Maggie Alarcón

Archive for 2021|Yearly archive page

Vicente, tío

In Politics on December 17, 2021 at 9:59 pm

Hoy es 17 de diciembre, se cumplen siete años ya del regreso de los 5, tus hermanos de lucha y de canciones, por los que diste y pusiste tanto de tu alma.

¿Qué ironía no? Y tú que no eres irónico para nada.

Quiero recordarte algo que a lo mejor no recuerdes.

Era una noche en casa de Carolina (de la Torre) y Carlos (Tablada) en Línea aquí en el Vedado. Era uno de esos veranos en que veníamos a pasarnos un mes con los amigos de mis padres, los hermanos y la familia. Los niños de la casa, Abel y Johana eran pequeños y yo era no menos pequeña, pero me creía ya grande y estaba aislada en una esquina. Y tú lo notaste. Había más trovadores, había amigos, pero entre todos estabas tú.

En un momento te me acercaste y me preguntaste que música me gustaba, y yo con pena, no pude mentir, te dije que me gustaban mucho los Beatles, el rock y Serrat. Insististe en cual música cubana oía, y ahí me dio pena porque estaba frente a ti y no te quería mentir y te dije ¨me gusta mucho Silvio Rodríguez…¨

Recuerdo que me dijiste, “te voy a cantar una canción poco, muy poco conocida de Silvio, se llama ¨La Bicicleta¨.”

Luego me insististe mucho en que tenía que oír toda la música cubana posible, que el Rock era bueno, muy bueno pero que tenía que hacer un esfuerzo y oír a la trova cubana.

Ya después, pasaron los años como suelen pasar, y te veía en conciertos, en tertulias, en descargas, ya yo con pretensiones de adulta y tu seguías siendo Vicente.

Una noche veíamos el noticiero en calle 21 y regresaban tú y Sara y no recuerdo quienes más, de un viaje por América Latina donde habían dado conciertos, me parece recordar que fue en Bolivia donde se tuvieron que enfrentar a ataques verbales que llegaron a físicos contra la Revolución, la de ustedes, la nuestra, y de la cual no de separaste jamás. Recuerdo que mi madre que tanto te quería, me dijo: “!ese es un Revolucionario!” y como recuerdas, viniendo de ella eso era decir mucho.

Contigo no habían medias tintas, ni las habrían jamás.

Han pasado más años y te volviste mi amigo, con el que podía hablar y discutir y descargar cosas de política de historia de la vida siempre mirándote esos ojos tan increíbles y buenos.

Con el paso del tiempo te reías conmigo en Casa y un día me dijiste, ¿“sabes que te quiero mucho? ¿Y Sabes por qué? Porque quiero mucho a tus padres, y por eso soy tu tío y lo seré siempre.”

Hemos tenido conversaciones sobre lo vivo y lo pintado y siempre, siempre, tienes una luz única, clara, sin titubeos, directo, claro, repleto de una valentía y una sagacidad solo tuyas.

Cuando te llamé porque mi padre cumplía 80 y quería hacerle una fiesta y quería contar contigo, con mi tío, no perdiste un compás y me dijiste “dame el día, hora y dirección y ahí estaremos” y así fue, tú y Aurora, tu Aurora, entre los primeros en llegar con una bandeja de algo que ahora no recuerdo.

Fue una velada loca con mil gentes distintas, pero todos con un denominador común: la patria. Porque así te veo Vicente, eres la Patria, la mía, jugaste quizás sin saberlo un papel trascendental en mi vida y por ello te agradezco y te agradeceré siempre.

Recibir una de tus ¨OVACION¨ sigue siendo un momento cumbre que me sigue dando orgullo y me resguarda de resquemores, porque si tú estás de acuerdo entonces voy bien.

Me viene a la mente Noel (Nicola) cuando sin pedir permiso, se me fue, y se lo dije a Eduardo (Ramos) otro que no pidió permiso, “no se lo perdono, ¡ni se lo perdonaré nunca!” Y créeme cuando te digo que a ti tampoco mi tío bello, bueno y precioso. Créeme que a ti tampoco te perdono.

Nos volveremos a ver, mi tío, más temprano que tarde y mientras tanto te mando una enorme “OVACION”.

