A Ridiculous Declaration

A Ridiculous Declaration / Fernando Dámaso

Fernando Damaso, 17 June 2016 — It is completely ridiculous that the
Cuban Writers and Artists Union (UNEAC), a totally government
organization that tries to present itself as "non-governmental," issues
a statement about the desecration of the bust of a popular Venezuelan
singer, Ali Primera, that occurred in that country, when they've never
been concerned to protest against similar events that happen in Cuba.

Here, in the face of the complicit silence of UNEAC, statues and
monuments of colonial and Republican eras have been systematically
destroyed, ones that although they have not been welcomed by the current
authorities, form a part of the history and identity of the nation,
independent of their political ideologies. The busts of many important
figures in cities and towns have disappeared, opening spaces, for
example, to convert the Avenue of the Presidents in Vedado — once
dedicated to remembering the country's presidents — to place foreign
figures which should have been placed in Fraternity Park, which was
constructed with this objective. Also accepted has been the changing of
the names of public buildings, streets and avenues, as an act of
political opportunism, along with the implementation of many other outrages.

All this has been a negation of the supposed national identity that they
say they defend "with the sword and shield."

If UNEAC, as a governmental organization, had to issue a statement in
support of the discredited Venezuelan government, and its even more
discredited president, it should not hide between this reprehensible
act: it should do it openly.

Source: A Ridiculous Declaration / Fernando Dámaso – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/a-ridiculous-declaration-fernando-dmaso/