Esteban Diaz’s Diary

“On the one hand, they openly condemn the coup and recognize Zelaya as the president, while very discreetly they supply assistance to the junta. “In this country, there’s been a rehearsal conducted by the American ultra-right, together with those of the rest of the hemisphere,” says labor leader Juan Barahona.

After having learned all the songs of Silvio Rodriguez, and coming to the conclusion that trova is no longer played by the younger generations in today’s Cuba, I threw up my hands and prepared to kick back in my friends’ company.

Tourism is a word that often comes up between Cubans; not because they take vacation cruises to the Canary Islands, but because they are habitually tripping over these visitors who in a not so indirect a manner add to the growth of the GDP.

It is not my conclusions that surprise many Cubans I know, but the fact that I confess to them that I am a Communist. But, don’t be mistaken, the people are not against Marxism, but instead are against those who carry the Marxist flag but nullify its theories with their inconsequent practices.

How is it possible that in Cuba, a country run by the working class, there is nothing to reflect the lifestyle of working families, in the factories, farms and in their homes? How can it be that the press offers no reflection of the economic situation of workers’ salaries.<

I believe that the greatest error of Cuban filmmakers is perpetually showing the “ass” of Cuban society, as if here there are no fighters who day to day struggle for their family and their country, as if new activists do not emerge from every barrio.

Although it is true that this group has great importance as a point of departure – given that not many people now participate in such open and objective discussions – constructive criticism is necessary for their greater effectiveness as transformers of society.

Recently I’ve had contact with a number of Argentineans. Some traveled to Cuba to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, others were here for studies, and a few came on vacation; in short, these were all people with disparate reasons for visiting the island.

This was just a snippet of time, that we hope mushrooms over time. Only with the participation of all workers and other social groups we will be able to dislodge the bureaucracy that hampers and mines this revolution.

That is precisely what I think Cuba needs, a revolutionary culture of intellectuality – one that involves the participation of people, respects ideas from all over the world and is willing take discussions about problems to all the country’s workers.