Tu Margaritica

Adalberto Álvarez. In memoriam (1948-2021)

In Politics on September 1, 2021 at 11:27 am

Una bella perspectiva sobre un bello hombre hecha por un joven bello de ideas nobles como las del que nos deja hoy.

La Cosa

Por Julio César Guanche

Además de admirar su música, leí todas las entrevistas que encontré de Adalberto Álvarez.

Había en ellas cosas capaces, siempre, de sorprender, con una sabiduría muy asentada, criterios muy propios sobre muchas cosas y que me servían a su vez como metáforas para explicar otras situaciones.

Siempre repito dos cosas que leí en Adalberto sobre música, pero que para mí metaforizaban otras cuestiones:

1) Los muchachos que salen del ISA vienen con unos arreglos buenísimos, pero muy abigarrados. Yo les digo: de este arreglo salen cuatro canciones, y las cuatro muy buenas, decía Adalberto. Es un entendimiento para mi profundísimo sobre la complejidad de la música popular, de la cultura popular, que no crece por añadirle “complejidad” instrumental, sino por la calidad y la belleza de lo que sabe presentarse con “sencillez” por haber entendido antes, a fondo, la grandeza de su propia complejidad.

2) En…

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Alfredo Guevara: No es fácil la herejía. Un perfil a varias voces (II)

In Politics on May 24, 2021 at 11:17 am

La Cosa

Alfredo Guevara, a su la derecha Héctor García Mesa, a su izquierda Saúl Yelín, todos fundadores del ICAIC. Foto Agnes Varda.

Por cuanto el cine es un arte

Por Julio César Guanche

Estedossierno participa de ninguna nostalgia ni propone melancolías sobre alguna “edad dorada”. Sí participa de la disputa por la memoria de la Cuba de hoy y de mañana, por las apropiaciones que se intentan de su pensamiento por parte de corrientes que él mismo rechazó de modo expreso.

En ello, eldossiercoloca a Guevara, con la responsabilidad propia de la honestidad intelectual, en la conversación que necesitamos sobre la renovación del socialismo en Cuba, algo que de modo casi “obsesivo” ocupó en particular los últimos años de su vida: un tema que defendió siempre como un programa conjunto de “libertad, justicia y belleza”. En medio de esas disputas, el dossier hace suya la frase del…

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Humboldt 7: The Endless Crime (part 2)

In History, Politics on May 17, 2021 at 3:28 pm

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

For Jimenito

College elections

At the beginning of the 1954-1955 academic year, I met a character, Leonel Alonso, who was supposed to be my classmate who immediately announced to me that he aspired to be the next President of the Federation of University Students (FEU), something that he was about to achieve. The first step towards that goal was to win the presidency of the School, which he achieved with the support of the Socialist Youth who controlled our Association.

Leonel, however, faced an insurmountable obstacle: the system and teaching methods of Philosophy and Letters that were quite different from those prevailing in the rest of the University. In addition to the quality of the faculty in our School, there was compulsory attendance to classes, periodic tests, seminars, workshops and conferences that anticipated what would become generalized in 1962 with the University reforms.

I never saw him in any of those activities nor, by the way, in the demonstrations and acts of protest against the dictatorship. One day what had to happen happened. Leonel abruptly burst into a room, interrupted and disrespected a teacher and she, logically, denounced him to the School administration, which proposed the suspension of Leonel’s rights to the University Council .

The Student Association decided to go on strike in support of its leader and organized a general assembly to carry it out. I sat surrounded by my companions. Above was Leonel, vice president Amparo Chaple and the Secretary of the Association.

It occurred to me to ask for the floor to oppose the strike, arguing that the School administration had fulfilled its duty. Leonel shot back in a melodramatic tone. “My colleagues’ words,” he said, “have deeply hurt me, his words have reached my clavicle” and when he said this he moved his arm in an arch and placed his hand on his hip. There was some laughter. The girls who accompanied him on the platform moved their hands indicating that he should raise his. Leonel repeated what he had said and as he did so he also repeated the same gesture. And so there he was with his hand where I already described looking in amazement at what was already general laughter. The “strike” failed.

The electoral campaign was carried out with two candidacies, ours and Amparo Chaple’s, and was characterized by the cordiality that always existed between us.

The day came when the presentation of candidatures before Nantilde León, Greek Language teacher and General Secretary of the School, would conclude. The morning was about to end and with it the registrations when the head of the Socialist Youth of the University, Raúl Valdés Vivó, arrived with the papers corresponding to Leonel. Nantilde returned them noting that the University Council had ratified the sanction against him.

