Swedish aid flows to Cuban libraries

Swedish aid flows to Cuban libraries

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 11, 2006 (www.miscelaneasdecuba.net) - Introduction: On
Sept. 2 Erik Jennische, the secretary general of the Swedish
International Liberal Center (SILC), was interviewed on a cultural
program broadcast by Swedish National Radio. Much of the program dealt
with SILC's support for Cuba's independent library movement. Printed
below are excerpts from the interview, translated from the Spanish
version published by Alexis Gainza, editor of the online journal
Miscelaneas de Cuba:

The power of literature consists of opening the eyes of people and
making them aware of the situation in which they live. In totalitarian
countries it is impossible to obtain uncensored books and magazines. For
this reason, reading materials have to be brought into the country
clandestinely. SILC, the Swedish International Liberal Center, dedicates
itself to this purpose. SILC helps to send books to Cuba clandestinely.
The secretary general of SILC is Erik Jennische....

Erik Jennische is showing me books written by [Cuban exiles]. For Cubans
living on the island, it is in principle impossible to have access to
them. The books are not necessarily of a political nature; they can be
any type of literature, says Erik, and he believes the intention of
these authors is not to criticize Cuba, but rather their goal is to
freely describe the country and what is happening there. In Cuba there
are two types of libraries: the [state-run] public ones and the illegal
ones, free libraries, also known as independents. The books by authors
whose works are sent to Cuba by SILC wind up on the shelves of the
independent libararies. In the public libraries it is impossible to find
works by authors who question the ideology of the Cuban regime, he says....

"The independent libraries in Cuba and our collaboration with them,"
says Erik Jennische, "began with a statement made by Fidel Castro at the
Havana International Book Fair in 1998. He said that there are no
prohibited books in Cuba, only a lack of money to buy them. We took him
at his word.... We have plenty of books, and we send them to Cuba. We
have gathered hundreds of books in Sweden through donations, and we have
collected a lot of money to buy even more; we send them with tourists
and other persons traveling to Cuba, who then deliver them to the
independent libraries. The Cuba regime claims that it alone has the
right to describe what is happening in Cuba. Only one version of the
truth is allowed in Cuba, the image put forward by the regime, and it is
this version which is being challenged by the dissident literature
[supplied to the independent libraries]...."

The word "smuggler" isn't used very often these days. We say we are
"supplying books," says Erik Jennische, who thinks "smuggling" is a
crime, but that in a country like Cuba... there is nothing wrong with
violating laws [which make it a crime to read uncensored books].

In principle, anyone can take books to Cuba. They make a telephone call
to SILC, say they are traveling to the island, and then pick up between
15 and 20 books and magazines. They also receive a list of addresses
indicating where the books can be delivered. Of course, one can run into
problems in Customs. The Customs officials may ask why the books are
being brought into the country and how they are going to be used; in
such a case, one can reply that they will be given to a friend....

Interviewer: "I am very curious about this because I know that people
going to Iran have hidden compact discs or other things of this kind;
but you're talking about simply placing books in your suitcase and
entering the country with them."

Jennische: "I believe that after tourism began to expand enormously in
Cuba in the early 1990's, the Customs officials have been much less
active, which means they are searching luggage less thoroughly...."

Interviewer: "What risks are run by the persons who clandestinely take
books to Cuba?"

Jennische: "In my opinion, they run very little risk. Nevertheless, we
can't say that there is no risk. In theory, for example, it could happen
that the books are prevented from being allowed into the country. This
is more likely when a person has traveled to Cuba many times. But until
now no one has gone to jail for this reason, and no one has even been
expelled from the island [for bringing in books]....

The independent libraries are in the houses of people who take on great
risks. For example, they can be sentenced to 25 years in prison, their
children can be denied entrance to a university, and their relatives can
lose their jobs, says Erik. In the summer of 2003, a wave of arrests
took place in Cuba in which 21 libraries were raided and 20 librarians
were arrested, according to Erik Jennische.

"All of the books," says Erik, "from children's literature to
dictionaries and political works, were carried away in large plastic
bags. Many of the libraries were destroyed; and when scarce books are
destroyed, especially when they have an important role in cultural life,
when these are destroyed a kind of cultural assassination is taking
place, which has a powerful symbolic impact in Europe, where there are
persistent memories of books being thrown onto bonfires in Germany in
the 1930's."

Interviewer: "The people who take books to Cuba: Are they smugglers or
visionaries? What do you say?"

Jennische: "Of course they are visionaries. They are defending the
vision that Cubans also have a right to read any book they want. This is
primarily a visionary act."

http://www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org/Recent%20News%202.htm#Swedish%20aid%20flows%20to%20Cuban%20libraries