Twitter in Cuba

When the internet allows us to hear from people within Cuba about their reality, that reality, not surprisingly, continues to bear little resemblance to the jingoistic, mind-numbing official version put out by Granma and other government-controlled media. One such window into Cuba is Yoani Sanchez ( @yoanisanchez ). Her work has been published in her blog GeneracionY and carried outside Cuba by a number of publications, including the Washington Post (that is her latest piece, on Hugo Chavez's illness and its political significance).

This past July 1, 2011, Twitter users in Cuba met for the first time in Havana. The meeting was organized by Leunam Rodriguez, who works for a government-controlled radio station (that is redundant because all media is government-controlled in Cuba, but I want to make sure the point is obvious). Some independent Twitter users such as Mario ( @maritovoz ) traveled literally half-way across the island to be there, in Mario's case from Villa Clara province, not a small feat in a country in which traveling any sort of distance is extremely difficult.

When Mario got to the gathering, there was some confusion. The meeting was supposed to have taken place at a Havana pizzeria. When Mario got there, there were few Cuban twitter users around. He was interviewed by the foreign press who were there to cover the event, all more or less confused as to whether the event was taking place at all or if it had been cancelled by official edict. Eventually it was discovered that the meeting had been moved at the last minute to a government-provided pavilion, lest there be any confusion as to who was in control of the proceedings.

Mario made it to the officially-sanctioned pavilion, only to be disgusted by what he found. "What I found in the Pavilion, "he tweeted shortly thereafter, "has little to do with the freedom of Twitter and much to do with the prison that is Cuba." Yoani Sanchez was not impressed either. With her usual crystal-clear understanding of official Cuba's methods, she stated the meeting had been kidnapped by officialdom and declined to participate.

What happened here is clear. This meeting was organized by a state media employee, who was probably well-intentioned but who forgot that in Cuba everything is political and that the government will not allow even the smallest hint that it is not fully in control. Thus, he made a tactical mistake when he arranged for a "non-government" space in which to have the meeting. At the last minute, the government exercised its control, as it does on a daily basis in all facets of Cuban life, and transferred the venue to a location with an official imprimatur attached lest there be any doubt as to who is in charge in Cuba.

What is different, of course, is that a few years back none of us would have been able to hear the dissenting voices so easily and so quickly. Simply being able to express a different opinion from the government line is monumental, and having others be able to hear that opinion is a victory. That is precisely what the Cuban government has been trying to prevent for the past 50 years through its monopoly on information and communication.

Commenting on the event, Ted Henken, a professor of sociology and Latin American studies at Baruch College in New York, just about nailed it: "I think Twitter is political even when it's not political," he said. "The (Cuban) system is very monolithic; therefore even if you use Twitter to promote a sewing circle ... it's political because it is unfiltered."

When I first read about the meeting, I looked up some of the people involved by their Twitter names. To my disappointment, the first few were doing little more than providing links to official Cuban media stories and (a dead giveaway as to affiliation) sending warm wishes to Hugo Chavez on his recovery.

But then I started to read Mario's tweets and I knew that, like Yoani Sanchez, here was the real thing. Here was someone inside Cuba willing to speak his mind and state his truth and refusing to play along with the government. That takes courage when you live in a country with an all-pervasive security apparatus and no due process rights. Tomorrow, he and Yoani Sanchez and others like them could be accused of almost anything and be put in jail for 2, 5, 10 years without anything resembling a fair trial. Just like that. And they know it. And they still go on speaking their mind. That blows me away. I wish under similar circumstances I would have that courage, but I don't know if I would. I really don't know.

Which goes to show you that while technology may have great potential, it is what some people have the courage to do with it that counts.

