“Notebooks for the transition,” A Magazine for Discussion

"Notebooks for the transition," A Magazine for Discussion / David Canela
Pina
Posted on November 5, 2013

HAVANA, Cuba, November www.cubanet.org.- This Saturday morning the civic
project Estado de SATS (State of SATS) presented a new magazine titled
Notebooks for the Transition, which aims to "offer a forum for analysis
and plural participation," for all Cubans interested in "thinking and
visualizing that other Cuba which is already urgent" according to an
editorial note. It says that the first issue is "dedicated to the issue
of transnationality."

Notebooks for the Transition is a magazine produced and coordinated by
the State of SATS civic project, which has had as one of its main
strategies to become an ideological "bank," where ideas and trust in
this "human capital" that has been invested in other parts of the world
due to the exodus of Cuban society can return. In this issue, for
example, collaborators include intellectuals and artists who don't live
on the Island: Juan Antonio Blanco Gil, Emilio Morales, Alexis Jardines,
Carmelo Mesa Lago, Garrincha, among others. Their presence is distant
for now, but as the transition to democrat becomes more visible and
effective, the process of return of many of these social actors will no
longer be an event, but become a flow, that newly enriches the naitonal sap.

Presentation of Notebooks

Despite the police operation, that prevented some people from coming to
the meeting site, leaving their homes, and even their provinces, as was
the case of Jose Gabriel Barrenechea. More than forty people attended
the launch of the first issue.


From L to R – Antonio Rodiles, Ailer Gonzalez Olivera and Walfrido
Camilo Lopez

The panel that presented the details of the magazine was made up of
Antonio Rodiles, overall project coordinator Estado de SATS, Ailer
González, its artistic director, Camilo Ernesto Olivera, freelance
journalist, and Walfrido Lopez, a computer specialist. The first three
are part of the Editorial Board, along with José Gabriel Barrenechea and
Alexis Jardines, who is the only member currently located outside of Cuba.

During the exhibition they addressed issues such as the integration of
Cuban society, the economic and "knowledge" remittances, the leadership
structures, civic maturity as a prerequisite for the conscious
transition, the role of Cubans inside and outside Cuba in the new
political system, etc.

Not just for regime opponents

Rodiles commented that "Cuban society is badly damaged and fragmented,
so we need to bring together Cubans around a frank discussion." And he
said that in the transition to democracy "it must be not only activists
and opponents, but also ordinary citizens."

With regards to the role of the internet in building a democratic
society Walfrido Lopez said that it is not enough for some Cubans to
move freely on the internet, with their thousands of Twitter followers
and hundreds of Facebook friends, but unable to create a network of
internal communication with the Cubans on the Island.

In the current economic context, Rodiles said the "economic flow between
Cuba and Miami is the centerpiece of a change in Cuba," which is already
funding private businesses, buying houses, etc. And he added that
emigrant remittances provide the largest source of revenue to the
national economy and today reach 62% of Cuban homes.

"The transition begins with us"

Camilo Ernesto Olivera raised the old problem of how to achieve this
national unity of interest, at least within the opposition. Then he said
that we must first move ourselves toward a civic consciousness and a
maturity based on respect. "The transition begins with us," he said.
Rodiles, meanwhile, said that national unity should not revolve around a
leader, a new Fidel Castro and called for a "polycentric opposition."
He said that "the relationship between individuals is what generates
human and social capital," and therefore "our magazine is aimed at
creating those links among all Cubans.".

With great wit, Ailer Gonzalez enunciated that "differences of opinion
between the opposition do not strengthen the regime, rather they
strengthen the opposition," as they increase its capacity for public debate.

Rodiles stressed that "the influence of Cubans abroad is extremely
important," while Gonzalez addressed Cubans who live and struggle in
their own country: "What is your role in the new Cuba? Being an opponent
is not an occupation. Everyone should begin imagining the place they
will occupy in the new Cuba."

Finally, Ailer Gonzalez concluded the meeting with these words: "Thank
you to all the Cubans in the world. We are waiting to rebuild Cuba."

Summary of the first issue

Although Notebooks for the Transition has an essentially academic and
research profile related to the present and possible future of Cuba, it
has also opened spaces for literature, translation and history (with the
section called Documents).

This issue, which corresponds to the month of October, is composed of
several sections: Editorial, Survey, Dossier (the main section),
Documents, Translation and Literature.

In the Survey, some people in Santa Clara respond on "the issue of Cuban
emigration and its role within the nation." The Dossier meet has five
articles: "The Internet in Cuba-US Relations" by Walfrido Lopez;
"Remittances have become an engine of the Cuban economy" by Morales;
"Civilizing and Emigration Change" by Juan Antonio Blanco Gil; "The
Dominican Republic: a transnational nation-state" written by a group of
authors; and "Notes for the transition" by Antonio Rodiles and Alexis
Jardines.

The Documents section rescues "a forgotten letter from Enrique José
Varona" written in 1900; and in Translation is published an excerpt from
the book The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism by Michael Novak. Finally,
the Literature section reproduces the poem "Bottle" by Otilio Carvajal
(included in his unpublished book Born August 13), and also the poem
"Fragment" by Angel Santiesteban.

David Canela Piña

Cubanet, 4 November 2013

Source: ""Notebooks for the transition," A Magazine for Discussion /
David Canela Pina | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/notebooks-for-the-transition-a-magazine-for-discussion-david-canela-pina/