The same thing 50 times

Text: La Salamandra Blanca

It would seem that in Cuba, instead of a reason for happiness and celebration and hope, all that the New Year could bring with the coming of every January is simply the arrival of the alleged celebration of the now extremely old Triumph of the Revolution. Because of this, the press is always full of “the same.” Recently a 50th Anniversary Bohemia Special Edition magazine was published with articles published in 1959. In general, like always, even today, they tell of the horrors of the dictatorship overthrown that year and everything “we cannot forget.” (But how could we, if every year, one after another, they remind us again how hideous it is?)

In the magazine there are two pages with “Phrases for History,” of course from the “Star of that moment,” with many photos of him. I would like to repeat some of the phrases here, to see how they strike one today with the passage of time:

…”This war was won by the people. And I say that for anyone who believes that he has won it. What interests the Revolution is the people…”
Who would be the one who, at that moment, believed that he had won and was interested in maintaining, for such a long time, all of the people under his absolute command and authority?

…”I believe that this people has the same rights as other people to govern itself and to chart its own destiny.”
…And since then…? Sometime it’s time to let the people chart a new destiny, and it would be good to stop living through what someone else charted for himself and extended to everyone.

…”Where there is justice there is no crime, and where there is crime there is no freedom of the press; where there is crime they hide what they do.”
…Freedom of the press? Where is that… is it here?

“This people is not a barbaric people, nor is it a criminal people. This the most noble and sensitive people of all."
…Asshole, then why are you so determined to fuck them over?