Cuba focus of historic conference

In this moment of creeping detente,
warming relations between the United
States and the Soviet Union, and hopeful
steps toward national reconciliation and
increasing regional and global coopera-
tion, there is still one great spectre in this
hemisphere which haunts those in power
in Washington. That spectre is revolution-
ary Cuba, lying just 150 km off the U.S.
coast.

If Panama’s Manuel Noriega and Pres-
ident Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua are dan-
gerous criminals — even “animals” —
which must be surgically removed from
Latin America’s body politic in order to
make the continent safe for democracy
and freedom, the greater evil, that sinister
mastermind behind all other threatening
evils, remains Fidel Castro and the Cuban
government.

It is this hawkish, cold-war view, upheld
by every Democratic and Republican
American administration since 1959,
which has led to repeated attempts to
invade the island, assassinate its leaders,
foment internal counter-revolution, stran-
gle its economy through boycotts, and vil-
ify its international role and credibility.
These imperialist tactics have always been
complemented by an obstinate refusal on
the part of the United States to entertain
any form of normalization of state rela-
tions with Cuba and to use every means to
cut off any possible channel of dialogue ver
even by private American citizens — with
the Cuban people or their representatives.

In this political context then, the recent
conference on “Thirty Years of the Cuban
Revolution: An Assessment”, held in
Halifax, N.S. Nov. 1-4, can well be looked
upon as a remarkable, even an historic

‘event. The meeting brought together some

400 academics, “Cubanologists” and experts
from around the world, including a 30-
person delegation from Cuba itself, to
examine and debate virtually every aspect
of the Cuban revolution and socialist pro-
ject. It was the single largest international
event held to mark the 30th anniversary of
the Cuban revolution. .

Topics at the conference ranged from
the role of the state and the Communist
Party, the domestic human rights situa-
tion, and the economic policies of the “rec-
tification process” through such issues as
contemporary Cuban culture, the role and

Miguel
Figueroa

place of women in Cuba today, the impor-
tance of religion, public health, education,
environment, and Cuba’s foreign rela-
tions, both with the United States and with
the rest of the socialist community, with
Latin America and other developing
countries.

Especially significant was the substan-
tial turnout of American scholars, policy
advisors, journalists and community acti-
vists. While the majority were sympathetic
to the Cuban revolution, many others,
including a large contingent from the
Miami-based Cuban-American commun-
ity, were openly hostile. In the 40 separate
workshops held over the four days,

FROM THE
MARITIMES

Cuban revolution) according to sup-
posedly universal criteria because they are
those of the dominant (Western) culture.

“The original sin of established Cuba-
nology,” he said, “is that it comes from the
North.”

Alarcon went on to situate the revolu-
tionary process in Cuba in its historical
context, noting that “the socialist project
was to be implemented in a region not
foreseen by Marx, on the periphery of the
capitalist system; in an area of exclusive
control of U.S. imperialism; and in a par-
ticular country that had a very special
degree of dependency and subordina-
tion.”

In the cold-war context, the recent conference
on 30 years of the Cuban revolution can be
looked upon as a remarkable, even an historic,

event

numerous criticisms and attacks on
Cuban reality were made by some pane-
lists, and several anonymous bomb threats
were phoned in to conference organizers.

Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba’s deputy for
eign minister and leader of the high-level
delegation, welcomed all comments and
criticisms from participants, noting that
such dialogue is vital in overcoming mut-
ual isolation and fear. He noted, however,
that any serious analysis of the Cuban
revolution must take into account the his-
torical roots and experiences of the Cuban
people. He criticized the tendencies of
some American scholars “‘to interpret (the

Much attention was focussed on the
“rectification process” launched in 1986 to
overcome various difficulties which had
developed in the Cuban economy and
social sphere. Miguel Alphonso, an expert
with the Cuban Institute of International
Affairs, reminded delegates that the revo-
lution is a process rather than a single
event, and that there have been several
changes in approach over the 30 years.
since the seizure of power.

He said, however, that the current situa-
tion was most serious. “We have wit-
nessed a crisis of a certain model of how
we are going to build socialism in Cuba.”

The “rectification process” was des-
cribed by James Petras, a professor from
State University at New York (SUNY)asa
radical shift in the economy toward curb-
ing the private sector, increasing centrali-
zation, and emphasizing moral over
material incentives to the Cuban working
class. Petras claimed that these changes
were necessitated by growing Cuban con-
cern about increasing productivity and
building an export base in the face of
expected declining support from the
Soviet Union and other socialist allies.

Cuban economist Jose Luis Rodriguez
observed however that the main reason for
the “mid-course correction” was the
development of certain imbalances in the
distribution of wealth, with income in the
private sector rising much faster than that
sector’s increase in productivity. He noted
that the principle of self-financing of
enterprises has been maintained, and that
the real incomes of the 28,000 non-
agricultural members of the private sector
in Cuba have actually increased over the
past two years.

