Grateful to all who have worked for a better Cuba
Posted on Thu, Nov. 22, 2007
BY MARIFELI PEREZ-STABLE
mps_opinion@comcast.net
Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. Canada's was the first in the New
World. In 1578, after a doomed passage to the Orient, a group of English
explorers settled in what's now Newfoundland and held a ceremony of
thanks for their survival.
Later, the Pilgrims came together with their Native Americans neighbors
in Plymouth Colony to feast and praise the Lord for their first harvest.
Such was the birth of a tradition in Canada and the United States
Giving thanks -- acción de gracias -- is, however, universal.
Cuba is facing an uncertain future and so, this Thanksgiving, I'm moved
to convey gratitude to all Cubans of goodwill -- here and there -- who
have held high the ideal of a better Cuba.
Some are famous among Cubans. In Havana, on March 13, 1957, José Antonio
Echeverría lost his life in an ill-fated attempt to assassinate Cuba's
dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Four months later, on July 30, Frank País
fell in Santiago de Cuba. Echeverría headed the Revolutionary
Directorate, and País was second in command of the July 26th Movement.
Others are not as well known, particularly in Cuba. Mario Chanes de
Armas and Eusebio Peñalver were the longest held political prisoners in
the 20th century. Chanes partook in the assault on Moncada Barracks on
July 26, 1953; Peñalver fought in the Rebel Army against Batista.
Neither agreed with the revolution's communist turn: Peñalver served 28
years, Chanes a day short of 30. They died in Miami nine months apart:
Eusebio on May 5, 2006; Mario on Feb. 24, 2007.
In 1959, the revolution rallied the hopes of most Cubans. By 1960, many
saw these hopes dashed and took up arms in defense of liberty and
democracy. Thousands were brought before firing squads. Tens of
thousands were meted long prison sentences. Hundreds of thousands went
into exile. Revolutionary Cuba had no room for them or their ideal of a
better patria (homeland).
Still, the majority then supported the revolution for championing
national sovereignty and social justice. Most Cubans established a
strong emotional bond with la revolución. Many felt empowered for the
first time in their lives and gave their all to the promise of a Cuba
that was sure to be better.
Today's Cuba is a far cry from the ideals that moved revolutionaries in
the early 1960s. Worse yet, most ordinary Cubans have given up hope that
la patria can be made better. Helplessness is so widespread that,
according to a Gallup poll taken in September 2006, Cubans laugh
considerably less than other Latin Americans. They have yet to realize
the power of the powerless.
Neither are freedom and democracy on the short-term horizon. And yet,
the hopes of Cubans -- there and here -- are again on the rise.
Dissidents -- on the street and in jail -- are living examples of civic
courage. The ranks of ordinary Cubans who -- even if in silence -- say
No to the regime are growing daily. So are those within official Cuba
who are ready to support change. On both sides of the Florida Straits,
many are letting go of their anger, rightful as it is.
Thanksgiving is not a day for politics but for the spirit. In 1959,
Cubans rejoiced in the revolution. Only once before had Cuba experienced
a comparable joy: upon the foundation of the republic on May 20, 1902.
On both occasions, the overwhelming majority dared to hope for a new
patria that never quite materialized.
A new day may be dawning. On both sides of the Florida Straits, more and
more among us are healing from within and finding inner peace.
We are embracing the relatives once lost to politics and are saying
Never Again. National reconciliation won't be easy, but is there another
way for us to finally live in peace?
I know that a new spirit alone won't enable us to make Cuba whole. We
must step away from the barricades and be willing to compromise. But
that's the subject of past and future columns. We won't, however, muster
a new politics without forgiveness and generosity in our hearts.
This Thanksgiving I'd say Cubans everywhere can give thanks for the rays
of light that are already shining upon us.
Marifeli Pérez-Stable is vice president for democratic governance at the
Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., and a professor at Florida
International University.
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