in the search for freedom
The authors of the Isla Libre project call on citizens to “wake up and act” through peaceful civil resistance.
By 14ymedio
HAVANA TIMES – The concept of a living book, which “grows and evolves” with time and collaborations, inspires the newly created Manual of the Isla Libre project. Created as a kind of civic encyclopedia, with the possibility of its readers sending new reflections and entries, the document aims to be “a practical guide focused on helping the Cuban people” in the peaceful search for freedom.
In its introduction, the Manual is aimed at Cubans burdened by daily worries, blackouts and shortages, and at young people and adolescents who “are already thinking about emigrating before finishing their studies.” Open to dialogue, the declared objective of Isla Libre is to “decipher why Cuba is in ruins, understand what we Cubans want and what to do to achieve it.”
On the other hand, the book is also addressed to the rulers and institutional actors of the regime, calling on them to reflect on their ethical situation, and to the police and the Armed Forces, who are not fulfilling their commitment to protect Cubans. “You see firsthand how poverty generates crime, how our children and adolescents form gangs and steal to be able to eat, how despair turns honest people into criminals,” it says.
“Wake up and act” are the two keys that, according to Isla Libre, mark the text. Without a personal effort for liberation, they add, it is useless to wait for international help. “How do we expect the world to reach out to us when year after year we show it the image of a people that apparently supports its oppressors?” they argue.
Cuba faces the consequences of 65 years of dictatorship, a word that Isla Libre uses without dissembling to define the “invisible chain that binds the hands of the Cuban people.” A system, they say, that has been perfecting its control mechanism for decades, adapted to each historical stage, and that seeks – and has achieved – perpetuity in power. Making Cubans feel that being born on the Island is a “historical fatalism” is part of the machinery, the text points out: it restricts every attempt to challenge power.
Through concise tables and lists – the Manual does not waste time and underlines its interest in “getting to the point” of the Cuban panorama – the document presents the Cuban reality and its differences in political, legislative, social and economic terms, compared to any functional democracy. The contrast is summarized in one sentence: “While the modern world debates about what kind of progress is better, in Cuba we simply fight to survive.”
Solutions? Isla Libre proposes that they be radical: restoring individual freedoms, establishing the separation of powers, promoting an open economy and guaranteeing human rights. Aware that change will not come alone, the book proposes concrete strategies to achieve it despite the obstacles imposed by the dictatorship.
Several of these strategies are oriented not only to citizen resistance, but to another way of fighting the dictatorship: improving – as much as possible and with the multiple obstacles involved in living on the Island – the quality of life.
Against the inhospitable panorama that the Government has generated, living according to certain principles of optimization and savings is not playing into the hands of the authorities, they argue, but demonstrating that you can live with dignity even if the dictatorship insists on erasing it.
Isla Libre recommends the breeding of small animals – laying hens, especially – efficient cooking and if possible communally, the use of fuel, the use of homemade products, maintaining bottles of ice and recycling. In addition, they promote barter networks – both for products and skills – between trusted groups, useful information exchange groups and child and elder care systems.
They also advise the creation of community libraries – not subject to censorship by state institutions – and study circles. “We need to document and communicate reality to counter official propaganda and show the world what is really happening.”
To those who demand a more radical action against the regime, Isla Libre responds that its goal “is not to create martyrs, but to achieve the change that Cuba needs.” However, they recognize that violent repression continues to be – especially after the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021 – a “systematic and brutal” response from the Government.
Faced with this type of scenario, the project provides a detailed manual of techniques and advice, which include – before a possible arrest – being prepared for the usual tactics of State Security, such as sleep deprivation, threats to the family, using “false confessions” of a friend or colleague, and temporary disorientation. In addition, they invite Cubans to “learn to detect” certain objects and people, such as a car parked in an unusual place or some unknown person who appears repeatedly.
They also warn about the misinformation that the regime spreads on social networks and the role that rumors plays in this process. They recommend the use of the Signal messaging application, “the most secure by default.”
“In this Cuba where scarcity wears us out and repression drowns our voices, there is a truth that we still do not understand well: real power has always been in our hands. Not in rifles or decrees, but in our ability to unite and act as one,” summarizes Isla Libre.
The project also includes a contact page, and its managers are interested in collaboration with writers, visual designers and digital specialists.
Translated by Regina Anavy for Translating Cuba
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