Berta Soler takes Cuba's truth to Puerto Rico
Posted by Pedazos de la Isla on May 7, 2013
After Berta Soler's emotional trip to Miami- the heart of the Cuban
exile- she has continued to take the Cuban reality to other places with
many exiles, such as New Jersey and now, Puerto Rico. The following is
my translation of a piece by Mario Alegre Barrios, published in one of
Puerto Rico's most famous newspapers, "El Nuevo Dia". It is a must-read
interview with Soler:
"We cannot wait for the Castros to die"
Berta Soler, president of the Ladies in White, says that a social
explosion in Cuba is imminent
By Mario Alegre Barrios / malegre@elnuevodia.com
When we said goodbye to each other two years ago, in Havana, neither of
us thought that we would see each other again. At least I didn't.
I was wrong.
The face of Berta Soler- cofounder and president of Cuba's Ladies in
White- now has another Light: her stare shines and draws a white smile
which contrasts that solemn expression we met at the home of Laura
Pollan, the headquarters of this group which, for the last decade, has
been one of the fundamental fronts of resistance against the regime of
Fidel and Raul Castro.
Visiting Puerto Rico since last Wednesday, today Berta continues the
trip she started nearly two months ago and which led her- along with two
other Ladies in White- to Brussels to receive the Andrei Sakharov Award
which was given to the women by the European Parliament in 2005,
acknowledging their struggle for human rights.
In the same way she gave that chat in the summer of 2011, Berta speaks
in torrents, as if time was running out to speak about the reality of
her country which has been under the longest dictatorship in the world
(for more than half a century).
The alleged liberalization of requisites to travel abroad which were
announced with much hype by Cuban president Raul Castro a few months ago
is nothing other than "cosmetic"- assures Berta- which represents
nothing for the lives of the majority of Cubans. For them, the $100 for
a passport is a fortune.
"The Cuban government is trying to employ many strategies so that the
International community may think that there are changes in Cuba", says
Berta. "In Cuba nothing has changed for the good…there are cosmetic
changes which are not going to fix the problem. These changes in travel
laws, for example, are not real; they are just selling another image".
"When they announced the trips", she adds, "the people were very happy,
they thought 'we are finally going to be able to travel', when the
reality is that virtually no one has the $100 to pay for the passport
and if they obtain that amount then it is nearly impossible for them to
buy the Visa, a plane ticket, and even less, to have enough money to pay
for their stay outside the country. That's why this change, in reality,
is just a big lie".
This woman- a microbiologist by profession who had to stop practicing
her career because she opposed the dictatorship- explains that when she
and her fellow Ladies asked to leave the country to pick up the Sakharov
Award, "the government, which knew we would continue denouncing the
situation abroad, only had two alternatives: let us travel, which was
bad for them, and not let us, which would have been even worse because
there would be absolutely no justifications".
"For us this trip has been very important because we have taken Cuba's
reality to the world, firsthand, and have denounced the government which
is asphyxiated, desperate in its attempt to make the world think that
they are implementing positive changes".
Free violence
Cofounder of the Ladies in White alongside Laura Pollan- who died on
October 14th of 2011- Berta explains that this group was born in 2003 to
"go to church to pray for the freedom of our loved ones" after that same
year the government jailed 74 men and 1 woman for political motives. The
prisoners were finally released in 2011 after the Catholic Church's
mediation and the collaboration of the Spanish government.
However, since 2008, the group's leadership became even more inclusive
and took up the cause of defending all peaceful political prisoners,
"and for those that weren't political, we also demand that the
government respect their fundamental rights".
"Violence against us has increased", explains Berta, referring to the
actions carried out by the brigades of State Security, "they punch us,
they strip our clothes off in public, they deport us from the city
during dawn hours, they tie us, drag us through the streets and even
carry out gestures as if they are going to shoot us with guns".
