Kubas förre diktator Fidel Castro har avlidit. Trots de rosenskimrande bilder
Svensk-Kubanska Föreningen försöker sprida, kan noteras vilket bakslag för
Kubas utveckling det kommunistiska styret varit. Censur. Politiska fångar.
Enorm fattigdom. Varubrist. En genommilitariserad stat.
Tidigare i höstas var jag på ett boksläpp med en viss Martin Guevara, som är
brorson till den förvirrade utopisten och terroristen Che Guevara, som var en
av Fidel Castros handgångna män. (Brorsonen är inte en fan av Castros regim.)
Jag minns inte om jag pubbat nedanstående artikel på SKRIVA, men den har gått
på utländska listor och fanns i det senaste numret av mitt EAPA-zine. Men i
alla fall, läs litet om Kuba från en som vet.
--Ahrvid
-----
The Guerilla's Nephew
When I was young it was popular with T-shirts and posters with one Ernesto
"Che" Guevara. He was a Cuban revolutionary, though I wouldn't protest too much
if you also call him a terrorist (and he was actually from Argentina). He was
killed in Bolivia in 1967 by counter-insurgency forces - after a pathetic and
failed attempt to start a marxist revolution.
His nephew Martin Guevara was born in 1972 and thus never met his (in)famous
uncle. He was raised in the US and is definitely not leaning towards the left.
In September he visited Stockholm to promote the Swedish publication of his
book In the Shadow of a Myth (I skuggan av en myt, in Swedish), a gathering I
of course wouldn't miss. He calls himself a liberal, but bear in mind that
despite what some claim liberals aren't communists... (In Europe a liberal is
centre-right. The liberal party was in coalition with the conservatives in the
last British government. The Swedish liberals were in coalition with the
moderates, centre and christian democrats in the last Swedish government. The
German liberals have sided with both the christian democrats and the social
democrats in different governments. And so on.)
Besides being raised - for parts of his youth - in the US he also visited
Cuba in young years and saw the reality of the Castro regime. Since his family
(his father was Che's brother) was connected to the Cuban demi-God Che Guevara
they got royal treatment. Suites at a luxury hotel, breakfasts with egg and
bacon, transportation in fine cars... But for ordinary Cubans, eggs were
rationed and bacon was only to be found on the black market. Martin Guevara
used to make egg and bacon sandwiches to treat friends of his own age he made
on the island. But one day a security person-of-some-kind tookh im aside and
sad: "You can have your egg and bacon for breakfast, but don't take it out. It
will just remind others of what they themselves can't get...".
He also talked about how militarised Cuba is. The military hierarchy
influences everything. in
the 1970's and 80's Cuba sent 50 000 so0ldiers to Africa (mainly Angola) to
support marxists regimes there. It's an enormously expensive and oppressive
system. We asked what he thought would happen after theCastros (Fidel is old
but refuses to die; his brother Raoul is now in charge). Martin Guevara said
that the military would take over in one way or another. They are so entrechned
in the in the Cuban society, and there are so many military
top-brass that have privilegies to otherwise lose, that the guys with the guns
will continue to rule Cuba. Unless there's a new revolution.
He saw some possibilities with president Obama's new policies towards Cuba.
Martin Guevara was there when Obama made his visit and saw the hope in the eyes
of the ordinary Cubans. Obama spoke to them and said things about liberty and
new possibilities that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. He noticed
how hundreds of Cubans gathered outside a new American establishment (I don't
remember if it was a store, a hotel or whatever) and sat there with cellphones
and other devices to pick up free WiFi signals - to get uncensored Internet
connection. The net is of course not available to the average Cuban. High
officials may have it, and there are a few Internet cafés but the fees there
are beyond most Cubans.
An interesting meeting with the nephew of the utopian guerilla man, whose
Utopia has crashed.
--Ahrvid
--
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