IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 7 ENGLISH | Page 127

Constructing the Future Cuba:
From Identity to Institutionalism
Leonardo Calvo Cárdenas
Historian and political scientist
Havana, Cuba

A

t this time, Cuba is facing the
enormous challenge of political,
economic, social, civil, moral and
cultural reconstruction. Our nation is at the
crossroad of becoming an irreversibly failed
project or demonstrating that we are capable
of structuring a republic that is founded on
respect for the law, the rights of minorities,
and the dignity of individual without distinction or conditions. In these very difficult
circumstances, all us common citizens and
committed activists share the responsibility
of reconstructing our republican life free of
the scourges and shortcomings that have so
negatively marked our coexistence for various centuries. Favoritism, violence in language and political action, machismo and
intolerance, racism, corruption, demagoguery, meddling and a profound lack of civic
culture have darkened or displaced the proper rhetoric and exemplary institutional work.
If we do not rid ourselves of these scourges,
evils that manifested themselves before and
even now as above ideological alignments or
manifest political preferences, we may have
one more change but not achieve our so
yearned for modern and civilized coexistence. The poor civic culture that a country
like Cuba paradoxically endured, which in
the first half of the last century accumulated
considerable material prosperity and a solid,
broad civic institutionalism, allowed Castroism to kidnap the nation and its

inhabitants’ futures relatively easily, and
produce grave consequences. Nearly sixty
years ago, neither our model Constitutions
(1901, 1940) nor economic, social and cultural achievements prevented the imposition
of totalitarian intolerance. Worse yet, references to respect and guarantees for equality
and justice were erased. All throughout these years of institutionalized lies and a manipulated, egalitarian, emancipatory, demagogic rhetoric, the most flagrant disregard
for fundamental rights and extremely serious
social polarization were imposed and became the norm. People often question or
criticize Cuba’s reality without delving into
the institutional and structural nature of the
violation of rights and freedoms. In addition
to this, the absence of any value for respect
for the law makes the existence of individuals and groups very complex. The Cuban
authorities do not respect or honor their own
laws. Unconstitutionality is the bitter daily
bread in Cuba. In addition to all this is the
fact that neither the State monopolized educational system nor media offer the tools of
civic knowledge and self-esteem that would
guarantee the active role and belligerence of
citizens in the face of the State’s power.
Intolerance, strict social control and a lack
of civic culture allow the Cuban regime to
induce fear and ignorance regarding citizen
sovereignty.

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