CubaNews notes from Los Angeles

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

CubaNews notes from Los Angeles
by Walter Lippmann - August 17, 2003

A SHORT PERSONAL NOTE
Coming back to the United States following thirteen weeks
in Cuba, the longest time I've yet spent there, I'm finding
a
surprising thing: more of a reaction to both the significant
differences, and the striking similarities between the two
countries. All of this has had me thinking, reflecting and
wondering what it all means. I've spent more time simply
allowing myself to look around and feel the reality of life
here in Los Angeles. I think that the result, a somewhat
bi-national perspective, can be helpful to understanding
what is going on in Cuba, and between the two countries.

When I was younger, I had, or thought I had all of the
answers to many political questions. Having an ideology
and an affiliation to a left wing political party made many
things seem simple at the time, simpler than they were.

Now I'm taking more time to reflect on things which are
going on, in hopes of reaching a deeper comprehension
of their meaning. So it's taken me a bit more time to get
up and running in providing readers with this service we
call CubaNews list. And once you take some time, then
as the story builds up, with its numerous and complex
elements, it's hard to catch up if you get behind. Since
last Thursday I haven't sent out material to the list.

The more time I spend in Cuba, the more I tell people
I know how little I know about what's actually going on
on the island. This is why I try to provide a fuller sense
by collecting and sharing a wide range of information
from many sources, which at least gives you a sense
of what's being said in the media.

The truth is that I'm finding the "reporting", such as it is
in the dominant corporate media to be more and more
remote from the reality of Cuba as I've observed it over
these past weeks, months and years. What you receive
from the corporate media isn't even a "virtual Cuba" but
an often fictional construction, even though names and
dates may have some relation to actual fact. You really
have to read widely, in both the mainstream media and
the Cuban media, and beyond that it helps to go to the
island and see it for yourself, to try to get a full sense
of what the island's life is like.

Nature, as we know, abhors a vacuum, and so there's
a tremendous amount of new information, some of it
quite surprising, as you'll see when you read all this
material. Most of this will be posted to the CubaNews
list website where you'll be able to find them, and not
to the other lists on which this is sometimes posted.

If you're not receiving this on the CubaNews list, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/messages
=======================================

NEWS DEVELOPMENTS AS OF MONDAY August 18

The news from and about Cuba last week focused on two
major stories: Cuba's continuing successes at the games
in Santo Domingo, where the island's teams gold medals
remain at the highest rate, per capita, of all countries, an
amazing athletic fete. In the dominant media everytime a
problem in Cuba is reported, they invariably attribute the
problem to Cuba's socialist governmental system. But in
cases where the island's accomplishments are so great
as to be unavoidable, the story is either unmentioned or
else it is shunted to the side and problems, real or made
up, are brought into focus. Of course had the US beaten
Cuba, or had their been any significant defections from
the Cuban team, it would have made headlines. That's
what they mean by calling ours a "free press".

The other big story is the visit of the Cuban president to
Paraguay where he participated in the inauguration of a
new president for that country, Nestor Duarte Frutos.
He's a product of the old Colorado Party which has run
Paraguay for many years, but he's speaking a rather
new language, attacking neo-liberalism and so on.
One of the media reports claimed Fidel had difficulty
with his words, but that's rather unlikely.

While I wasn't able to personally attend or listen to the
speech by Cuba's president, I find it hard to imagine he
had any difficulty with his words. It wasn't broadcast live,
but anyone who's seen him knows he sometimes has a
bit of difficulty getting started, but once he's off and on
his way, his speeches go smoothly. I heard him speak
live (though reading from a prepared text) just a few
weeks ago in Santiago, so I know what I'm saying.

The Cuban media said he spoke to ten thousand
students, and his speech is supposed to start being
played on Cuban television tonight, though it might
be delayed until tomorrow due to another story, one
which just broke today, which we'll tell you about
separately, later on in this report

He returned to Cuba and brought with him a famous
Paraguayan writer, who will get a chance now to see
something of the island. His visit to the Paraguay, for
the first time ever, is a further example of the fact that
the island's supposed isolation is more a creation of
the US media, than a fact in the real world. Indeed,
the Miami Herald had an annoyed editorial Sunday
instructing the countries of Latin America to reject
the leader of the Cuban Revolution. This hasn't at
all happened, as the Paraguayan experience shows.

Here are the front pages of Monday's Cuban papers:
GRANMA DIARIO
http://www.granma.cubasi.cu/2003/08/18/plana.jpg

JUVENTUD REBELDE
http://www.jrebelde.cu/2003/julio_septiembre/ago-18/portadab
=====================================

HIP-HOP FESTIVAL CONCLUDES IN HAVANA
The week-long hip-hop festival has concluded in the
Cuban capital. We have one report and hope to get
other reports from participants in the events.
=====================================

US-CUBA YOUTH EXCHANGE REPORT-BACK
Friday night here in Los Angeles a hundred people,
mostly Latino, came out to hear reports back from
participants in the US-Cuba Youth Exchange. This
group brought scores of people to the island for the
July 26th celebration in Santiago. The young people
were extremely enthusiastic in their reports and the
meeting was very upbeat. Members and friends of
the US Socialist Workers Party were active in the
building of these events and did an excellent job
in getting everyone to Cuba and back with no
difficulties. Congratulations to them for the very
good work that was done with this tour. Let's
hope these young people speak and write
widely about their experiences.