Raúl then presented those of Adolfo Rivero, also from the Socialist Youth and whose aspiration no one knew of. Nantilde looked at the clock, it was already past noon and also rejected said candidacy.

There were protests and some shouting, but soon everything calmed back down. We were leaving the building when Raúl complained – “you´re not sportsman like” – to which he received the immediate, blunt reply from Fructuoso: “we’re not playing ball here.”

Our candidacy had to face what in the Cuba of the day was known as the “negative vote”, the convergence of various factors, which despite their contradictions, united their votes to defeat a common enemy. In our case they were the Creole oligarchy (Laureano), the remnants of the bonchismo (Leonel) and the Socialist Youth. They teamed up to defeat Susa and me, although in truth their goal was to defeat José Antonio and Fructuoso.

Although we lost the election, Amparo’s courageous, dignified, authentic communist behavior, by voting for José Antonio, turned the setback into victory.

Leonel maintained the favor of his “lefty” allies. After ’59 he was named Ambassador until one fine day he stole the funds from his Diplomatic Mission and went to Miami to fight for the freedom of Cuba.

As for Valdés Vivó, I must say that although we had great differences, before and after ’59, we also fought some battles together and with the passage of time, we learned to respect one another and even treat each other cordially.

On the links between the M-26-7 and the Directory

The best definition was given to me by Fructuoso and I repeat it: “It’s the same”.

I also mentioned before that on March 14th he hid in Pepe Garceráns´ house, one of the leaders of the 26 of July Movement and a childhood friend of mine. I am sure that there were other cases of aid to those persecuted after the attack on the (Presidential) Palace and the takeover of Radio Reloj. But allow me to recount one that I always remember.

It was on the afternoon of March 13th and on 23rd Street between 24 and 26, not far from where the shadowy Bureau of Investigation was located. In that place we were able to locate Joe Westbrook and Carlos Figueredo (el Chino), the latter injured. The incident was the subject of one of the first productions of the ICAIC (Histories of the Revolution).

Marcelo Plá, one of the main leaders of the Youth Brigades of the Movement who was studying Medicine, managed to cure el Chino under those very limited conditions.

In conclusion

I saw Juan Pedro and Machadito several times in the Plaza Cadenas (today Agramonte) helping to distribute texts from the PSP (Socialist Popular Party) and the Socialist Youth. Anyone who has known them, Joe and Fructuoso, knows that the Humboldt 7 martyrs were far from anti-communists. If they had not been assassinated they would have been at the forefront of our people in the struggle to achieve socialism and a communist society.

In those years I read a lot of Jean Paul Sartre including “Materialism and Revolution” where I found an illuminating warning: for the Stalinist the main enemy is not the bourgeoisie but the revolutionary who does not belong to the party.

I also believe along with William Faulkner that : “the past is never dead. It is not even past ”.

Published in the original in Spanish https://jcguanche.wordpress.com/2021/05/17/humboldt-7-el-crimen-infinito-y-2/

Humbolt 7: The Endless Crime

In DR, Politics on May 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

Fructuoso – Juan Pedro – Machadito – Joe

For Jimenito

Comandante Guillermo Jimenez

Despite the time that has elapsed since April 20, 1957, texts related to the massacre that occurred on the afternoon of that Holy Saturday continue to be published that revolve, fundamentally, around the betrayal that led to the murder of Fructuoso Rodríguez, Juan Pedro Carbó, José Machado and Joe Westbrook.

About the informer, his motives, his life and wonders, more has been written, much more than about his victims. There is no shortage of speculations and fallacies that distort the facts and even question his guilt. It is as if those comrades were killed again, over and over again, ad infinitum.

I am duty bound to rescue this history, the memory. The four of them were my friends and colleagues and Fructuoso was my boss at the University, with him I shared struggles and dreams that force me to save him from oblivion.

For this I will resort to memories that accompany me day and night.

What follows is only a portion of what should be, and with the favor of God, will be a much longer written piece that allows us to better assess what Fructuoso and his brothers meant for our History.

