Cuba / Cuban Affairs

                       I’ve been thinking about the key to change

"They may cut down all the flowers, but they cannot stop the spring"

That Cuba needs a change of government and of political system is evident. The project called the “Cuban Revolution” has not only failed—it has failed spectacularly. After nearly 70 years under a totalitarian power, living conditions on the island could not be worse; the situation of the people could hardly be more lamentable.

Many factors suggest that change may be near: the economic crisis has reached levels never seen before; pressure from the current U.S. administration; the distancing of former ideological partners such as Russia and China; the absence of a new “savior” nation willing to be drained of its resources; the refusal of many countries to accept projects that benefited the government, such as the medical missions; and an increasingly evident diplomatic isolation.

While the Cuban government seems to be desperately trying to buy time to see if it can reverse this situation, it gives the impression that more and more doors are closing, that fewer and fewer people believe them, and that fewer and fewer are willing to keep losing money and credibility by supporting a failed dictatorial regime.

All of this has been important on the road toward change, but the most important key is not there. It lies in a people who have grown tired—a people who, for the first time in a long while, have begun to believe that they have a right to freedom and prosperity, and who have decided to do something to achieve it.

Let us make a quick summary of the past few years: the San Isidro Movement, the youth gathering in front of the Ministry of Culture, the unforgettable July 11, the university students’ protest against the ETECSA price hike, the many demonstrations in universities, the thousands upon thousands of popular protests—some as significant as those in Nuevitas and Caimanera—the steadily diminishing fear of expressing one’s opinions both on social media and in public spaces, and the increasingly clear voices of the Cuban bishops.

As a culmination of this list appeared “El 4tico,” one of the most lucid and profound reflections we have had. And when the ever-present wave of repression silenced its voices, a new phenomenon arose boldly: “Fuera de la caja” (“Outside the Box”), marked by a distinctive seal—faith. It is a motivation that places its strength in the God of the universe: young leaders of a different generation, young people who do not work alone, because they have the support of their Christian communities, communities that will not hesitate to defend them.

We know the phrase, never more fitting than for our present: “They may cut down all the flowers, but they cannot stop the spring.” And spring is already here, and it will continue to show itself in all its strength. Because this people—beyond their indoctrination, their fear, their insecurity, and their helplessness—have said, “Enough!”

They have begun to move forward, and they will not stop until the day when, happily, we embrace one another and can say: “We are free!”