Yoani Sanchez: technology will help bring democracy to Cuba

Yoani Sanchez: technology will help bring democracy to Cuba

MIAMI, April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Cuban blogger and
independent journalist Yoani Sanchez said despite restrictions on
cyberspace in Cuba, the Internet is changing the communist country,
during a lecture at Florida International University in Miami.

"The virtual Cuba is influencing, directly and definitively, the real
Cuba," she said, after recounting a story about how Cubans, using text
messages on the government-controlled cell phone network, were able to
mobilize hurricane relief for the Oriente area of Cuba. "The Internet is
helping us explain to the world what is happening inside our country."
Sanchez addressed an audience of 500 on the restrictions the Cuban
government places on free expression, including Internet access, and the
impact of technology on the possible democratization of Cuba. The
lecture took place at the FIU Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing
Arts Center. Recordings of the lecture are available in English and Spanish.

Sanchez also said that technology and being able to reach the outside
world has protected her and other government opponents.

"We feel protected precisely because of the shield that technology has
provided to us," she said.

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg presented Sanchez with the Medallion of
Courage, which recognizes individuals who pursue or defend a noble cause
at a personal cost.

"We honor and salute you for the eloquent act of resistance that has
given hope to the people of your homeland as it garners the praise of a
watching world," Rosenberg said during the medallion presentation.

Sanchez, 37, has become known around the world as a vocal critic of the
Cuban government. For the last six years she has documented her life on
the island through her blog, GeneracionY, and her Twitter updates via
@yoanisanchez.

"This was a unique opportunity for the South Florida community to hear
Sanchez's thoughts on how expanding access to the Internet and enabling
the use of blogs, Twitter, and other social media can help to break
Cuba's isolation from the rest of the world," said Jorge Duany, director
of FIU's Cuban Research Institute. "Her visit will foster the open
exchange of information, ideas, and proposals about Cuba's possible
futures."

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2013/04/01/7030642.htm