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Thursday, November 07, 2013

Cuba — a path toward national healing

Posted on Wednesday, 11.06.13

Cuba — a path toward national healing
BY RICARDO HERRERO
RICARDO.HERRERO@CUBASTUDYGROUP.ORG

Reconciliation is a word still met with skepticism by Cubans in both the
island and diaspora. Our political divisions follow deep grooves long
carved into our national narrative, making it difficult for one side to
recognize the merits or grievances of the other.

Yet, as Cuba embarks on an ongoing process of change, and the diaspora
increases its footprint inside the island, our decades of polarized
political convictions call for a process of national healing and
reconciliation.

While Cuban families have already begun this process in earnest, there
is much more that needs to happen in order to build an inclusive, just,
free, and prosperous future for Cuba.

The Cuba Study Group views national reconciliation as both a process and
a goal. We recognize its difficulties, but are convinced of its necessity.

For these reasons, we launched The Reconciliation Project, which seeks
to present various reconciliation processes from around the world so
that Cubans on both shores can draw on lessons they think may be relevant.

We explored the South African and Irish reconciliation processes during
our inaugural conference in 2012, and the German reunification process
during our second conference last month, both hosted by Miami Dade College.

After examining these diverse experiences, certain common themes have
emerged.

I summarize them below by paraphrasing our conference speakers, Father
Robert Schreiter, South African Ambassador to the United States. Ebrahim
Rasool, Former Sinn Fein VP Pat Doherty, Georgetown Professor Dieter
Dettke, former East German dissident Günter Nooke, and Cuban civil
society leader Dagoberto Valdés.

• Reconciliation requires forgiveness and justice. To the extent that we
are unable to heal because we continue to dwell on our pain, we are
rendered incapable of crafting a new future. Forgiveness requires that
we not allow the future to be doomed by the past. The violence caused by
both sides needs to be remembered and addressed, but without
degenerating into revenge. Requiring that change bring about justice
before anything else only serves to delay the very process of change,
thereby causing greater injustice.

• Reconciliation is not a linear process.

Reconciliation cannot consist of a series of predetermined sequential
changes. On the contrary, each of the cases explored show that all
changes must all be allowed to happen as opportunities present
themselves, because they illuminate one another. As Valdés stated, "It
does not matter how the Cuban puzzle is put together, what is vital is
that all the pieces be on the table."

• Reconciliation cannot be a competition of wounds.

Reconciliation cannot turn into a competition of whose wounds are
deeper. The most important shift in identity through this entire process
is to divest oneself of the identity of victim. The pain of victims must
be respected and remembered, yet we are ill-served if we allow it to
become an obstacle to paving a better future.

• Dialogue is more important at the onset than trust.

As we saw in Ireland, a critical component of a successful conflict
resolution process is the absolute need for inclusive "good faith"
dialogue involving all parties with all issues raised on the agenda.
While trust will not be there at the start of talks, it may and likely
will develop during or beyond the process. The critical thing is to have
trust in the process, and trust that each party is serious about
creating a better future. "To bring about change one must empower one's
opponents and not paint them into a corner," said Dettke.

Rasool concurs. "We understood the need to give our antagonists . . . 
enough to go back with to comfort their constituency. Because we
understood one very important principle: We are each other's keepers."

We need to begin to look at Cuba not as a conflict to be won, but as a
problem to be solved.

The Cuba Study Group will continue to explore reconciliation processes
through conferences in 2014 and beyond, and will not discount the
valuable lessons that can be learned from each experience.

Anyone interested in attending our upcoming conferences is welcome,
since all Cubans, both in the island and diaspora, are part of this
important conversation.

Ricardo Herrero is deputy executive director of the Cuba Study Group. He
lives in Miami.

Source: "Cuba — a path toward national healing - Other Views -
MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/06/3736008/cuba-a-path-toward-national-healing.html

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