifo. Desnutrida por un doble embargo económico-informático, el primero impuesto desde afuera por los Estados Unidos y el segundo desde adentro por el hermetismo socialista, la disidencia en Cuba se fue apagando poquito a poco para ser reemplazada por la necesidad y un sueño alucinante.

La caída de la Unión Soviética y el abominable “periodo especial” consecuente terminan de domar el espíritu cubano bajo el yugo de la carencia. ¿Cuánta gente en realidad va a preocuparse de cambiar el sistema cuando no tienen leche para sus propios hijos? No dudo que exista, pero no la suficiente como para estallar la bomba. En cambio, la juventud cubana se contenta con soñar con el fabuloso viaje a la Yuma, volar lejos del hambre a dónde los apagones constituyen sólo malos recuerdos, o simplemente esperar que caiga del cielo la invasión americana que salvará instantáneamente al pueblo.

No les reprocho a mis hermanos cubanos este deseo; quizás yo en su lugar pecaría por lo mismo. Pero si se pudiera cumplir tan sólo uno de los míos sería que ellos despertaran de este ensueño. Que comprendieran que nada que valga la pena lograr se consigue sin esfuerzo. Que si verdaderamente quieren cambiar sus circunstancias miren hacia dentro. Que el cambio en Cuba no puede venir más que de ellos mismos y sí es posible y necesario y bello.

¡Abran los ojos y luchen por lo que es de ustedes!

A todos ustedes les dedico este poema, a todos mis hermanos, que siempre sigan soñando sin conformarse con lo dado, ni lo vivido, ni lo arrebatado...

La isla del encanto

Al otro lado del charco
se alza mi patria sonora,
al otro lado del charco
dentro de su tierra angosta.

Sobre una palma posada
luna de ensueño reposa
su delirio congelando
soldados entre sus botas.

Yerbabuena con el viento
menea sus carambolas
mientras dígitos tantean
las yemas de la amapola.

Hechizos y brujerías,
los naipes de la derrota,
en un humo verde olivo
abrasan todas las costas

y los caracoles bailan
su danza amenazadora
de corales y aguardiente
que apuntan hacia la aurora.

Pero la fiesta no es
no puede ser otra cosa
que un espejismo plateado
donde vuelan las alondras,

con manos por todos lados
y triste dolor de conga
en su inocencia de lirio
el hombre se vanagloria.

Se oye en las callejuelas
un frágil rumor de pólvora,
la flor de leve camino
trémula vive en la sombra.

En lo alto de la palma
la luna se desmorona.
Por el horizonte rompe
blanco danzar de palomas.


Raciel Alonso was born in Cuba and lived there until he was about ten years old. He received his Masters in Spanish Literature from the University of Florida last May. He is currently working on his Doctorate at the University of Kansas, concentrating on 20th Centruty Latin American Poetry.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

My Wish for Cuban Youth: Part 2

This post marks the second entry for the current Roots of Hope blog prompt: "My Wish for Cuban Youth."

A nosotros los cubanos nos gusta hablar... muchísimo. Chismeamos. Opinamos. Debatimos. Somos bullosos, exagerados y cuentistas - ¡una mezcla maravillosa! Sin embargo - a pesar de nuestro amor por la muela - desde hace más de cincuenta años las voces de quienes viven en Cuba han sido efectivamente calladas. Las opiniones, ilegales. Los debates, inexistente. El chisme, bueno… el chisme prospera.

Tan eficaz de hecho ha sido el sistema represivo, que cualquier cubano te dirá que después de vivir dentro de los límites de la censura totalitaria, uno mismo se empieza a reprimir. Siempre vigilante de quien esta escuchando, tu mismo pasas un filtro ideológico por tus pensamientos, constantemente preocupado por tu bienestar. La autocensura perfeccionada cortesía del régimen cubano.

Mi deseo es sencillo. Deseo que las olas de cambio lleguen a la orilla de La Habana y dejen al Malecón bien empapado. Deseo que los jóvenes de Cuba rompan el muro del miedo que los separa de un futuro sin limites. Deseo una Cuba donde los jóvenes puedan vocalizar sus aspiraciones, ser dueños de sus creencias y aprovechar todo su potencial.

David Casas was born and raised in Miami, Florida. With the help of many shots of Cuban coffee, David completed his university studies in international business and currently works in the financial services industry.

Friday, February 11, 2011

My Wish for Cuban Youth: Part 1

This post marks the launch of a series of themed entries on the Roots of Hope blog. The current prompt is "My Wish for Cuban Youth." Here is one response.

The People

By Miguel Cruz

I was asked to reflect on what my dream for Cuban youth was in 2011. Obvious ones such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to vote for representatives in their government came to mind. But I was stuck. Which one do I write about? What points to I bring up? How on earth do you even write a blog entry anyways? It’s not like I had to take an English course during my engineering degree (Okay, I did, but they couldn’t possibly have expected me to pay attention). The only thing I kept thinking about was the people.

Let’s think about it. Each morning, Cuban youth awake to a government that has stripped their country of the most basic human rights. There is no denying that. But then, without even knowing, a community around the world is consistently arguing about how inflict change in Cuba. Some say ‘Pa Cuba ni agua’, referring to their belief that until the repressive regime has left power, Cuba should not be assisted in any way. Others feel that reaching an untapped market of 13 million people that have been deprived of Starbucks, McDonalds, and Best Buy can help bring Cuba out of their modern day stone age. Who is correct? Neither? Both? Here is the real question.

What do the Cuban people think about all this?

No no, “This is what’s best for the Cuban people” does not answer my question. Who are we, as people living outside of Cuba, to determine how these people lives their lives? No matter what you say, shutting them out of the outside world or force feeding them western culture is determining how they live their lives. Fundamentally, all human rights abuses aside, what difference is it from what they currently have?

Let’s look ahead into a Cuban democracy. What if a Socialist Workers Party, like the one currently in power in Spain (a democracy), is elected to run the national government? What if abortions are banned by law after a nationwide vote? What if their commerce department only allows wholesale businesses to enter Cuba, allowing Cubans to develop their own fast food chains and electronic companies, rather than importing them. Would we be able to respect these choices that they themselves made?

Unfortunately, that vote will not happen today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find out what they are thinking.

Find a way to contact a group of Cuban youth. Ask one question “If you had the freedom to do whatever you put your mind to, what would you want to do with your life?” Don’t be shocked by their silence. Chances are they have never been asked to talk about this openly before. Just wait. Listen. Someone will speak up. I promise. It’s been their dream to talk about it for a long time.

Miguel Cruz moved to Dallas, TX from Cuba when he was 2 years old. After studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, he now resides in Ft. Worth, TX.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Cell Phones for Cuba in the News

Felice Gorordo making the case for connectivity!

http://www.justnews.com/video/26781716/index.html

Why EGYPT matters in CUBA



There are many questions left to be answered in Egypt except one: What made this call for democracy possible?

TECHNOLOGY

During the uprising, the Egyptian government tried to shut down the internet 5 different times. Repressive governments do all they can to control every means of communication available to the people because information is power. As the recent leaked Cuban Security video attests, they have no way of controlling all the ways in which we connect in the 21st century. And why should they? Connectivity is a HUMAN RIGHT.

YOU can be directly responsible for bringing a Cuban citizen into the 21st Century. By donating your old cell phones to our CELL PHONES FOR CUBA campaign, you will be connecting one alienated Cuban at a time to the possibilities of self determination.


Please donate your old cell phone to us. For information on how to do it go to http://www.cells4cuba.org/