The Fletcher School, the Latin American Studies Program, and the Tufts Latino Center rolled out an all-day symposium on Friday entitled "Cuba: Transitions, Innovations, and Transformations" in accordance with the Tufts-Cuba Experience program. The symposium covered a broad array of topics including economical, political, and social changes in Cuba today.
One of the event's headliners was Dr. Rafael Hernández, professor at the University of Havana and current Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Latin American Studies Professor at Harvard University, and his lecture on "Cuba Today: Politics, Culture, and Civil Society."
Despite the title, Hernández, who was introduced as a professor, poet, and playwright, only briefly spoke about politics. Instead he focused "specifically on the evolution of society in Cuba," as he put it, defining changes occurring in Cuba from a civil aspect, rather than with the political movement in Cuba.
The first half of the lecture focused on defining who composes civil society, and the second half on defining the environment in Cuba from that standpoint. Hernández's definition of a civil society varied depending on the context.
In Eastern Europe, he said, the definition concerned those who were fighting the established political economy. In Cuba, the equivalent was dissident groups and the Catholic Church. The modern day civil society in Cuba is grounded in universities, cultural institutions, and private and religious institutions, Hernández said.
He explained that as Cuba undergoes a "reevaluation of the 20th century Cuba," the taboo on many subjects is being lifted. People are starting to talk about gender studies, race studies, and the Cuban economy, and women are starting to write.
Hernández explained, however, that there was not yet complete freedom of speech. Several of his studies on race and gender issues had disappeared as a result of strong censorship by the Cuban government.
Hernández also laced his lecture with a sense of humor. When talking about homosexuality, he brought up the Cuban film "Strawberries and Chocolate" about the friendship between a gay man and a homophobic Communist party member, saying that since its release the climate had loosened somewhat.
Still, he said that while the government is more relaxed on such subjects, there is a far stretch before achieving complete freedom of speech.
Hernández also discussed the negative effects of some of Cuban's newfound civil freedom, including some detriments of tourism such as prostitution and drugs.
He concluded his lecture, touching on how Fidel Castro's eventual death, "if he ever dies," will affect Cuban civil society.
- William Marquadt
