Padura and the Face of Cultural Context

Padura and the Face of Cultural Context / Angel Santiesteban
Posted on November 30, 2015

Angel Santiesteban, 18 November 2015 — On October 31, in the Museo
Napoleónico de La Habana, the book, "The Faces of Padura: Work and Life
of a Writer, " a compilation of texts about Leonardo Padura, was
presented. Padura was recently awarded the Princesa de Asturias de las
Letras Prize.

At the event, Padura shared the thank-you speech that was read in Oviedo
before Spain's royal family; words that should have been published by
the Cuban press. But not only did they not publish them, but also in the
official media it was completely ignored that for the first time a Cuban
writer was given credit for such a prestigious award.

This attitude of the Castro press is one more mockery of the Cuban
people's intellect, caused by that "cult of secrecy" so many were
talking about in the last Congress of the Union of Journalists of Cuba
(UPEC), where it was treated as something from the past, blaming the
journalists themselves for unnecessary self-censorship, now that
politics is not interfering in the news and its opinions.

Which is to say that suddenly we had overcome the dictatorship and that
we found ourselves in a State where there is free thought.

But returning to the question at hand: the book about Padura could have
been one more release for the world of the many that the distinguished
Cuban writer completed; only this one was special because it happened on
his terrain, surrounded by family, friends and his natural readers, and
it was delightful because it was presented by colleagues from his
generation, among them the writer Francisco López Sacha.

But they couldn't stop mentioning some irregularities around this event,
like the rejection of eight cultural institutions which didn't celebrate
Padura, which is very alarming; of course, behind that was the sinister
hairy hand of the Government, which has exhausted without success all
its misleading strategies, praising him moderately in order to buy his
silence and stop him from telling his truths and offering his critical
evaluations about the reality of the Cuban people.

That Leonardo Padura — actually the most distinguished Cuban writer on
the international scene — shares his books with readers at home is a
deference that makes us grateful; however, that the Regime tries to make
him pay the price for not being a writer who kneels before the
manipulations of those who direct the cultural politics on the
archipelago is an immense immorality, a brutal insensitivity,
characteristics that are endemic to Caribbean totalitarianism.

That his books, awards and presentations aren't promoted as they should
be with a National Prize of Literature shows a lack of delicacy and
transparency of the cultural politics and the Government, which
discredits itself even more (if that's possible, given the shameful and
repeated practice of this and other dirty tricks), ignoring and trying
to "invisiblize" a writer who, in spite of not coming out directly
against the system, still doesn't accept gifts or pampering, as do most
of the intellectuals and artists on the island.

They at first tried to manipulate him with an open cynicism, through
publications, national fairs, a homage in the Casa del las Américas, or
with that final power of cultural officials, accepting that a jury award
him the National Literature Prize, the greatest award for the work of a
Cuban writer residing on the island. But, since Padura didn't react
before such "magnanimous" tokens — because here it's only important that
you have won, not that they decide whether or not you win — now the same
cultural officials, who once called themselves his friends, are cold and
distant in response.

I also know that the filming of the movies based on his detective novels
that have his character Mario Conde as the protagonist, has received
negative responses to official requests from foreign filmmakers to use
some sets, the same that are used daily to film short police programs
for national television.

The dictatorship thus holds a grudge against those who don't bow their
heads, against those who don't permit the humiliation of being treated
like objects, against those who refuse to be manipulated in order to
abide by the designs of government power; all because they still try to
ignore an irrefutable truth: art expands, endures and always wins
against political power.


Ángel Santiesteban-Prats

Havana, November 16, under conditional "liberty" [on parole]

Note from Angel's editor: The compilation, in the charge of Agustín
García, includes his texts, those of Francisco López Sacha, María del
Carmen Muzio, Dulce María Sotolongo, Lorenzo Lunar, Rafael Grillo,
Michel Encinosa, Enrique Saínz, Rafael Acosta, Rebeca Murga, Elizabeth
Mirabal and Gustavo Vega, the filmmaker Lucía López, Leonardo's wife and
one from Padura himself.

Translated by Regina Anavy

Source: Padura and the Face of Cultural Context / Angel Santiesteban |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/padura-and-the-face-of-cultural-context-angel-santiesteban/