The only dissonant note was from two young
supporters of the Spartacist League who came
and intervened in the meeting during the final
moments of the meeting which were allotted for
short comments and questions from the people
in the audience. Their main purpose seemed to
be to express their political disagreements with
the US Socialist Workers Party, of which they
had been a dissident faction in the early 60s.

The Spartacists stated that their tendency
was in favor of the unconditional military defense
of Cuba against the restoration of capitalism by
the United States. They didn't clarify, however,
how they would carry out the military defense
while, at the same time, favoring a political
revolution (by the Cuban workers, of course,
against the Commander-in-Chief) of Cuba's
armed forces. The Spartacists then stayed
and had a chance to discuss with people in
an informal setting at the meeting's end.
================================

CHE GUEVARA PHOTO EXHIBITION IN L.A.
Saturday night I attended the opening of a large
exhibition of photographs of Che Guevara by a
group of Cuban photographers. This opening
was extremely well-attended. Hundreds of
people came out to look at the pictures and
to socialize with one another. So a great time
was had by all. I might add that while I've seen
many images of Che, I was surprised at how
many new images they had. You can view them
at the gallery until the end of August, and are
available for purchase at $450.OO. Details:
http://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/
==================================

CUBA POLICY ARTICLES IN THE US MEDIA
There have continued to be editorials focusing
on US policy toward Cuba, some of which have
been surprisingly in favor of changing current
US policy in a more constructive direction so
you'll want to read these carefully. If you can,
I urge you to write letters of appreciation or
whatever comments you feel are appropriate
in response to these materials.
==================================

MORE AND MORE NEWS ABOUT DISSIDENTS
We've seen recently an sharp increase in stories in
both the Cuban and the US media about dissidents.
Previously, coverage on Cuban oppositions has
always been in the US and western media, but it
is now being covered in the Cuban media as well.

The coverage there provides the viewpoint of the
Cuban government only. The recent decision of
Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, for example, a long-time
opponent of the Cuban government to return to
the island, and to stay there, has been covered
in the Miami and other foreign media, but not in
the Cuban media. His interview by the Havana
Correspondent of Francisco Aruca's Miami
radio programs is the most extensive reporting
I've seen to date in which Menoyo presents his
own political points of view. If you put the word
"Menoyo" in the search engine of CubaNews
list you'll find the articles which we've had on
the topic. Today I re-listened to last Tuesday's
Babel's Guide and can affirm there's something
of considerable interest going on.

Ever since the trials last spring which resulted in a
series of long sentences for 75 of these opponents
of the Cuban government, more and more stories
have been coming out. Many in the international
media challenged those trials and verdicts and
demanded that the Cuban government provide
substantiation of its charges that oppositionists
were working with the US Interests Section. Not
long ago, a book came out LOS DISIDENTES,
which provides substantial information on this.

The 227 page book became a hot seller on the
island, as I observed at the main bus station.
Its amazingly low and subsidized price of just
ten Cuban pesos, and its attractive format with
color photos, diagrams and photocopies of
actual documents on these people made it a
book guaranteed to be widely bought. It was
also heavily promoted in the island's media.

If you're not on the island and if you can read
Spanish, you can actually download the entire
book in PDF format from the address given in
this report. I have a copy and I'll say that it is a
fascinating book to look at. Here is what the
Cuban Prensa Latina website says about it:

The Dissidents is the title of a book of interviews
of eight Cuban Department of State Security agents
who infiltrated, and for several years became active
members, including becoming leaders, of the so-called
"internal dissidence" in the Island. The 224-page volume,
Published by Política Publishing, demonstrates the
subversive character of these groups, organized and
financed by the US government. Authors Luis Báez and
Rosa Miriam Elizalde are of two distinct journalistic
generations, but both are distinguished for prolific and
high-quality work. The Dissidents was presented to the
press on June 24, 2003 at the José Martí Memorial in
Havana. To download the book:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L54513C95
==================================

ELIZARDO SANCHEZ ACCUSED IN CUBAN MEDIA
Today the Cuban media featured a dramatic attack on
Elizardo Sanchez, a long-time dissident and head of
the Cuban National Commission for Democracy and
Human Rights. Sanchez, a former university professor
and former Communist Party member, was once known
as a dogmatic member of the Cuban Communist Party
when, in the early sixties, he was a member of the
famous "microfaction" led by Anibal Escalante.

As a dissident, he has travelled freely outside the
island since the 1980s and is one of the best-known
Cuban oppositionists in the world. The news reports
I've seen so far don't indicate why the authorities on
the island chose this particular time to make these
disclosures. We do know, from the information that
was relased at the trials earlier this year, that agents
of Cuban state security have heavily penetrated the
opposition organizations for many long years and the
fact that some of the supposed dissident groupings
were in fact initiated by Cuban state security has
been known now for some time.

