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Open letter to academics, artists in the US
UNEAC - 05.07.2002 00:59
Open letter to academics, intellectuals and artists in the United States.
The National Council of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) has sent the following open letter to academics, intellectuals and artists in the United States, urging them to refute the lies being spread by their government about Cuba.
Colleagues:
We are writing to you to tell you the truth about Cuba, beyond the barriers created by the blockade. For the entire period of Cuba’s existence, our struggle for independence, sovereignty and peace has been intimately tied to Cuba’s ideals of nationhood and culture.
Our ideals have not been sullied with hatred. We have not maintained any bitterness toward Spain, despite 30 years of independence wars. Nor do we feel any hostility toward the people of the United States, nor toward their culture, which is amply reflected in our media, without any restrictions.
Our battle is one of ideas and is based on José Martì’s teachings.
Cuba has always condemned terrorism, and the Cuban people immediately spoke out against the crimes committed on September 11. Nevertheless, the current U.S. administration is trying to include Cuba in the "axis of evil" and has made charges that our country is producing biological weapons and transferring technology so that other countries can produce them. The president of the United States is trying to spread this lie.
In his speech, the president of the United States assumed the authority to speak of Father Félix Varela, whose life was devoted to Cuba’s independence and whose teachings still fill us today with the same revolutionary sentiment. The U.S. president also dares to quote phrases and verses by Martì, without the slightest respect for our national hero’s profound anti-imperialism. Martì’s life and work defend not only Cuba, but all of Our America, against the hegemonic and annexationist designs of the most reactionary representatives of the U.S. political class.
Today that class continues to seek some pretext, in an irresponsible and dangerous manner, to justify possible attacks and attempt to damage our country’s growing prestige. Cuban scientists have been educated in the use of science to save lives, and never to propagate death. They have selflessly served human beings without regard for their nationality, social condition, skin color, age or sex, in scores of countries all over the world.
Cuban culture is an inalienably humanist legacy that shows us, every day, the face of what we belong to. The cultural achievements encouraged and promoted by the Revolution fills us with pride, and we can see it fully realized in schools, theaters and squares; in museums and galleries; in books and libraries; and in the audiovisual and musical universe of a people that has embraced the idea that freedom is not possible without culture.
We call on men and women of good faith and the representatives of U.S. culture to refute these lies. As Abraham Lincoln put it, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time."
We know that you can embrace our truth and we are sure that you will make it your own, defending it and averting any adventure against Cuba, and especially working to end the blockade, a genocidal crime committed each day for more than 40 years before the eyes of the world.
Our peoples have the right to peaceful dialog, and the communities of academics, artists and writers must come together to achieve it.
National Council of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.
City of Havana, 2002.
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| supplements | | | als iemand tijd heeft | lui - 05.07.2002 02:27
Zou iemand dit kunnen vertalen svp?
| | lui | EE.UU. - 05.07.2002 10:47
Carta abierta a los académicos, intelectuales, y artistas de Estados Unidos
El Consejo Nacional de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba envió la siguiente carta abierta a los académicos, intelectuales, y artistas de EE.UU. en la que los llama a cerrar el paso a las infamias de su gobierno contra la Isla.
Colegas:
Nos dirigimos a ustedes para darles a conocer la verdad de Cuba, más allá de las fronteras creadas por el bloqueo. A nuestra lucha por la independencia, la soberanía y la paz le son consustanciales los ideales de la Nación y la Cultura cubanas desde su fundación.
Nuestro ideario no ha sido mancillado con el odio. Nunca guardamos rencores contra España al cabo de treinta años de lucha por la independencia. Tampoco albergamos hoy sentimientos hostiles hacia el pueblo norteamericano, ni hacia su cultura que, sin ningún tipo de restricción, difunden ampliamente nuestras instituciones.
Nuestra batalla es de ideas y se fundamenta en las enseñanzas de José Martí.
Cuba siempre ha condenado el terrorismo; y el pueblo cubano alzó su voz de inmediato contra los crímenes cometidos el 11 de septiembre. Sin embargo, la actual administración norteamericana intenta involucrar a Cuba en el "eje del mal", y la acusa de producir armas biológicas y transferir tecnología para que se produzcan en otros países. El Presidente de Estados Unidos pretende imponer esa falacia.
En su discurso, el señor Presidente de los Estados Unidos se arroga la facultad de citar a la figura del Padre Varela, cuya vida estuvo dedicada a la independencia de los cubanos y cuya prédica nos ilumina hoy con el mismo sentimiento revolucionario. Se atreve, además, a citar frases o versos de Martí sin el menor respeto por el raigal antimperialismo de nuestro Apóstol, cuya vida y obra no sólo vindican a Cuba, sino a la América Nuestra frente a los propósitos hegemónicos y anexionistas de los representantes más reaccionarios de la clase política norteamericana.
