Cuban Radar
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
even 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.
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