A political dissident is
someone who, while living within a restricted environment, has the character and
strength to voice discontent and to demand changes to that system. Often at the
peril of personal safety and even his or her life.
A
while back and no doubt fueled by growing international political pressure, the
Cuban government actually allowed the well known blogger Yoani Sanches to leave
Cuba; a freedom to travel she had not been permitted despite her several prior
attempts to get permission to visit abroad.
She
had been invited over the last few years to visit different venues in order to
receive well earned prizes for her home spun and somewhat clandestine cybernetic
journalism. We, along with a huge number of people around the world, have been
able to follow her day to day routines within the island of Cuba; first as a
citizen who must deal with all the frustrations of living in a lacking
environment and second and, perhaps more importantly, as someone who has the
courage to report this lacking in the face of threats not to do so. And these
are not empty threats; she has been manhandled and thrown in jail more than
once for daring to write her blog… You can read this (link below) in about 15 languages thanks to the efforts of many who
work hard to help her get her message out.
As
all must pass in this life of ours, so it was with her struggle to be able to
travel outside her country… The question begs… if this country is so free, as
it is highly touted by its leaders, why is it that its citizens, especially
those who have voiced any type of criticism towards the government, have to
face a life of constant harassment (note
the Ladies in White, whose only sin is to be outspoken mothers and/or wives of
jailed dissidents) and all types of additional restrictions to their
already limited rights?
In
any free society, it is our inherent right to complaint, to criticize, and to
voice any kind of ideas we may have. No matter how altruistic or how downright stupid
these may be. As long as we do not incite riots or attempt against the life of a
fellow human. This brings me to the next step in this diatribe…
When
Yoani Sanchez was finally allowed to leave Cuba for a whirlwind tour of places
where many of her readers and followers were (and are, for she is still out there…) waiting to meet and listen to
her, the Cuban government avowed to dog her every step and to do their utmost
to discredit her words, at any cost. Her first stop was Brazil, where there
were assault brigades (My name for them,
for these were people who were following the SOP of the brigades of the same
name in Cuba) waiting for her with Cuban flags, little red hats, signs
which had been prepared beforehand (their
very professional printing bespoke of careful preparation) and the tried
and true slogans of “Yankee Imperialist”… “Paid Betrayer”… and others which I
am sure were worse.
How
ironic… This very harassment was carried out in a friendly (to Cuba) host country and it spoke
highly of the fact that in this country (Brazil), people are free to
congregate, mingle, mix and scream whatever stupidities they wish to at the top
of their lungs. As long as they don’t get violent, no one will bother them.
And, actually, this is the way it should be in any free country. However, were
she a visiting celebrity in Cuba where a group of opposite thinking people
tried to do the same, they would all be beaten up and thrown in jail by the aforementioned
assault brigades. Freedom of speech… freedom of thinking… freedom of
expression. These are perks our Cuban brethren –with some outstanding and
courageous exceptions- gave up many years ago.
So,
those few who choose to confront the “authoritarian despot” (words of José MartÃ, our own “Washington”
and said about the Spanish conquering hordes) deserve our respect and
support. We can do it by reading and following her blog (in Yoani’s case)… www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/
or her “”Tweets” (@yoanisanchez) where, as she
puts it: “I write about my daily life in segments of 140 characters”.
When
asked about the manner in which the Cuban government was, even from afar, doing
their best to twist her words and attribute to her things which might turn her
supporters against her, she simply said:
-“I would much rather have them manipulate my
words than my forced silence”.
Hurrah
for her… And for those of us who live in a country where freedom of thought and
speech is still available… don’t underestimate their value and their power.
Don’t give them up by letting others exercise yours on your behalf…
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
- Pray for those who are fighting an illness which may take them away from their
loved ones… Every request is heard, and counts!!
- Follow us on Twitter … @RJAsPandora
- Any comments please send to otherboxp@yahoo.com
- “La Otra Caja de Pandora”… The Spanish language Blog… “otracaja.blogspot.com” … Bienvenidos!!
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