Dr. Oswaldo Dorticós Torrado: Remarks to Cuban Cultural Congress 1961

Dr. Oswaldo Dorticós Torrado

President of the Republic.
Member of the National Committee of ORI (Integrated Revolutionary Organizations).
Remarks to the cultural congress, 1961.

ROUGH SCANNING. proof-reading in progress.

Chairmen of the Congress of Writers and Artists: Fellow Ministers;

Honored Members of the Diplomatic Corps; Honored Guests from. Abroad;

Cuban Writers and Artists:

I bring the enthusiastic and cordial greetings of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba to this opening session, to this Congress. and to the Cuban artists and writers, who are participating with a high sense of duty in this meeting, with all the significance it entails for the future development of Cuban culture and for the engagement of the men of arts and letters meeting here today in the revolutionary process of our country. And they are meeting under the best of auspices, the deeply-felt memory of Federico Garcia Lorca.

• This memory colors in advance all the work of this illustrious meeting, defines the direction of this assembly, and determines its fruitful course.

Only a few minutes ago, Nicolas Guillen reminded us of the significance of the death of Garcia Lorca. "He was seen," says Machado's poem, "walking among rifles." But it is good for us to remember that those were the rifles of international reaction and fascism, the rifles -that murder peoples and the culture of mankind itself, the rifles against which rise up not only combative, militant men, fighters, militiamen. but also the genuine intellectuals in all parts of the world.

The death of Garcia Lorca, and the undying memory of his death, inspires this Congress, and is in itself a mandate for this Congress.

Garcia Lorca has died, but he lives in our memory, he lives in the memory of the people, for the cause of the peoples, and culture, did not die with Garcia Lorca.

Garcia Lorca has died, but his lyric, human message lives on! And the call of that message, reiterated and permanent, has on more than one occasion alerted the conscience of writers and artists in Spain, in America, and in all the nations of the globe. It is under these auspices that you are beginning the tasks of this Congress.

And the first thing that occurs to me to ask is whether this has been a timely meeting. A Revolution that succeeds in producing fundamental changes in the economic structure of a country, inmediately, and in a very direct manner, also produces fundamental changes in the political and legal superstructure of the nation.

It would be fitting, therefore, to ask ourselves immediately, in order to answer the first question, whether the Cuban Revolution has yet generated a literature and an art of its own, or whether, on the contrary, we are still in the first moments of awareness, of defining future attitudes. We can answer immediately that the Cuban Revolution has not yet been able to generate a literature and an art that can be called the products of this Revolution.

However, that does not prevent us from answering the first question affirmatively. I believe that this meeting has been timely and not premature. This meeting of writers and artists is clearly not the opportunity to examine the experiences of the emerging cultural life of the triumphant Revolution; it is not, because literature and art, as we stated a few moments ago, have not yet received the impact of the revolutionary process of Cuba in all its profundity. This is a meeting that has other objectives, objectives which are no less important, no less honorable, and no less demanding.

This meeting is a magnificent opportunity for the writers and artists of Cuba, in response to the Revolution and to all it demands from men of arts and letters, to adopt positions, define future attitudes, and outline the individual tasks of each and the collective tasks of all; it is the opportunity for the writers and artists, before their people, with their people as the supreme judge, to define their duties towards the historic time in which they happen to live.

The Revolution demands effort from all the men of the people. but it demands effort from each according to his occupation. There arc duties common to all, but there are also specific responsibilities. And neither the former nor the latter can be evaded with honesty!

The artists and writers of today have duties as men of the people, but they also have duties as men of their profession. And it is on these duties and responsibilities that we intend to speak tonight.

Sooner or later, a revolution completely transforms the cultural life of a country. It does so with the thoroughness typical of all changes in a revolutionary society. Does this mean, perhaps, that .1 revolution creates an entirely new culture? Certainly not. A revolution, committed to transforming the cultural life of a country, must begin by purifying and evaluating in a historical sense every bit

70of the nation's cultural heritage. A revolution that fights do .orst cultural traditions of a country should, above all, keep and safeguard those cultural traditions which are sound; although this may seem a paradox to some.

We are, therefore, extremely pleased to find that one of the topics on the agenda of this Congress, one which is apt to move us, is precisely this one, because in approaching the fundamental subjects to be discussed we should at least try not to classify as a controversial matter what we have just mentioned. How are we to do it? What is the best method? All of this should be discussed.