Breaking with Fructuoso

I entered the University in 1954 and very soon became involved in the student movement. I enrolled in Law and Philosophy and Letters and in the latter I joined as Vice President, a list headed by Eugenia Escalona (Susa) who later would be a member of the DR [Revolutionary Directorate] and the wife of Guillermo Jiménez Soler, “Jimenito”.

At that time there were 13 schools in the University of Havana each with a Student Association whose Presidents, elected by direct vote by the students of each Faculty, elected the leaders of the FEU (Federation of University Students)

Our candidacy had been organized and was directed by Fructuoso Rodríguez, then President of the Agronomy Association and the most faithful friend of José Antonio Echeverría and his main support in the leadership of the Federation. Fructuoso moved all over the campus and led the battle to free it from the remnants that still persisted of the “bonchismo” and were the base of the opposition to José Antonio.

Most of the Philosophy students were girls. Among the exceptions, was Laureano Batista Falla, from one of the wealthiest Cuban families and a classmate of yours truly.

On one occasion Laureano asked me to speak alone. We did so by the shade of the lush jagüeyes that still stand at the entrance of the Dihigo building.

Laureano offered me the votes of the Villanueva students, nuns and lay people, who, because they were also enrolled in our School, could vote in their elections.

He emphatically specified that there would be one condition, only one condition: that we break with Fructuoso.

Obviously there was nothing else to talk about but curiosity got the best of me and prompted me to ask why Laureano? And he replied that for them, Fructuoso was a radical revolutionary and that if his ideas were to triumph, Cuba would never be the same again.

The elections were held and I actually saw several vans from the Catholic University arrive. The winner was Amparo Chaple a well known militant of the Socialist Youth. On another occasion I will have to explain the tangled process that led to such an outcome. Here I must hasten to emphasize that although we lost, we won, because Amparo, breaking the discipline of the organization, gave José Antonio the decisive vote. Perhaps that attitude has something to do with her career after 1959, in which she barely reached a secondary position in the diplomatic service, although she always has had the respect and admiration of those of us who knew her.

“It’s the same”

Fructuoso was among the leaders of that FEU, the most tenacious defender of revolutionary unity. It was he who brought along as Vice President of his Association a well-known Socialist Youth militant, Antonio Massip, who could contribute little in terms of votes in Agronomy.

At some point in 1955 he announced to me that the Revolutionary Directorate was going to be created and invited me to be a member of that organization, when I replied that I was already part of the M-26-7 (26th of July Movement) he said “it doesn’t matter, it’s the same, in the University we will continue working together ”. So it was. By the way, I received the same guidance from Ñico López, first and then from Gerardo Abreu Fontán, who instructed the “twenty-sixers” on Campus to follow the leadership of José Antonio and Fructuoso.

D´Strampes 220

Jose Alberto “Pepe” Garcerán

José Garcerán de Vall y Vera lived with his mother at that address a few blocks from my parents’ home. Since we were children we played in those streets and we visited each other frequently. It was there that Fructuoso found refuge in early April 1957. I visited him daily and we spoke extensively about everything under the sun and moon. I communicated to him that on Faustino Pérez’s instructions Fidel had requested that he join him in the Sierra Maestra. He asked me to convey his gratitude but added that he had to remain in Havana to reorganize the Directorate under those very difficult circumstances.

We analyzed the necessary actions to continue the fight until the afternoon in which they went to look for him to take him to another hiding place. When we said goodbye, we agreed that he would notify me when to meet again.

Holy Saturday

Fructuoso Rodriguez

On the morning of April 20, I received a message from Fructuoso, instructing that i would be picked up the next day to take me to where he was.

I was a month and a day away from my twentieth birthday, but suddenly my life changed forever. In the afternoon my father passed away age 49 and I had to go to the Emergency Hospital to identify his body and do the cumbersome procedures with the Infanta and Carlos III funeral home. In the midst of it all, I seemed to notice an unusual array of henchmen.

That night during my father’s wake in our little house in the Vibora neighborhood, Garcerán summed up the days events: “truth is, life’s a bitch.”

(to be continued)

Published originally in Spanish https://jcguanche.wordpress.com/2021/05/10/humboldt-7-el-crimen-infinito/

Remembering Ramsey Clark

In ACLU, Blockade, Cuba/US, History, Human Rights/Derechos Humanos, National Lawyers Guild, Politics, Social Justice, US on April 12, 2021 at 3:23 pm

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

TOP 25 QUOTES BY RAMSEY CLARK | A-Z Quotes

Translated by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
https://walterlippmann.com/remembering-ramsey-clark/

The news of his death did not come as a surprise since it was known that his health was declining and he was also affected by irreparable family losses. But the death of Ramsey Clark is a source of pain and suffering for many in many parts of the world.