Hoy se continúa buscando de manera irresponsable y peligrosa algún pretexto para justificar posibles agresiones y tratar de lesionar el creciente prestigio de nuestro país. Los científicos cubanos han sido educados en el uso de la ciencia para salvar vidas, nunca para propagar la muerte, y han servido desinteresadamente al ser humano sin importarles ciudadanía, condición social, color de la piel, edad o sexo, en decenas de países en todo el mundo.
La cultura cubana es un patrimonio humanista inalienable que nos muestra cada día el rostro al cual pertenecemos. La obra cultural que la Revolución alentó y promovió nos enorgullece y la vemos realizada plenamente en las escuelas, teatros y plazas, en los museos y galerías, en los libros, bibliotecas y en el universo audiovisual y musical de un pueblo que ha sabido hacer suya la idea de que sin cultura no hay libertad posible.
Apelamos a los hombres y mujeres de buena voluntad y a los representantes de la cultura norteamericana que con su acción y su palabra pueden cerrarle el paso a la infamia. Como dijera Abraham Lincoln: "Se puede engañar a parte del pueblo todo el tiempo; o a todo el pueblo parte del tiempo. Pero no se puede engañar a todo el pueblo todo el tiempo".
Sabemos que nuestra verdad puede ser acogida por ustedes, y confiamos en que la hagan suya para defenderla y conjurar cualquier aventura contra Cuba, pero sobre todo para terminar con el bloqueo, genocidio que se comete día a día hace más de cuarenta años ante los ojos del mundo.
Nuestros pueblos tienen derecho a dialogar en paz y las comunidades académicas y de artistas y escritores debemos unirnos para lograrlo.
Consejo Nacional de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba.
Ciudad de La Habana (2002).
| | HOMAGE TO U.S. PEOPLE ON INDEPENDENCE DAY | RHC - 05.07.2002 11:05
CUBAN WRITERS AND ARTISTS UNION RENDERS HOMAGE TO U.S. PEOPLE ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
Havana, July 4 2002 -- The Cuban Union of Artists and Writers, known by its Spanish acronym UNEAC, today rendered homage to the people of the United States of America on the occasion of the 4th of July -- Independence Day.
A ceremony, set to begin at 9 p.m. local time at Havana´s Karl Marx Theater, was coordinated with the island´s youth and students´ organizations and was planned to be transmitted live on Cuban TV.
An UNEAC press release said that a grand gala celebration of music and poetry had been planned to honor the people of the United States for their culture, their roots and their human values.
UNEAC also wrote an open letter to intellectuals and artists in the United States, commenting that "for the entire period of Cuba´s existence, our struggle for independence, sovereignty and peace has been intimately tied to Cuba´s ideals of nationhood and culture. Our ideals have not been sullied with hatred. We have not maintained any bitterness toward Spain, despite 30 years of independence wars. Nor do we feel any hostility toward the people of the United States, nor toward their culture, which is amply reflected in our media. Men and women of good faith and the representatives of U.S. culture refute these lies. As Abraham Lincoln put it: ´You can fool some of the people all of the time and you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you can´t fool all of the people all of the time.´
The letter reminds its readers of Washington´s recent claims that Cuba was engaged in biological weapons research, which has profoundly angered Havana and been refuted by the rest of the world. "Cuban scientists", says the letter, "have been educated in the use of science to save lives, and never to propagate death. They have selflessly served human beings without regard for their nationality, social condition, skin color, age or sex, in scores of countries all over the world."
The letter ends by saying that both peoples have the right to peaceful dialog, and the communities of academics, artists and writers must come together to achieve it.
| | VIETNAM SUPPORTS CUBA | RHC - 05.07.2002 11:12
VIETNAM SUPPORTS CUBA´S DECISION TO MAKE SOCIALISM IRREVOCABLE
Hanoi, July 4 2002 -- The Vietnamese government today declared its unequivocal support for the recent Cuban proposal to make the island´s socialist system irrevocable.
In a press conference given by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Hanoi today, spokesperson Phan Thuy Thanh referred to recent comments made by U.S. President George W. Bush, in which he demanded that Cuba abide by Washington´s formula for governing the island. He said that Vietnam totally supports the Cuban people in their decision to protect their own form of government.
With the nation´s Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh in attendance, a document was issued yesterday by various governmental and non-governmental organizations in Vietnam, condemning Washington´s constant aggression against Cuba and its attacks against the island´s sovereignty and independence.
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