The list continues: they get spit on, are under vigilance for 24 hours,
are kept in buses for more than 2 days without permission to go to the
bathroom, and when they absolutely cannot hold it anymore they are
allowed to do so but only next to the vehicle, under the stare of the
police agents who mock them.
"This happens in all the provinces of Cuba… In December 2011 we created
delegations from Guantanamo to Pinar del Rio (East to West). We are
already more than 230 Ladies in White", she says, "With our resistance
we have won over Fifth Avenue (Havana) and they can't tolerate that.
Nearly every Sunday they physically assault us, just for marching in
silence with a flower at hand".
With the death of Laura Pollan, the group's presence did not waver and
her memory turned into inspiration for those who display solidarity with
the Ladies in White.
"We are continuing her legacy. Laura was a dignified, bold and smart
woman who achieved the release of our loved ones who, in reality cannot
be classified as 'freed' because they still have an extra penal license
and their causes are still open", she explains. "The government has
always done all in its power to train women and infiltrate our movement.
That doesn't worry us because we are peaceful and transparent women".
A shield
In regards to the Sajarov Award, Berta says that "we knew the day would
come where we would be in Brussels" to receive it. She adds that this
international acknowledgment "is a shield, a protection for our struggle
and also a compromise with the European Parliament".
Perhaps like never before, now the struggle seems to be reaching its
climax with a regime that is significantly eroded, and a people whose
patience is at very critical level.
Berta sighs when she assures that "we cannot wait for the Castros to
die, our struggle cannot wait for that".
"There are people who last 100 years or more", she points out, "Now
there is a growing group of dissidents, many of them who are young and
organized… we are waiting for the social explosion, something which is
about to happen at any moment. We have to be ready to guide those people
and remove the Castros in order to have a new Cuba where democracy is
respected, where human rights are respected. People are already
expressing themselves publicly on the streets, on the buses, in the
hospitals, in the market, because the Cuban government has nothing to
offer, just hunger and repression".
With this same idea, Berta adds that "for more than 50 years the
government has only handed out fear and repression… it is important
that, now, we have been able to come out to ask the International
community for moral and spiritual support, and that the heads of States
take up a hard line approach with the Cuban government".
"We blame the Castro regime, signaling it as a violator of human
rights", she insists. "When everyone outside of Cuba raises their
voices, the Cuban government will be unarmed".
The chat then takes a turn towards the subject of the political
situation in Venezuela and what it means for Cuba.
"For the Cuban government, it is very worrying. Chavez gave barrels of
oil to Cuba which did not go to the people", she comments. "At this
moment, Cuba is very afraid because the help from Venezuela could
collapse at any moment. Maduro may not give Cuba the same resources
which Chavez gave them. That is one factor that may affect the regime.
That is what we want: that the Cuban government be asphyxiated".
- Are you happy?
"No, I am not, because there is no freedom in my country. Because I live
in a country without rights, where my children are kicked out of school
because they are the sons and daughters of a counter-revolutionary".
- Do you feel hate?
"Not at all, there is only love in my heart… I do not hate anyone".
- Not even the Castro brothers?
"No, I do not hate them. I only pray that real justice condemns them as
should be. That's why I don't want them to die; I hope they live to see
the change in Cuba. That would be their punishment. God is the one who
knows when to take life away, and I pray He doesn't take their life just
yet. God has not taken Fidel Castro because he has no place for him,
while the devil must think 'he can't come here either because he'll take
my spot away'".
Once again, her laughter. She seems to be full of certainties now.
We end our chat.
We hug. She says she hopes we see each other again some day.
"When Cuba is free", she adds.
We say goodbye
I don't know why, but something tells me that this time it's forever.
–
See the orginal interview, in Spanish, here:
http://www.elnuevodia.com/nopodemosesperaraquemueranloscastro-1504238.html#.UYfcUnXkBPE.facebook
http://pedazosdelaislaen.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/berta-soler-takes-cubas-truth-to-puerto-rico/
No comments:
Post a Comment