But we believe it should be our common conviction that in order to foster a genuine revolutionary culture and a rich literary and artistic life in our country, it is necessary first of all to safegurard our best traditions. By seeing to it, with fine revolutionary zeal, that everyone is judged with clue regard to his time in history, we should strive to save for this and for future generations the splendid achievements of men of genius who, unfortunately, could not share with us this brilliant period of our history, but who in their time did the right thing as men, as Cubans and as intellectuals. After all, the Revolution itself is a direct historical consequence of our past.

For this reason we should ask ourselves whether it is a betrayal of those who yesterday paved the path we are now following, not even to remember those who, for example, shaped the beginnings of our nationality?

Our culture will certainly find its own way contact with every expression of world culture, and availing yourselves of its traditions, its works and achievements, you will reconquer our cultural past and give it a new strength.

That is your task, and it must be done with extreme care, because it is unavoidable for a revolutionary process at times to generate apparently radical attitudes which do not actually correspond to the genuine revolutionary mind.

It is also important to discuss ways and means of furthering what has already been started in our country with exemplary enthusiasm: the rediscovery, purification and fostering of our folk wealth. This is extremely important, as it is one of the ways to enrich our literary and artistic life, and to give it a popular flavor. Thus. drawing from the sources of our cultural past, from the inexhautible well of our people's creativeness and genius, Cuban writers and artists may undertake a highly significant and fruitful work

But all that is to be done will fail in its usefulness to the Revolution and to the people's interests, if writers and artists do not clearly adopt an attitude of unrestricted, direct and deeply affectionate union with the people.

Our job is not to discuss the best technical and formal ways to achieve that deep, enduring communication with the people; that is something for each of you to deal with, and we sincerely believe that, in this connection, all shades are fair, the important thing being that the essential remains. But there is something we believe it our duty to stress: in going about your work with this duty in mind, the literary and artistic quality of every work must be carefully and scrupulously assessed.

Artists and writers must go the people —not descending, but ascending to them. The people are to be honored, and to do so as professionals you must go to them with the highest literary and artistic excellence. In the people is to be found the source of future works, the daily inspiration and the supreme inspiration. And to the people the literary or artistic products must finally return—u return of the treasures which the people give to their artists every day.

But it is also important to remember that communication with the people, while demanding the highest degree of literary and artistic dignity, also requires the will to put an end to intellectual aloofness. We know perfectly well how our past cultural life--a frustrated republic's intellectual misery, an intelligentsia harassed by everyday imperialist influence—pushed many of our best writers and

72artists towards forms of evasion and aloofness. Some of them are now on the side of Revolution, but notwithstanding what has been said here, the Revolution should not ignore the others.

What we have stated does not mean, then, that we must thunder against abstract art, but that we should try to prevent abstract trends from dominating future literature and art. This does not mean, however, that abstract artists should not share in the great task now underway.

The effort is for the future, and everyone must do his or her share. There is more than one way of bringing about this communication of writers and artists with the people. But, whatever the forms, whatever the schools to be followed, whatever the techniques and traditions, the important question to be asked is: for whom does the artist create? Nevertheless, those who until now have been unable to create for the people should not fail us at this time.

We should all remember the anguished words uttered by Antonio Machado,—."If I could only write for the people!"—and remember, too, that to write for the people is not to step down the ladder of the artistic hierarchy. Machado also said that to write for the people was to do like Cervantes in Spain, or Shakespeare in England, or Tolstoy in Russia. These immortals of art and literature were men who, unconsciously at times, and at other times with full knowledge, wrote for the people.

In a country in Revolution, writers have the privilege of writing consciously for the people. In our case writers have also the exceptional privilege of writing in a country where there will be no iI- literates in the near future. That will be a great opportunity fo, every Cuban artist and writer!

Works of art and books will be available for the penetrating curiosity, intuitive at times, later cultivated, of a whole people!

What greater glory and reward for you Cuban writers than to know that if your work shows literary quality and national subs-. lance, you will be read not only by an intellectual minority, but by the large majority!

if, soon, your public will be the entire .Cuban people, bow can any writer or artist ignore the people? As we said before, the Rev. olution demands exertion from all, and we know that our writers and artists will give their all, at all times, under any circumstances. It -is the only honorable way to be an artist or a writer!

Intellectual honesty, in our time, includes the merely literary or artistic. One is intellectually honest—and there is no place here for fanciful differentiations.—to the extent that one is honest as a human being.

, Your work is not to be clone without the concern and help of the Cuban Revolutionary Government. First of all, we must state that, while you have your duties towards the Revolution and the people, the Revolutionary Government knows what its duties are towards all of you.

It must, first of all, formulate a cultural policy. We cannot escape this duty, it is something we must do.

And when we announce the Revolutionary Government's decision to formulate and implement a cultural policy, let no one be surprised or frightened. Let me make it clear that the Revolutionary Government, in formulating its cultural policy, will not in the least restrain or impair the practice of freedom of form in literature or the arts; that, when speaking about formulating a cultural policy. we do so realizing that it is a governmental function which must be developed, not away from you, but with you yourselves as protagonists, collaborators and executors of that policy.

Speaking in the name of the Revolutionary Government, I might now review what has been done for cultural development.. But I wish to state in all humility that what has been doneo•the work of the Department of Culture, the national Cultural Council, the Film Institute, tie exhibitions, contests, dance schools, schools of music and theatre,-all this is but an illustration of what is to come.

Something of extraordinary importance is being carried out, riot by the Revolutionary Government, but by the entire people, something which is not only a contribution to the purely educational effort, but the highest, the most admirable contribution to culture, namely the gigantic drive against illiteracy. But 1 must stress that there is a lot for us to do in the future. In the first years of a Socialist Revolution, most of the attention is absorbed by emergencies and

Evidently,priorities of the work of a Revolutionary Govern-

Evidently, it wold be a luxury to discuss literature and art, had we not first discussed production in our country; indeed, the mate- rial and human resources of the people's revolutionary strength had first of all to be applied to the needs connected with the economic changes and the construction of socialism. But if there is something the Cuban Revolution may boast about, thanks to historical cir-- cumstances, it is that this Revolution has enjoyed the possibility and the exceptional privilege of being able to turn its attention, from the very beginnings, not only to a Land Reform giving land to the peasants, the nationalization of industries, the creation of the material foundation of our future society, but also to other tasks, just as vita! and important, but which, in other revolutions, had to be postponed.

That is why we can hold this Congress today. It is a timely event and it shows that our Revolution is unusually privileged in the sense that other peoples had to pay a higher toll to carry out their revolutions.

This privilege entails a high responsibility on your part. Alter all, gentlemen, it is a duty in which you may find personal happiness and joy, for in doing it you are affirming your vocation, you are shaping your personal destinies, you are finding an answer to your highest aspirations as writers and artists.

Once this assembly is over, what is ahead of you? To say it briefly: the people.

To the people, then, you must go with your best literary and artistic weapons. But before the tremendous task that lies ahead of you, we feel that artistic and literary quality and the desire to corrimunicate with the people are not enough. Deep understanding is required. It is not enough to speak the same language. To actually understand his people, a man has- to be aware of the whole social and economic process under way in his country. May I ask, then, with clue respect, that all Cuban writers and artists do their best to improve as much as possible their cultural and artistic standards.

It is not enough to possess literary erudition and high artistic quality to achieve complete communication with the people. In Order to better serve the people and the Revolution, many who are not intellectuals or writers, many who did not even go to high school. now earnestly strive to acquire broad and deep comprehension of the revolutionary process, and to attain the highest political learning. That is why we disapprove of certain tendencies that often appear in artistic and literary circles where political culture is scorned

Our writers and artists, if they wish to he considered men and women of culture, should not confine themselves to the creation of novels or poems, paintings or sculptures. They must attain political culture too, which is to say, they must achieve understanding of our socio-economic process.

Neither art nor literature can thrive or be fruitful if divorced from their time and society. They are products of society and' I wonder how anyone can conceive of high literary or artistic quality, not only in form but in essence, if writers and artists do not understand the society in which they live.

So far we have only dealt with your duties, but 1 do not wish to finish without stating that we, who in the name of the people today demand that you comply with those duties, are also jubilantly certain that you will succeed.

Let us work together, comrade writers and artists; let us work together, you and we of the Revolutionary Government, in the midst of our people, for the Revolution, for our country and for culture!

Thank you,