Literature in Castro’s Cuba
I confess to some degree of admiration towards young Castro. He led possibly the most successful guerrilla war in history. In about two years, he went from having an army of exactly two people stranded in a tobacco field to defeating a dictator supported by the world&#x27;s strongest army.<p>(In a way he is the ultimate &quot;startup hero&quot; -- from zero to world-class disruptor!)<p>That said, his government has clearly failed all the ideals he touts in this &#x27;60s interview. For example, he speaks in favour of freedom of expression -- if only the means were there for everybody to get published:<p><i>&quot;The day will come when all the resources will be available, that is, when such a book would not be published to the detriment of a textbook or of a book having universal value in world literature. Then there will be resources to publish books on the basis of a broader criterion, and one will be able to argue whatever one wishes about any theme. I, especially, am a partisan of the widest possible discussion in the intellectual realm. Why? Because I believe in the free man, I believe in the well-educated man, I believe in the man able to think, in the man who acts always out of conviction, without fear of any kind. And I believe that ideas must be able to defend themselves. I am opposed to the blacklists of books, prohibited films, and all such things.&quot;</i><p>Well, the Internet became just that medium, but Castro never deemed fit to give access to the citizens of his country. He and his comrades are just too old to get it. They should have made room for new generations long ago instead of clinging to power and the illusion of their own indispensability. Their extended single-party reign has crippled the Cuban economy more than any sanctions could.