[Marxism] The Grey Five-Year Period debated

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

PROGRESO WEEKLY
January 18, 2007

http://tinyurl.com/ynqx5p

Cuban Radar

An information service by Radio Progreso Alternativa?s Havana bureau.



The Grey Five-Year Period debated

The varied presentations of ex functionaries of the cultural sector
associated with the so-called Grey Five Year Period that appeared on
TV programs and national channels created worry, protests, suspicion
and email exchanges between personalities involved in Cuba?s cultural
way.

This Five Year Period was characterized for the separation from their
centers of work of those creators and artists blamed mainly on what
was considered ?ideological weaknesses? or their sexual preferences.
It also established categories for musicians, artists and radio and
TV directors classified as A, B, C. Based on their classification
depended their salaries, and roles to play on radio, theater and TV.
Various writers spent years without publishing and actors, stage
actors and directors were separated from their profession. Some of
them were called to military service and sent to the UMAP (Military
Units in Support of Production), so that by way of their work they
would overcome their ?ideological weaknesses.?

Years later, when that era appeared to belong to the past and many of
the former repudiated ones are now National Prize Winners in
literature, music, dance or theater, respected cultural personalities
who have received high level recognitions given by the Cuban state,
surges the fear that the old and feared policy might return.

Because of the protests, on Tuesday, January 10, a meeting was held
between various writers who promoted the discussion, Minister of
Culture Abel Prieto and Esteban Lazo, member of the Cuba?s Communist
Party Political Bureau and who is responsible for its
ideological-cultural sector. Results of the meeting are not known.

At the same time, because of the lists where emails have circulated
that demand clarifications, it has been announced that on January 30,
at 3 p.m., a colloquium will be initiated regarding the ?Grey Five
Year Period: Revisiting the term? at the headquarters of the
Theoretical Cultural Criteria Center in the building of the Cuban
Movie Institute (ICAIC).

These gathering, which will be conducted in various sessions, will
count on the participation of Ambrosio Fornet, philosopher Fernando
Martinez Heredia ? ex publisher of the disappeared and polemic
magazine Pensamiento Critico (Critical Thought) and National Prize
winner for Social Sciences ? as well as writers Eduardo Heras Leon
and Arturo Arango.

Also participating is the theater historian Raquel Carrio and
architect Mario Coyula. Entrance to these meetings will be free and
it is already predicted that the locale will result to be too small.

Analysts consider that the reason for debated of this sensitive issue
could be a consequence of sustained conversations between political
authorities and personalities involved in the world of culture.

On the other hand, extra-official sources have informed Progreso
Weekly that the UNEAC (Union of Cuban Writers and Artists) will make
known the coming days a public document about the issue.



Desiderio Navarro, National Prize for Edition 2006

The Cuban daily newspaper Juventud Rebelde in its edition of January
17 reported that the renowned Cuban intellectual Desiderio Navarro
was honored with the National Prize for edition of 2006. The award
was shared with the editor Juan Valdes Moreno.

A polemic intellectual and investigator, Navarro is editor, writer
and translator for the magazine Criterios (Criteria), which was
founded by him and under which its umbrella will be held the
interchange of the Grey Five Year Period on January 30.



Press and reality

?The people should see their problems reflected more and more in our
media. For them we reclaim investigation, richness of language,
creativity, with the forthcoming professional and political
responsibility,? said Rolando Alfonso Borges, head of the Ideological
Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (PCC) upon
closing the 8th National Press Festival which was celebrated in the
Palace of Conventions last week.

During the event the daily Juventud Rebelde (JR) was awarded the
award of the finest national publication, an award shared with the
magazine Bohemia.

JR was also considered the closest publication with ties to the
population and that it conducts the best investigative work.

According to Granma (Saturday, January 13), the 400 delegates lauded
?the quality and outreach of the Cuban digital newspaper.? The Cuban
press counts on 128 Internet sites.

The event was presided over by Esteban Lazo, member of the political
bureau of the PCC.



The Santrina disembarks in the tribunals

A declaration made by Cuba?s Foreign Relations Minister on January 15
published in Granma affirms that in the instruction of charges last
January 11 ?the U.S. government alleges that Posada maintained a
fraudulent conduct and lied, when in fact he entered the U.S. by sea
aboard the boat Santrina; he traveled to Cancun and Islas Mujeres,
where he boarded the boat Santrina in Mexico and traveled therein to
the United States and Santiago Alvarez, Osvaldo Mitat, Ruben Lopez
Castro and Jose Pujol were with him aboard the Santrina during the
journey from Mexico to the U.S.?

The entry way, the name of the ship, and who accompanied Posada
Carriles in his illegal entrance into North American territory were
denounced two years ago by the Cuban leader Fidel Castro who repeated
the discovery made echo of the discovery of the Mexican newspaper Por
Esto.

Now Posada Carriles confronts seven charges, among them for fraud and
lying at the moment of soliciting his North American citizenship. If
he is found guilty, he could face a prison sentence of up to 40
years.

Granma as well as the Minister?s office made note of the fact that
Posada Carriles is not being judged for his criminal acts, like his
intellectual responsibility for the blowing up of the Cubana Airliner
(Oct. 6, 1976), where 73 persons perished, of for the bombs he
ordered blown up in Cuban hotels in September, 1997. In one of these
terrorist acts died an Italian tourist and about a dozen persons were
hurt.

The Cuban declaration affirms that ?the North American government
knows well, and has all the proofs, of the innumerable terrorist acts
committed by Posada Carriles.?

The release also points out that ?Vicente Fox?s government in Mexico,
before the Cuban request that Posada Carriles? journey through that
country be investigated informed our government on May 25, 2005, that
the entrance of the terrorist into Mexican territory did not appear
in its registry. It also indicated that the Santrina had arrived in
Islas Mujeres on May 14, 2005, and assured that the ship after
picking up supplies and other needs had left the locality with the
same people on board it had arrived with and among them was not Luis
Posada Carriles.?

Under the Fox government, the Naval Secretary recognized Posada?s
stay in the Aztec territory. At the same time, he was surprisingly
refuted by a sub-secretary of his own ministry.

?The next proof for President Bush?s government will come next
February 1. That day he will have to respond to an order by Judge
Philip Martinez to justify Posada Carrile?s permanence in prison, in
conformity with Section 412 of the Patriot Act of the U.S. and they
will be obligated to recognize that his release threatens the
national security of the United States or the security of the
community or of any person.? The hour of truth has arrived, says the
statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Relations.



Vandalism in Havana church

On Tuesday, January 10, at 8:50 in the morning, the beginning of a
fire occurred in the Church of Carmen, located in the central avenues
of Infanta and Neptuno, in the populous municipality of
Centro-Habana.

According to Teodoro Becerril, the parish priest, minutes after the
finish of the morning mass, a person not identified threw gasoline
and matches against the image of the Virgin of Carmen.

Among the parishioners that still remained in the temple they managed
to turn off the fire on time.

The statue did not suffer damages, but the crystal urn that protects
it did.

Police authorities assisted immediately and are carrying out
investigations to capture the delinquent.


________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism