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I
grew up hearing something that
explains our new life as
follows: “socialism with a
wingding”. They say it came from
[former Cuban foreign minister
Raúl] Roa, but the name is not
as important as the wish to
place a unique, distinctive mark
on our ideological system of
choice.
Talking with a number of writers
a few weeks ago I said that –to
my mind– any future form of
socialism will first have to
meet the requirement of having a
bit of “swing” about it, to use
a term from music, and let me
tell you that all I got was some
barely concealed conspiratorial
smiles in exchange for what I
think is the greatest cultural
challenge that socialism, as a
system and a way of life, has
ever faced up to.
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It
would then fall to the State,
the Party and UNEAC itself at
its various levels (among other
bodies where Cuba day-to-day is
managed and planned) to yield,
design and boost values as
intangible as joy, grooviness
and “swing”. If so, then it’s
time to debate and go deeper
into not only the meaning of
socialism but also –and mainly–
how to turn it into an
attractive and culturally
desirable goal, a pleasant
option to live within a quite
comprehensive range that
includes diverse lifestyles,
sexual orientations, leisure
pursuits, full popular
involvement, religious beliefs,
plans to fit out spaces, new
ways of interpersonal
communication and public
presence of the Self, among
other possibilities.
However, it’s not a question of
fabricating images of
permanently happy crowds, but
knowing the truth, a goal we
cannot reach without political
will and dedication. We’re
talking about marginalization,
but very little –if anything– is
ever addressed in our media. Nor
are racism, poverty, homophobia,
corruption, street violence,
bureaucracy and the lack of room
for discussing these issues and
many other things about life
that really matter.
A
social process about to
celebrate its 50th year of life
(in our case a socialist
revolution) also has to deal
with external enemies, the
contradictions created by the
process itself as it develops
and that powerful, all-consuming
monster called exhaustion. We
belong in a stage of world
history where the most diverse
problem-solving spaces (mass
media, schools, international
art and literature) try to make
us look like a failure, some of
them face to face, others from
the sidelines, but that’s the
essence. We are survivors.
Having “swing” and being
attractive in these
circumstances is almost a
categorical imperative, much
like the search for and finding
of the truth, as well as its
reexamination and public
analysis, provide a modicum of
assurance that humanism,
transparency and hope are still
within our reach.
Speech to the Culture and
Society Commission in the VII
Congress of the Cuban Union of
Writers and Artists (UNEAC), on
April 3, 2008, at the
International Conference Center
of Havana.
Note
from editor (Walter): Fowler is
also a teacher at the San
Antonio de los Banos film school
and an author of numerous works
in cultural studies, has won
many prizes, including one from
UNEAC for a book of his essays. |
