Ray Sanchez | Direct from Havana
8:16 AM EDT, March 18, 2008
Havana, Cuba
Dagoberto Valdes, who was dismissed one year ago as editor of a popular
Catholic magazine in the western city of Pinar del Rio, has resurrected
the controversial project as a web-based magazine called "Convivencia."
"The objective is to promote the empowerment of citizens and develop the
fabric of civil society in Cuba," Valdes said Tuesday. "The best way to
create a civil society is to learn to live together."
Analysts and some religious leaders pointed to the fate of the former
magazine and civic workshops run by Valdes as dramatic examples of
tighter church control in Cuba.
But "Convivencia," which loosely translates as "living together,"
represents a continuation of the type of work that got Valdes into the
trouble in the first place – an unflinching look at issues of liberty
and democracy in a socialist country. Valdes said the new magazine is
not affiliated with any institution, organization or political party.
"We hope that Convicencia becomes an open house shared by Cubans on the
island and in the diaspora," Valdes wrote in the magazine's opening
editorial. "Our simple project looks more towards the future than the past."
The first issue of the online magazine, which is accessible at
www.convivenciacuba.es, includes articles on the Beijing Olympics,
Cuba's recent signing of civil and political rights agreements with the
United Nations and the role of civil society on the island.
Valdes' old magazine, published under the auspices of Cuba's Catholic
Church, closed last year because of "lack of resources," according to
church officials.
A popular series of workshops that Valdes ran in Pinar del Rio also were
canceled by church officials. The workshops dealt with issues such as
freedom of association.
The next issue of Convivencia is due online later this week, Valdes said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-0318havanadirect,0,3470264.column
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