“Cuba is much more than an island, an ideology or a man.
Cuba is 11 million residents and two million exiles, together and separately,
fighting for inclusivity.” - Yoani Sanchez
Why do Some Revile Yoani Sanchez
Yoani Sanchez, the outspoken dissident blogger from Havana,
Cuba tweeted today, “I remember the phrase #Gandhi stated: ‘First they ignore you. Then they laugh
at you. Then they attack you. Then you win.’ I'm at the stage in which they
attack me.”
I’m somewhat shocked at the critics’ opinions of Yoani, now
that she has finally been allowed a passport to travel from Cuba. The first time I saw somebody write
something negative about her trip to the U.S. was a few weeks ago when Florida
International University announced she would speak on April 1, and that they
would give her an award. There was
a place on the FIU site to post comments, and somebody called her a communist. I thought the person was just
misinformed, but now I see a groundswell of negativity about her visit.
Her talk is titled, “The role of technologies and social
media in driving Cuba’s democratization.” She will receive FIU’s Medallion of
Courage.
As we have reported before, Yoani, whose blog recounts the
daily struggles of Cuban life, was denied the right to travel for years (like
most Cubans). She received awards,
but was never able travel to receive them. She was invited to give talks, but was forbidden to
attend.
In January of 2013 the Exit Permit law was eliminated, and
one simply had to obtain a visa from a country, and then Cuba would issue a
passport. Yoani thought she
wouldn’t receive one, as some dissidents did not, but she did. She announced a multi-country
visit.
Protesters reviled her in Brazil, but besides that, it’s
been quite some time since we have heard of protests since then. There has been virtually no news about
her visit to the U.S., unless you follow Spanish language media or her own
Twitter or Facebook entries.
Now, on the eve of her talk and receipt of an award at FIU,
I wonder whether there will be protestors. The exile community in Miami, who
staunchly oppose all travel to Cuba, and support strict restrictions, including
the Embargo, are being quite vocal in criticism of Yoani in the U.S.
La Nueva Acción, (http://nuevoaccion.com) news media of the outspoken exiles, published an article
written by Enrique Artalejo. First he points out that he is twice as old as
Yoani, and thus, there is a generation gap. He says she cannot understand the exiles who escaped, or
youngsters who were sent away from Cuba. What does she know, having been born
after the Castros were already in power?
He says she promotes elimination of the Embargo, which many
residents of Cuba do as well. But
the outspoken exile groups in Miami are the biggest proponents of keeping the
Embargo in place. The author
states that, “Lifting the embargo would be just that, funding to tyranny,” and
he says, “in addition to being stupid, it would be immoral.”
Then he rails against Yoani for something she apparently
said about the “Cuban Five”, who are five prisoners of the U.S., which the U.S.
said were planning to commit terrorist acts in the U.S. I really cannot follow what this man is
arguing about, but it is much the same as what I hear from my family members
when I travel to Cuba. They don’t
care about the people stuck in Cuba; they view my visits as benefitting the
tyranny. I’m currently reading a
book by author Tom Wolfe, called "Back to Blook", and one of the main characters is a Cuban-American
police officer, who rescues a Cuban refugee who has fled to the United States,
but managed to get onto a boat instead of touching soil. So he is returned to Cuba. The entire community of his family and
friends revile him for taking custody of a Cuban refugee and causing him to be
repatriated. In Miami, it’s black
or white. Talk of visiting Cuba or
doing anything the exile community do not approve of, like sending money to
relatives, and you become the enemy.
Another writer of Nueva Accion countered somewhat the
negative comments of Artalejo. Gabriel Astengo wrote on March
27. He questioned Yoani’s travels
and public discussions, but generally supports her. But he does say, since he lives in a democracy, he can
disagree with some points she has raised, being elimination of the Embargo and freeing
the Cuban Five. I have not actually heard her state that the Cuban Five should
be freed, and that statement does seem to be a pro-government sentiment. Signs and propaganda about freeing the
Cuban Five exist all over Cuba, and the country has made it clear that Alan
Gross could be traded for them. But perhaps she has made that statement. Maybe we will hear a debate about that tomorrow.
A better description of the Embargo and why exiles believe
it should stay in place was written by Hector Julio Cedeño Negrin on March 29,
under the title, “The Tremendous Effectiveness of the U.S. Embargo”. Although
I’m not sure I support the Embargo, and the Cuban people living in Cuba
certainly wish it would disappear, at least the article is well written and the
arguments makes sense.
Will there be picketers and protestors tomorrow night at
FIU? Perhaps. But we hope Yoani will be able to speek
freely and receive her award.
At the conclusion of her talk in Brazil, Yoani closed with
the following statement, “Cuba is much more than an island, an ideology or a
man. Cuba is 11 million residents and two million exiles, together and
separately, fighting for inclusivity.”
Interview of Yoani Sanchez
This is a very excellent and telling interview of Yoani. The interviewers speak in Portuguese, and she in Spanish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pEQX3adT0lA15,462
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pEQX3adT0lA15,462
How Long Does it Take to Declare a Dictator Dead - And What's Cuba Going to Do for Money?
Two thoughts come to mind on the announcement of Chavez's death.
1. Did he really die today, or two months ago? I heard many Venezuelans saying, even today, that the military and his choice for his replacement finally decided yesterday that enough was enough and they had to tell the truth. I suppose it doesn't matter, whether he was sick, brain dead or really dead, his control was still there.
2. What will Cuba do? We all thought that the reforms that Raul has made in Cuba were partly to prepare for the drying up of funds if Chavez died. First they lost Russia. Now, maybe they'll lose Venezuela. They've improved income and reduced outgo, but is it enough without Venezuela's oil, which they turn around and sell to China, and the cash?
And I guess another thought comes to mind. How many people really mourn him?
People I know in Venezuela were afraid to be on the streets and have their family members on the streets. While cities like Caracas are always extremely dangerous, it may now be explosive.
We'll see what the future brings.
1. Did he really die today, or two months ago? I heard many Venezuelans saying, even today, that the military and his choice for his replacement finally decided yesterday that enough was enough and they had to tell the truth. I suppose it doesn't matter, whether he was sick, brain dead or really dead, his control was still there.
2. What will Cuba do? We all thought that the reforms that Raul has made in Cuba were partly to prepare for the drying up of funds if Chavez died. First they lost Russia. Now, maybe they'll lose Venezuela. They've improved income and reduced outgo, but is it enough without Venezuela's oil, which they turn around and sell to China, and the cash?
And I guess another thought comes to mind. How many people really mourn him?
People I know in Venezuela were afraid to be on the streets and have their family members on the streets. While cities like Caracas are always extremely dangerous, it may now be explosive.
We'll see what the future brings.
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