While refusing to counterpose “rectifi-
cation” to perestroika, several Cuban
speakers expressed guarded concern over
the reform process in some other socialist
countries. Though respecting the choices
made by each state to independently chart
its future development, there was an open
questioning of the ability to build social-
ism “by reverting to capitalist methods.”

Rita Pereira of the Cuban Federation of
Women spoke about the substantial gains
achieved by the revolution for women,
while identifying several areas of con-
tinued discrimination in the legal structure
and in domestic life. She noted however
that Cuban women are not indifferent to
the fate of socialism, because it continues
to provide the best conditions for eliminat-
ing machismo in Cuban society.

Cuban culture also figured prominently
during the conference with the attendance
of well known writer Luis Suardiaz, the
showing of Saul Landau’s latest film on
Cuba, “The Uncompromising Revolu-
tion,” and a concert and dance featuring
one of Cuba’s most popular orchestras,
Grupo Oru. The conference also laid a
solid basis for the formation of a local °
Canada-Cuba friendship group in the near
future.

Injunction escalates Temagami road dispute

The Ontario government added another

element of confrontation to the dispute over
the Red Squirrel logging road in northern
Ontario Nov. 14 as it successfully applied in
Ontario Supreme Court for a temporary
injunction banning blockades on the road
by the Teme-Augama Anishnabai first
nation.

The temporary order, granted to Ontario
Attorney-General Ian Scott by Justice
James Farley, was expected to be the pre-

lude te a further order banning blockades

for the duration of the six weeks required
for construction of the 15-kilometre road
extension.

But Scott’s action is only expected to
aggravate the dispute over construction of
the road and the unresolved land claim in

the area, one of the last stands of old growth

ine.
Some 55 people were arrested on the
weekend as the first nation began its
planned campaign to mount a blockade on
the road until the land claim is resolved.
Earlier, Teme-Augama Anishnabai chief

Gary Potts had announced that members -

would begin setting up blockades Nov. 11 -

to stop construction of the road into the
disputed area.

On Oct 31, the first nation served notice
of eviction to the Ontario Ministry of Natu-
ral Resources, Carmen Construction (which
is building the road) and the Temagami
Wilderness Society (which had conducted
its own separate blockade). The order
encompassed the townships of Shelburne,
Delhi and Acadia. The Temegami Wilder-
ness Society announced it would respect the
eviction notice and dismantled its own
blockade in the area.

“We felt it was important to ask all who
are not Teme-Augama Anishnabai citizens
to leave the area,” chief Gary Potts told a
news conference. “In exercising our author-
ity over the land it was very necessary that

‘the area be clean — that the area be left

alone until the Supreme Court of Canada
decides who owns it or an agreement is
reached through the treaty process.”

The announced blockade followed a
decision by the Ontario Supreme Court not
to place an injunction on further logging
and road construction pending the outcome
of the first nation’s claim which is expected

to come before the Supreme Court of Can-
ada some time next spring.

Potts argued that if the road goes ahead
before the case is heard, then any decision
could be academic because the disputed
land could already be destroyed.

“Why the heavy hand?” Potts asked:
“We can only conclude that the ‘hawks’ in
the Ontario bureaucracy and cabinet have
the upper hand and they are intent on crush-
ing the Teme-Augama Anishnabai.

“We will not be crushed,” he declared.
“our spirituality is intertwined with the
roots of our land based on 6,000 years of
nurturing stewardship and the principles of
sustained life.’

Potts thanked the Temagami Wilderness
Society for honouring the eviction notice
and recognizing that the first nation, not the
Ontario government, has jurisdiction over
the land. He said the Teme-Augama
Anishnabai will re-establish the Wendalban
and Misabi blockades at both ends of the
Red Squirrel Road. The blockades are
named after the clans that have traditionally
occupied those lands.

Potts said the Remembrance Day date

for the blockades was significant since many
members of first nations had fought against
American oppression as allies of the British
and Canadians during the War of 1812, as
well as in both world wars. :

The blockades are scheduled to last until
the end of the year, coinciding with the
deadline for the completion of the Red
Squirrel Road. The Teme-Augama Anish-
nabai are expecting support from first
nations across the country and are also
inviting support from concerned individu-
als so long as those individuals accept the
leadership of the first nation in the conduct
of the blockade.

“The blockades will be peaceful and we
will not resist arrest by agents of the Ontario
Crown,” Potts said. “We are asking for
support from the first nation citizens in
Canada as well as all other Canadians who,
by choice, believe in justice, co-existence
and tolerance.”

Those wishing to support the Teme-
Augama Anishnabai should write or send
donations to: Bear Island Foundation, Bear
Island, Lake Temagami, Ontario. POH
1C0. (705) 237-8943.

Pacific Tribune, November 20, 1989 « 7