Source

the times, they are-a-changing

i nearly passed out when i read this, but it appears the Cuban National Foundation (the most visible and arguably most influential Cuban-American organization in the US, and slightly to the right of Rush Limbaugh and Curtis LeMay) thinks maybe after 50 years maybe it might be maybe time to try something maybe new, maybe:

“For 50 years we have been trying to change the Cuban government, the Cuban regime,” said the foundation’s president, Francisco J. Hernandez, a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. “At the present time, what we have to do is change the emphasis to the Cuban people — because they are going to be the ones who change things in Cuba.”

In a reversal from the group’s founding principles, he said American policy should focus not on sanctions but on proactive policies that direct resources to the island. "

Source

Obama's Move: Part II

word is that the Obama administration is planning to abolish limits on family travel and cash remittances between the United States and Cuba. Source.

that would mean that after rolling Bush's restrictions on family travel to Cuba just three weeks ago, Obama is going further: no restrictions for family travel at all.

but that does create two classes of Americans: those who can travel to Cuba and those who can't.

i certainly hope Obama takes the next logical step and remove all impediments for any American to travel to Cuba.

Obama rolls back Bush restrictions on Cuba

as part of the $410 billion budget Obama signed today, several provisions essentially roll back limits imposed by Bush on travel and business with Cuba.

first, restrictions on travel to Cuba by US residents with relatives in Cuba have been eased. Cuban-Americans can now travel to Cuba once a year (instead of once every three years under Bush.) also, the two-week maximum duration of their stay has been lifted.

second, the definition of "relative" has been broadened to include uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces, meaning more Cuban-Americans will be able to travel to Cuba than under the more restrictive definition used by Bush (only parents, grandparents, children and siblings counted as relatives).

third, US residents traveling to Cuba will be able to spend more dollars there (up to $179.00 per day).

and fourth, the policy of expecting Cuba to pay for agricultural and medical goods in the US before the cargo was loaded onto ships headed for Cuba has been ended. instead, the pre-Bush policy where payment was expected when the goods reached Cuba is back in effect (this is the method favored by U.S. farmers and exporters because it makes trade easier).

US Citizens still have great limitations on their ability to go to Cuba and spend US dollars there.

one hopes this is the beginning of the end for such restrictions. however, there is opposition to any such moves in Congress.

initially, the relatively small changes made prompted two Democrat senators, Bill Nelson of Florida and Bob Menendez of New Jersey, to consider opposing the spending bill. tight oversight of the changes was promised in exchange for their votes. both senators ultimately backed the bill.

meet the younger boss, same as the older boss

so ... after a year in power and having done very little in the way of real change, King Raul fires two of the most prominent Cuban leaders, changes others around, consolidates some ministries, and basically shows he's in charge. top Cuban government figures falling in disgrace? been there, done that. only the names are different. well, not really (more on that later).

the two biggest leaders to be fired were Carlos Lage (Vice President of the Council of State, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party, and Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers) and Felipe Perez Roque (Minister of Foreign Affairs, the youngest member of the Council of State, and the only Council member born after the Cuban Revolution in 1959).

to my surprise, Wayne Smith (probably the most experienced Cuban expert alive) said he was surprised by King Raul's move. ("“He certainly surprised me,” said Mr. Smith, now the director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington. “I’m certainly watching and waiting with interest.”) Source.

surprised? really? this same thing has been done by the Castro Brothers over and over again (Big Brother usually being the active party). Anyone remember the Ochoa trial and the subsequent political bloodbath at the Ministry of the Interior? Or more recently, the firing of the Education Minister, Luis Ignacio Gomez Gutierrez?

the reason for such punishment has always been the same: less than 100% acquiescence with the real power in Cuba: King Fidel (Allegedly Retired).