His trajectory since the 1960s was one of admirable personal integrity and fidelity to the principles that made him one of the most respected personalities of the American progressive movement.

Attorney General of the United States during the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, he played a key role in the approval and application of the Civil Rights Act, a decisive step in eliminating discrimination against African-Americans in electoral matters. He also accompanied Johnson in his efforts to ensure affordable health care for all. Both issues were flags that “liberals” raised but with increasingly hesitant hands while their elimination has become a priority for Trump and his supporters.

Ramsey for his part became a point of reference for those who did not abandon the ideals of freedom and true democracy.

He opposed the war against the Vietnamese people to the point that the President excluded him from the National Security Council despite the fact that his participation in that body derived from the high office he held.

Outside the government, Ramsey waged a tireless battle to stop this aggression, which generated a growing mobilization not only in his country but throughout the world, and to which he contributed as few others did. Not only with speeches and declarations. Of special significance was his physical, personal presence on Vietnamese soil in open violation of Washington’s official prohibition.

He had an exceptional capacity for work and delivering solidarity was for him a mission to which he gave his all. No cause was alien to him.

We Cubans owe him a great debt. Our cause was also his. His voice was raised time and again to denounce the blockade and the war that the Empire is waging against us in all fields.

His participation in the campaign to free Elián González and in the hard, complex and prolonged struggle for the liberation of our Five Heroes was decisive. Personally, as long as I live I will thank him for his help and from the bottom of my heart I say Thank you for everything dear friend, brother, compañero.

Ramsey Clark en la memoria

In ACLU, BLM, Cuba/US, Historia, National Lawyers Guild, Politics, Politics Relaciones Cuba EEUU on April 12, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Clark | Cubanito en Cuba

Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

La noticia sobre su fallecimiento no causó sorpresa pues se sabía que su salud declinaba afectada además por pérdidas familiares irreparables. Pero la muerte de Ramsey Clark es fuente de dolor y sufrimiento para muchos en muchas partes del mundo.

Su trayectoria desde la década de los Sesenta del pasado siglo es de admirable integridad personal y de fidelidad a los principios que lo convierten en una de las personalidades más respetadas del movimiento progresista norteamericano.

Fiscal General de Estados Unidos durante la Administración de Lyndon B. Johnson fue pieza clave en la aprobación y aplicación de la Ley de Derechos Civiles paso decisivo para eliminar la discriminación contra los afroamericanos en materia electoral. Acompañó a Johnson también en sus medidas para asegurar servicios de salud asequibles para todos. Ambos temas fueron banderas que los “liberales” levantaron, pero con manos cada vez más vacilantes mientras que su eliminación se ha convertido en prioridad para Trump y sus seguidores.

Ramsey por su lado se convirtió en punto de referencia para quienes no abandonaron los ideales de libertad y verdadera democracia.

Se opuso a la guerra contra el pueblo vietnamita al punto de que el Presidente lo excluyó del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional pese a que su participación en esa instancia se derivaba del alto carga que desempeñaba.

Fuera ya del Gobierno Ramsey libró una batalla incansable para detener esa agresión que generó la movilización creciente no sólo en su país sino en todo el mundo y en cuyo despliegue él contribuyó como pocos. No sólo con discursos y declaraciones. De especial significación fue su presencia física, personal, en la tierra vietnamita violando abiertamente la prohibición oficial de Washington.

Tenía una capacidad de trabajo excepcional y entregar solidaridad fue para él una misión a la que se dio por entero. Ninguna causa le fue ajena.

Es grande la deuda que con él tenemos los cubanos. Nuestra causa fue también la suya. Su voz se alzó una y otra vez para denunciar el bloqueo y la guerra que el Imperio nos hace en todos los terrenos.

Fue decisiva su participación en la campaña para liberar a Elián González y en la dura, compleja y prolongada brega para la liberación de nuestros Cinco Héroes. Personalmente mientras viva le agradeceré su ayuda y desde el fondo de mi corazón le digo Gracias por todo querido amigo, hermano, compañero.