Alt. Media, A Chat with Anarchists Gays Cuba by Gabriel Uchida - Column 'Even Cubans'

(en) Alt. Media, A Chat with Anarchists Gays Cuba by Gabriel
Uchida - Column 'Even Cubans' (pt) [machine translation]

Saturday early in Havana. Close to Revolution Square, the biologist Isbel Torres comes 
bike bringing a vegetable basket. He will prepare a vegetarian lunch for everyone. 
Optometrist Jimmy Roque, companion Isbel, awaits us in the house where they live together. 
A gay and anarchist couple who live in a busy place, maybe nothing more could displease 
the Cuban government. Then comes the historian Mario Castillo. All are members of the 
anarchist collective Taller Libertarian Alfredo López, named after a Cuban 
anarcho-syndicalist. Since 2010 the group held debates, protests and direct actions on the 
island. The content of the conversation, the interview has to be done in a tone of voice a 
little low, as other families also occupy parts of what was once a cultural center abandoned.

VICE: When did the Taller Libertarian Alfredo López and what you do? Mario: Our first 
activity was on April 25, 2010 to organize participation in the march of May 1st. We made 
an appointment to speak of anarchist origins date and then prepare posters for the march. 
We had a group with affinity libertarian issues and begin from this day.

Isbel: We have done several meetings to try to impact in some way the community and take 
part of the history of the anarchist movement and anarcho-syndicalist in Cuba. Rescued, 
for example, the story and where Alfredo López disappeared. Hardly at school will tell you 
it was an anarcho-syndicalist leader, they said it was a leader of the workers or until it 
was communist.

How to be an anarchist in Cuba?

Isbel: I think the most interesting thing is having to invent. Many countries have 
tradition in anarchism, but in Cuba it was totally cut off from political imagery, 
references are slim to none. Here, when it turned anarchist, he does not even know that name.

Jimmy: It is difficult, has cost me a job, was fired just for being an anarchist.

And how did you know?

Jimmy: I myself said.

Besides the traditional "A", they paint arrows on the left. Photo: Collective Taller 
Libertarian Alfredo López

How were the anarchists in the revolution? Alongside Fidel Castro?
Mario: The Cuban anarchists early already knew the true face of Fidel. Much politicking 
knew the intentions of Castro and his whole nationalist and megalomaniac mentality, 
someone was willing to do any kind of alliance to get in power.

And after the revolution, what happened with the Cuban anarchists?
Mario: they just prodded. Anarchists were a favorite front lines of the revolutionary 
government. There were shootings, arrests and some were exiled.

In the 80's there are reports of a libertarian group called Zapata, that some would have 
stayed in prison until he died. What happened to them? Mario: I've looked for families, 
surnames and I know some were from San Cristobal and Los Palacios, but found nothing. It
seems that for fear effect and for a moment I even think it was just an invention of 
people seeking anarchism history in Cuba. In over ten years of research, still in the same 
place without information. After the revolution, the Communists have control of the 
apparatus of culture and education, and created a new historical memory Cuba where they
are the protagonists. This caused havoc because emptied all memory of social struggle in 
the country.

Since the government can tell the story of their way, you are not afraid of that in 20 or 
30 years to happen the same and no one knows anything Taller Libertarian Alfredo López?
Isbel: We're talking about different circumstances. Now we have the possibility of having 
our everyday history and part of our job is to document everything, making visible to 
other countries like Brazil, France, Germany also know of our existence.

And as a young Cuban anarchism know if there's books and the official story does not say that?

Mario: Or do not know or by pure chance. It is possible that new technologies help us in 
the internet people can also find some our work.

Poetry readings in the park organized by the Taller Libertarian Alfredo López. Photo: 
Collective Taller Libertarian Alfredo López

The Cuban press is tightly controlled, as is to have one voice in the country?
Mario: It's just a state tool to the process of nationalization of the social imaginary. 
Watching TV is becoming a political attitude in Cuba. Among young people means that you 
are part of the system and allowed to indoctrinate. People wonder, "Why do you watch that 
shit?".

I see that the Cuban youth today have more proximity with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar 
than with Fidel. Why?
Mario: I personally think that control the country know wear that are having their myths, 
references and symbols. And are channeling this crisis to other myths that are less 
harmful to them, I think we are well aware of this symbolic passing crisis.

Isbel: The system is emptied towards a youth perspective. Where are the codes of beauty 
and success? In capitalism. Created such a boring society that all successful and beauty 
images are fetched out there, that is, this society has no ability to create such references.