According to a new pamphlet published by a pair of
well-known Cuban journalists, Sanchez began a
collaborative relatioship with Cuban state security in
1997 at his own initiative. I've not yet been able to
plow through all the details, but there's no doubt that
plenty more will be coming out in the next little while.
I have no particular information, only curiousity as to
what's going on here and what it all might signify.
The new pamphlet, 67 pages long, says Sanchez
operated as a collaborator of state security under
the name "Juana".

The pamphlet is called "El Camajan," a denigrating
term referring to his purported love of extravagant
living, was written by journalists Arleen Rodriguez
and Lazaro Barredo. Rodriguez is an editor of the
magazine TRICONTINENTAL. Barredo is one of
the regulars on the Mesa Redonda.

Elizardo Sanchez, interviewed by some of the foreign
media, staunchly denied allegations that he had been
collaborating with Cuban state security. We've gotten
several articles in which he denies the allegations
which will be shared with you as well.

This is clearly a story which will be proceeding for
some time. I'll try to find as much information on it
as possible.
=======================================

NEW ARTICLES AT LA JIRIBILLA WEBSITE
La Jiribilla is a Cuban website at which writers from
Juventud Rebelde (and elsewhere) publish new and
different materials above and beyond their regular
work. Now it's begun to appear in hard copy format
as well just a few weeks ago. In the current issue
there are lots of articles about technology and the
internet, but two in particular I'd like to draw your
attention to. (Articles on La Jiribilla are in Spanish.)

The lead article, by journalist Rosa Miriam Elizalde,
takes up the question of whether changes in
technology changes ourselves? In her footnotes,
we find Jose Saramogo, the famous member of the
Portuguese Communist Party who publicly broke
with Cuba over the trials and executions which we
saw this year.

Other articles in same La Jiribilla section were
written by the editor of Le Monde Diplomatique,
Ignacio Ramonet, University of New Mexico
sociologist Nelson L. Valdes, and others.

I'm pleased to report that an article by myself is
posted there as well. It's the transcript of a talk
I made in November last year at the Union of
Cuban Journalists (UPEC) chapter at CubaSi
in Havana. In the talk I explained some of the
background and development of the CubaNews
list. CubaNews membership has increased 25%
since the time of the presentation last year. We
now have over 500 subscribers to CubaNews

HERE'S THE HOME PAGE FOR LA JIRIBILLA
http://www.lajiribilla.cu/

ROSA MIRIAM ELIZALDE'S COMMENTARY
http://www.lajiribilla.cu/2003/n119_08/119_02.html

WALTER LIPPMANN COMMENTARY
http://www.lajiribilla.cu/2003/n119_08/119_09.html

(The word "La Jiribilla", which doesn't appear in any
of the dictionaries I checked, is described on their
website is explained as Cubanism meaning someone,
generally a child, who is very "intranquilla" which
means restless, uneasy or worried.)
====================================

GAY RIGHTS ISSUES IN CUBA
Phil Tarley's article CUBA LIBRE generated a pair
of strong dissents. I have some reactions to but
am planning to hold them for another time. I'll say
that neither of the writers who disagreed with the
article by Phil Tarley claimed that his story was
factually false. Regardless of what any reader
thinks about his perspectives and behavior, it's
worth remembering that his report was not part
of his recent activities in the Venceremos Brigade
with whom he recently visited the island.

Cuba's media has been reporting on gay issues
in recent times, which is something of a change
from past practice which is largely to ignore gay
matters. I have a located a few of these which
I'll share with the CubaNews list. Cuban TV ran
a feature film about a gay man's coming out
experience, which had been made in Australia,
last Friday evening. Friends who visited the
gay beach at Guanabacoa, and the gay area
of the Malecon recently reported no hassles
by police at those locations. I've hard a few
stories of hassles directed at transvestites
by the police, however. Had these been of a
dramatic nature, I'm sure we'd have heard a
few comments from the mainstream media,
or at least in the Miami Herald or El Nuevo,
but nothing has appeared that I've seen.

Tarley wrote about a visit he made to the island
in 1998. They were published in a magazine called
FRONTIERS, a mass-circulation news journal in
the Southern California gay community. I think his
observations about Cuban life was accurate from
a factual point of view, and they provided a quite
positive appraisal of Cuba in a milieu (gay men)
where negative portrayals of Cuba are totally the
norm. Far too many people believe the portrait
of Cuba presented in that dreadful movie called
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS. Tarley's portrait is
1000% more favorable in its depiction of Cuba.

Because there no formal organizations in which
lesbian-gay-bisexual and transgendered Cubans
and their friends can come together to speak up
for their rights within Cuban life, the problems of
LGBT Cubans cannot be addressed formally in
the society. I have long felt that if there were a
Cuban equivalent of the US organization Parents,
Families and Friends of Gays (PFLAG) that many
of the problems they do face could be dealt with.

Therefore, I think we can be grateful to Phil Tarley
for providing a factually accurate description of the
milieu he personally observed.

FOR MORE NEW AND VIEWS ON CUBA:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/messages

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/