Source of Censorship / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado

Source of Censorship / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado
Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado, Translator: Unstated

For years, many Cubans have commented that the Department of
Revolutionary Orientation was the 'educator and corrector' womb that
gave birth to the communications broadcast in the Cuban media, and of
the rumors convenient to the State, which spread like wildfire in the
voice of the people.

I don't know if they will re-name the entity in time, but the procedure
for disclosing certain information to the population of the archipelago
continues the same. In my country, the newspaper Granma, official organ
of the Cuban Communist Party, is the official bulletin of the "leaked
news"and invisible and opportune annotations, which govern the rest of
the newspapers and printed news, radio or television.

That is, other publications within Cuba repeat, like media mirrors, that
which is reported by the newspaper from the single-party official
censor. The prime time news on Cuban television, at the usual hour of
8:00 pm, reads what appeared in the newspaper that day, the reflections
of the "Comandante en Jefe" — when there are any, regardless of their
length — along with the remaining "news" reports of the six TV channels,
with some new and irrelevant communications and reports of minor interest.

They criticize, as a rule, the problems facing capitalist societies —
they never speak of their achievements — and with triumphalist
manipulation ignore the basic problems we face. Are they talking about
the same country? Why should there be such incongruity?

The state tutelage on the uninformative — and disinformative — Cuban
television leave us with the sense that despite the many problems that
confront us, "we are winning." It's certain that although corruption
abounds and inability and indolence is enthroned in society, almost
nothing — other than the army — works as it should and that we have a
country in ruins, those who won are the clan in power, who appropriated
the country and have remained in power for over half a century.

However, Cuba has lost and for a long time now its balance sheet is in
the red. It's no good trying to entertain us with epic stories of
guerrillas and unmet promises, because for a long time ordinary Cubans
feel ourselves "surrounded and out of bullets" in the face of the
injustice and helplessness.

Like one of Aesop's fables, we are numb waiting for the "enemy fox" who
never comes, the New Man, perfect democracy and the model society that
never was and never will be.

Get back, caguairán*!

*Translator's note: Caguairán is a nickname for Fidel; it is a Cuban
tree with extremely hard wood.

May 18 2012

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