Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado, Translator: Unstated
For some time here the leaders of the Cuban government have been given
to talking about diversity and defending the importance of respecting
this in different groups of people in our national home. It's a positive
discourse, of course, but something rather "tricky" if we take into
account that it only refers to the social and cultural which in our
country is always imposed with militaristic criteria from the seats of
power. But perhaps it is the sowing of a seed — I tell myself — of the
context for a transition towards which Cuba seems to be beginning to
"crawl," toward a society of openness in which we all can walk. I don't
want to be too innocent, but neither do I want to be too skeptical about
some curtains that seem to be moving, although they still won't let us
open the window.
The Cuban government is going to integrate "in its own way" into the
world and needs to legitimize itself with slow and calculated steps,
into the community of democratic nations in the world, most concretely
in Latin American, where it is the only one that currently has a
single-party system. With its radar focused on this hemisphere — keeping
in mind the recent creation of the Community of Latin American and
Caribbean States, CELAC; its partial reconciliation with the Catholic
Church which covers the majority of the continent and is a force for
action — although with great fear of losing power; timidly instructing
and ordering as Party concession the spaces and socio-economic
achievements and policies we used to enjoy in society and that they took
from us on violently coming into power.
After almost fifty-three years, these steps are the tacit acknowledgment
that their model failed and they are preparing the society for its
incorporation into the democratic world when they are no longer.
However, it is illogical to talk about diversity only for a part of the
social fabric. For a people subjected for decades to assimilate this
concept, it should cover the entire spectrum of national life, including
the political. It should legitimize political parties and respect for
the human rights established by the United Nations. Diversity in
everything and for everyone should be the motto, which is synonymous
with pluralism and rule of law; if not it is a euphemism for the
repression of progress. To offer it in a partial sense, according to the
interests of the state is demagoguery, at least I think so.
December 13 2011
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