Mario: If references that young people seek are harmless to the status quo, no problem for
the government. They think in the short term, do not care about what will happen in Cuba 
in 20 years.

And what will happen in 20 years?

Mario: It will be a "normal" country, capitalist, with ultra rich, gentrified 
neighborhoods, racism, environmentally destroyed.

What is your opinion on the changes of a possible end to the US economic embargo?
Isbel: The US government will change the strategies to achieve the same. This relationship 
will convert Cuba into what was before the revolution - a place for leisure and tourists. 
That means a huge impact on the environment, for example. The entire coast is now being 
prepared to be explored further and get more cruises. This tour will victimize Cuba.

After the revolution, all have home, health, study. To what extent is this true?
Isbel: The problem of housing is one of the most serious. There are people who lost their 
homes because of a cyclone in 2005 and has not yet homeless, are in hostels. Additionally, 
the normal is three generations living in the same house, which generates large family 
conflicts. Imagine for the LGBT community, as it is difficult to live in places so if the 
others did not accept him.

Mario: And there are already slums in provincial capitals. When you pass by train Camagüey 
, they tell the passengers to agree and close the windows because they can be attacked 
during the night. And education has been universalized, everyone has access but was also 
fully nationalized and subordinated to the interests of a ministerial elite. It is an 
authoritative and much propaganda education.

Jimmy: In health there is much bureaucracy, it is very difficult to arrive at a 
specialized consultation because it has to get many roles.

Mario: The most important capitalization source of the state today are the Cuban doctors 
to other countries like Brazil and Venezuela. This creates a national health system 
compression process.

Isbel: The priority is to export doctors, so many offices here are not professionals. It's 
not that Cuba is driven by a humanitarian sense, it is only sending doctors to places 
where they have more money.

Central Cuban Workers traitors! Photo: Collective Taller Libertarian Alfredo López

At times you do not feel very close to the right in its claims?
Isbel: I think so, but it's a matter of perspective. The Cuban national dissent, the right 
is an opposition that does not have many proposals. They respond to a common sense very 
simple demands of human rights and democratic freedoms, basically trying to normalize tub 
as the rest of the world. There are many elements which also claim such as freedom of 
expression, human rights, but the problem is the country you envision for the future. To 
the right it comes to creating a country "standard", but for us it means a radical change 
in development paradigm and fuller emancipation. Dissent only criticizes the pace of 
change, they want to be faster. For us the problem is not the speed but the direction of 
change, where does all this - and here there is a radical difference between us.

What is worse for Castro, a Yankee capitalist or a Cuban anarchist? Jimmy: A Cuban 
anarchist, obviously. Because the other has the same thought Castro.

And what is worse for a Cuban anarchist, a Yankee capitalist or a communist like Castro?
Mario: Neither are useful to the society in which we dream.

Isbel: How you question presupposes a dichotomy, but there is that. Within the anarchist 
perspective, both options are equal. Even the Cuban State is already creating spaces where
he is retreating and giving any chance to the large foreign capital. An example is the 
port of Mariel, made with Brazil's investments and that is precisely a future space 
directly worker exploitation.

Mario: There is no conflict, is the same. They are perfectly allies. To open a small 
capitalist enterprise here, you go on the municipal body and give you permission. But to 
create a cooperative has to get permission from the State Council, the highest authority 
of government, which may not give you anything. That is, the Cuban government relies more 
capitalist than in the self-management of workers.

March of May 1st. Photo: Collective Taller Libertarian Alfredo López

And how is the repression of the Cuban government?
Isbel: We have strong repression experiences, what we have is constant vigilance houses, 
phones, e-mails. This is not because we suspect we have evidence. In 2009 there was a 
march against violence in Havana and the following year, using just our phones, we call 
another march on the same date. But it was all fake, it was just to make fun of the state 
security. We spent at the venue and was all the safety device occupying the place.

Mario: After 50 years of institutionalization of fear, no longer is very much needed the 
explicit repression. Fear is already installed in society, this is enough. As well as the 
police in Brazil have batons and pepper gas, they also have the same here, but know they 
have no great need to use.

Photo: Collective Taller Libertarian Alfredo López

What happens if the police find us here, three anarchists and an international journalist?

Isbel: Nothing happens.

Mario: It can happen anything.

Jimmy: One day locked up in jail, maybe.

Isbel: Precisely because we do not know what can happen already gives the idea of the kind 
of country we live in. The power structure does not work in exactly the legality, you have 
a course of them, act as they wish.

http://www.vice.com/pt_br/read/um-papo-com-gays-anarquistas-de-cuba