The Changes Are Yet to Come

The Changes Are Yet to Come / Fernando Dámaso
Posted on April 3, 2016

Fernando Damaso, 23 March 2016 — At an event with Cuban and foreign
journalists on March 17, the Cuban foreign minister — one of the dullest
and most lackluster persons to hold this position — once again stated
that "all the changes in Cuba took place on January 1, 1959."

The minister seems to take it for granted that the so-called "generation
of the century" has the right not only to exercise power but to do so
forever. He forgets that five generations of Cubans have been born since
this one, many of whom feel no attachment to these "historic figures" or
their actions, and that these younger generations have the right to
change what they they feel should be changed for the good of the country
and its citizens. There is no "historic debt" which must be paid.

Perhaps the minister thinks that selectively including some young faces
in the leadership roster will indicate that a new generation is being
allowed to participate. We all know that is not the case. They simply
serve as props for those who really hold power. The most recent and
striking case is that of the president of the University Student
Federation who, at twenty-three, was a surprise addition to the Council
of State. Does anyone with half a brain believe she will be allowed to
decide anything?

The changes that Cuba needs did not take place on January 1, 1959. They
are yet to happen and are up to the current generation and those that
follow to carry out. To not understand that would be to deny the
dialectic and development of society.

It seems that President Obama's words yesterday at the Alicia Alonso
Theater (formerly the Garcia Lorca Theater) have caused a rash on the
thin skin of Cuban authorities. The speech was not published in the
government-run press. It was, however, subject to critical analysis by
well-known, unconditional supporters of the regime, who did nothing more
than repeat the same old absurd arguments. On a scale of one to ten,
Cubans on the street give the American president a ten and his Cuban
counterpart a two. As in baseball, in which Cuba lost by four to one to
Tampa Bay, the same thing has happened in politics.

Source: The Changes Are Yet to Come / Fernando Dámaso | Translating Cuba
- http://translatingcuba.com/the-changes-are-yet-to-come-fernando-dmaso/