By María Josefina Arce
Cuban culture, that mixture of races, traditions and customs, symbol of our country, is also a trench of resistance to the hostile policy of the United States. It has strongly felt the blockade imposed for six decades against our people, but it has not renounced to continue defending our values and principles and contributing to the spirituality of Cubans.
The economic siege has affected the development of commercialization projects of Cuban cultural entities in areas of great acceptance around the world, particularly in the United States, such as visual arts, music, literature and film production.
The unjustified blockade of personal accounts and institutions linked to culture persists, denounces the report on the damages caused by the unilateral measure from March 2022 to February this year, presented in Havana by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to the diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba.
This situation reduces the resources that could be contributed to the promotion of culture by the different institutions of that sphere in the national territory. Many more initiatives could be developed throughout the country to the delight and satisfaction of Cubans.
The report states that even several forms of non-state management of the sector have faced obstacles to import and obtain the necessary inputs for the performance of their work.
The U.S. blockade directly affects artistic education, which has repercussions on the quality of learning and creation. It affects the material basis of study for the different disciplines.
The country must purchase musical instruments and other necessary materials in distant markets, with the usual increase in cost, while at the same time, on many occasions, an attempt is made to prevent the donation of these means by friendly individuals and institutions abroad.
Likewise, as part of this hostile policy, attempts have been made to discredit the creations of representatives of our culture, residents in Cuban territory, while trying to make visible and legitimize anti-Cuban products.
The document refers to how they seek to frustrate the presentation abroad of artists and creators who continue to work in our country, through harassment and violence.
But Cuban culture, the one that exalts the emancipating work of the Homeland, continues from its different manifestations creating, defending our values, resisting the neocolonizing attempts and difficulties and reaching any corner of our country, because the access of all to culture as a human right is one of the great works of the revolution.