King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) admits he was consulted prior to the decision, not because of any obligation for anyone to do it, of course, but because that's how true revolutionaries behave (his words). To be a true revolutionary, one must consult King Fidel (even if Allegedly Retired). This obligation, one must conclude, includes King Raul (Recently Crowned). Not to do so is to be a false revolutionary, and thus to be subject to reprisal.

the reprisal follows an old, familiar pattern:

1. summary firing;
2. public disgrace as the fired leader is exposed as corrupt/weak/immoral or all the above
3. quiet acquiescence by the fired leader and admission of guilt

this time it was no different. two of the longest-serving members of the ruling clique were fired. King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) wrote an editorial stating that they had allowed the "honey of power obtained without any sacrifice [to] aw[ake] in them ambitions which led them to play a shameful role." Source. the two men then wrote letters admitting to mistakes and resigning all their posts.

this has been King Fidel (Allegedly Retired)'s playbook for 50 years. and he's still at it.

any attempt to interpret this move solely in light of a move by the Castro brothers to (a) facilitate change in Cuba or (b) facilitate change in Cuba-US relations is missing the big picture. The Castro Brothers brought out their trademark character assassination tools. the reason is simple: fear of internal challenge, whether real or perceived.

so, what led to this? based on the past, the only possible answer is that Lage and Perez Roque fell out of favor with Raul because they must have disagreed with him on a series of issues and voiced their views (most likely regarding the direction of the Cuban Revolution).

less than fully loyal, and potential rivals for power, they had to be sidelined because to fall out of favor with Raul Castro is to fall out of favor with the power behind Raul, the real power in Cuba, and the one who still matters: Fidel Castro.

will an Obama victory signify the end of the embargo?

by itself, not likely ... but

(yes, there's a but)

with the House and the Senate firmly in Democrat hands, it is very possible (indeed, likely) that the 50-year-old embargo may come to an end

and it's about time

why?

because the US has been stuck on a policy that has not worked for fifty years. maybe it's time to try something else? heck, it can't fail any more miserably than the embargo.

Cuba in the Olympics

if you haven't been following the Olympic baseball games, Cuba has now won four in a row (against Japan, Canada, the US and Taiwan). so far, Cuba has won 8 medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).

there is no doubt Cuba's athletic programs are, for a nation its size, world-class. consider that Cuba's population is only 11.5 million, compared with medal leaders U.S. (304. 8 million) and China (1.3 billion -- that's billion with a "b").

i'm not here to point out that Cuba's baseball team is really a professional team. the players are paid to play, though not much. they don't have to hold other jobs, nor are they college students. they are full-time baseball players, and spend much of the year playing in the national league.

no matter. these days, professionals are allowed to play in the Olympics (in basketball, for example).

no. i am here to point out a claim King Fidel (Retired) made a few weeks ago. trying to refute the allegations of human right abuses in Cuba, Castro pointed to Cuba's success in sports and answered a rhetorical question: a country can't have great success in international sports and at the same time systematically violate human rights.

i'll say it again. King Fidel stated that a country can't have great success in sports and at the same time systematically violate human rights.

one only wishes.

as a response, i would like to point to the great Olympic success of, amongst others, East Germany and the Soviet Union. both nations achieved superlative medal counts while engaging in unmitigated human right abuses and suppressing the most basic freedoms.

and how about Chauchesku's Romania? Nadia Comaneci indeed was a one-of-a-kind gymnast. Alas, she came from a country where many people were arbitrarily killed or imprisoned for political (and some times for no apparent) reasons; a country responsible for hundreds of thousands of abuses, deaths and incidents of torture against a large range of people, from political opponents to ordinary citizens; a country where 80,000 political prisoners were detained as psychiatric patients and treated in some of the most sadistic ways by doctors; and a country where, as the best estimates tell us, two million people were direct victims of repression.

so much for the "sports and human right abuses don't mix" line.

oh ... and lest one forget ... how about the current Olympic host? so far, China leads in gold medals, and is second in overall medals.

and of course, we all know that China is a paragon of respect for human rights. for a short list, look up Tibet, Tiananmen Square, the religious persecution of Falun Gong, the one-child policy and its corresponding female infanticide disaster, organ harvesting, and extrajudicial executions.

had King Fidel (Retired) bothered to think his argument through, he would have realized that human rights violations have no correlation whatsoever with a nation's Olympic success.

and Cuba is an excellent case in point.