The Cuban government is extremely oppressive and does not tolerate any opposition to the communist ideology established by the government. The judicial system is controlled by the state and any action deemed and "opposition to socialism" can result in imprisonment. Recently steps are being taken by Raul Castro to open the Cuban economy to the rest of the world and citizens have now been given the rare opportunity to travel. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/americas/10cuba.html) Citizens who simply disagree with and disparage the government or Castro can be thrown in prison for more than three years. The lack of freedoms and human rights in Cuba discourages the free expression of religion and cultural traditions, thereby limiting the expression of West African culture. Although modern day Cuba shows signs of West African culture, Afro-Cubans who were part of the diaspora still struggle to fully express all parts of their culture.
Cuban Government Headquarters
http://www.cubantravels.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/mdlr.jpeg
Cuba's Government
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/cuba/government.htm
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcc.cu%2F
U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2886.htm
Cuba's communist government has been a topic widely conversed about for years. Many people believe at times the repeated accusations of oppression are a form of political propaganda. I believe that Castro's dictatorship was not an ideal form of government and various times held negative results in governing its people. However, I do not agree that Cuba represses West African culture completely. Many activists have found refuge in Cuba, for instance Assata Shakur. She has in fact stated that the society welcomed her as one of their own. Whenever the topic of Cuba arises it normally holds a negative connotation. However most of its population holds a sense of pride and nationality for their island.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your comment of my blog and it shows that different sources can give different information, or interpretations of information. Having done more research I completely agree with you that West African culture actually thrives in Cuba and my previous statement can be attributed to a lack of understanding on my part and poor sources that gave one (possibly skewed) interpretation that was most likely based off of assumptions. Thanks for pointing that out.
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