The first entry in the series of interesting and inspirational blogs comes from the sphere of commentary on society. One could argue that half the internet is about that, but this material I find particularly interesting. It sits right on top of a boundary of free speech, and has the potential to be an integral part of the transformation of a society.
The feature site is Bloggers Cuba. It is a collaboration site written by bloggers (currently 8), writing about Cuba, from Cuba. A machine translation makes it possible for a non-spanish reading reader to access the material.
The blog, which has been active for about a month, contains entries about most aspects of life. Entertainment and arts feature heavily, as does sports (=mainly baseball). Discussion about society and politics is opening up, attracting the interest of readers outside Cuba as well.
A different voice
There are already a lot of blogs about Cuba. The force with which Cubans in exile are making their voices heard is astonishing. Proponents of democracy and free speech, but also sworn opponents of the regime, their accounts tend to give a heavily politicised view. They form the front line of the political battle in which one side only is armed with the financial and technological means to run an internet based campaign.
Bloggers Cuba differs from these sites in that it transmits a moderate voice. It is a source close to the people, generating content which has its roots, not at one or the other of the extremes, but in the middle. This opens up new possibilities in terms of constructive dialogue.
Availability and censorship
The main hurdle for the constructive discussion to happen is availability. In order for the internet to have an impact, people must have access to the medium. Limitations to the freedom of speech is of course the most notable problem, but technological issues exist too.
The Cuban authorities’ censorship of internet sites would require an article in its own right. Since I am by no means an expert, I suggest to you a couple of online readings on the subject.
The OpenNet initiative has a seemingly objective account of Cuban internet use. One of its astonishing, but credible claims is as follows:
Currently Cuba still uses its satellite connection with a 65 Mb/s upload bandwidth and a 124 Mb/s download bandwidth for the entire country.
Another text on the availability of internet is featured on Bloggers Cuba. This article describes the main problems slowing down the arrival and mainstream use of interaction websites (blogs, social networking, media sharing..) in Cuba. The emphasis of the article is on technology and connectivity, but it does not fail to call for relaxation of government policy on the subject matter.
The comments that follow the post open up an important debate between people of differing views. Just the possibility to discuss the facts and figures in a neutral setting gives important relief to the current atmosphere of communication blockade and propaganda warfare.
The last word of the extremes
The Miami Herald, while subjective in it’s critique of the regime, makes sure we get to hear of all the violations of liberties. They recently reported on the police interrogation of Yoani Sánchez, award winning author of the oppositional blog generacionY (which is blocked by most Cuban internet providers).
On the other side of the journalistic spectrum sit the Cuban government press. They too are proponents of free use of the internet when it suits their cause.
Blogs as a neutral medium
In this environment of heavy polarisation the blogs are invaluable. When studying the blogs and commentaries from various directions you can get a pretty good picture of where ordinary people stand. In their discussions, ideological polemics come second to constructive thinking.
Bloggers Cuba, by virtue of its size (growing) and it’s relatively neutral position, has the potential of being the most radical account of life on the island avoiding censorship. It is a commentry by ordinary people for ordinary people. If and when Cuban connectivity to the internet improves, the dialogue transmitted by sites like this is likely to play an important role in the development of society.
Nice post, Gustav. Thanks for your time on the site.
Interesting article.
It is great to hear your point of view that comes from outside the cuban blogosphere. Many people (mainly from the exile) have accused us of being paid with the gold from Havana but we are nothing but people interested on dialog and understanding from a non-confrontation position. Thanks for the time you have spent on our blog (using Google Trans?).
cheers