Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Yoani’s jail and the world beyond the water


Photo: Claudio Fuentes Madan

Yoani’s prison wall is nothing more than the wall of the Malecón. You can move your body as far as that point and from there beyond the sea only your Internet identity can continue – talking on Twitter, showing up on Facebook, living in Wordpress – to “the outside world.” Many have not been able to read Generation Y from within Cuba, but everyone knows the blogger’s record of denials for Exit Permits.

In a country where nearly everyone is obsessed with leaving, there is nothing more sadistic on the part of the government than punishment with imprisonment. Paradoxically, the thing that increases the solidarity of citizens the most is to see the Cuban dream – travel – crushed by grotesque legislation.

While the Cuban authorities play cat and mouse with their prediction – in their declarations abroad – of eliminating the White Card, in Cuba they use their last days in power to deny it. Yoani Sánchez is only 34, not Raúl Castro nor anyone inside the circle of power is going to live long enough to keep her within the borders of this island: they have already lost the war.

2 comments:

Chris said...

I am so disgusted by the fact that the Castro regime won't let Yoani travel because of because she is perceived as a threat to the state and yet they are allowing the sale of property to foreigners in Havana something clearly against the communist principles they claim to follow. This is a sad commentary on a regime that is hopefully in its final years, and you are so right when you say that she will win by outliving the regime.

Anonymous said...

Mi casa es tu casa. Claudia and Yoani, my fondest dream is to have you both come here to Tampa for a visit some day....soon! It WILL happen. Freedom is in the air, in the ether, out there with your words that are, brick by brick, breaking down walls.