Untitled - Convivencia

as world hegemonies as well as hegemoniesinside the house which is Cuba. If Politics isthe search for the common good of the polis,of the human community, how is it possiblethat persons or cultural institutions becomeprosecutors or inquisitors of the commongood and even more, become defenders ofpublic and underground “auto-da-fé” of thevery concepts and of the spaces andexpressions of what they believe, exclusively,culture, politics and society are?The best thing for Cuba would be not toconfuse the terms policies and Politicsanymore; not to mistake the culturalinstitutions for Culture. The policies can beexclusive and the institutions can determinewhat persons are alien to culture. It is atleast something naive to turn culture andpolitics into watertight compartments.Another thing also harmful is to turn bothinto a shapeless “soup”, tasteless andrationed which can mistake the nationalspicy potatoe dish for a uniformed anddiluted broth. To confuse as well as theintention of isolating culture and politics forwhatever the reasons, mean to jeopardizethe identity of Cuba and the only future thatcan give health and expression to the soul ofthe nation.and open to all of the Cuban Children, insidethe Island and in the whole Diaspora, by itsinclusive character.Culture and politics, both and each one of themaccording to their methods and styles shouldpave the way to Cuba to open itself up, tochange, to grow in humanity and in the widestand possible democracy. And both, culture andpolitics should be the instruments for usCubans to heal, rectify, rebuild and develop thenational soul amidst the concert of nations,when the moment comes and new difficultiesemerge, new manipulations, new corruptionsand new challenges. We know that nothing willbe perfect. There are no paradises of culture orpolitics, but both will offer us the tools for thecultivation of the soul and body of the Nation.Pinar del Río, May 2 nd 2009.Culture is the best and most inclusive thingof the Cuban nation and it includes us all orelse it is not Cuban culture. Exclusive cultureis not culture. To mistake culture for onesole ideology is to condemn the soul of thenation to monotony and spiritualimpoverishment.Politics is the art of cohabitation and theconstruction of one community for thepersonal and social development. Politicsmust include us all or else it is not true. Tomistake politics for one sole historicalprocess is to turn the national cohabitationinto a “battle” among brothers or into acostume festival.Culture and politics are not ends inthemselves but means, and they should be atthe service of the person of each Cuban,woman or man and at the service of thefostering of a freer national cohabitation,more responsible, democratic and creative,open to the world by its universal characerEdiciones ConvivenciaPinar del Río. 201241