I am a meddlesome peasant

"I am a meddlesome peasant" / 14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernandez
Posted on February 2, 2015

14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Entronque de Herradura, 31 January 2015
– Entronque de Herradura is a little village in the Pinar municipality
of Consolacion del Sur. I go there in search of Eduardo Diaz Fleitas, a
Cuban with rapid speech, skill with the ten-line stanza and proven
courage. He was among the 75 dissidents sentenced during the Black
Spring of 2003, but not even a long prison stay made him lose his smile
or wit.

Fleitas asserts that he is "just a meddlesome peasant." In this
interview he speaks of his life, his early activism and of that other
passion, which is the land where he has worked as long as he can remember.

Question: In other interviews your work as an opponent always comes up,
but I would like to speak of your personal history. What did you do
before that fateful March of 2003?

Answer: As a child I worked in the fields. I had to grow up fast, and I
studied auto mechanics. Later I became a driver and even drove a bus. In
1989 I started driving a taxi and later became a transport inspector.
However, in 1993 I stopped working for the State, demanding that they
pay me with dollars to be able to buy in the hard currency stores
because the national currency had no value. Since then I have worked on
the plantation with my father.

Q: Where did the ethical and moral values that guide your life come from?

A: My father taught me respect, kindness, honesty and love of work,
spirit of service and help to others. From my mother, a farmer and
housewife, I learned effort and integrity as well as loyalty and also
love, which I have seen in them, because they have been married since 1950.

Q: What was the process that led you to be disappointed in the political
and social process which, from its beginnings, said it was defending the
peasantry?

A: With the triumph of the Revolution we thought, like many, that it was
something good. But after three or four months things began to get bad;
the executions, the land was no longer ours. The discourse ran one way
and reality the other. All that was waking me up.

Q: But it's a long way from discontent to activism. When did you begin
to be a dissident publicly?

A: In the year1988. Since then and until now I have been active in
several opposition organizations and held different responsibilities.

Q: During the Black Spring of 2003 you were arrested along with other
dissidents, journalists, librarians and independent trade unionists.
They sentenced you to 21 years imprisonment and you were behind bars
almost nine years. How hard was jail?

A: What most struck me about the Cuban penitentiary system is the great
cruelty with which the inmate is treated, whether political or not.
There you are not a person, you are at the mercy of your jailers. I saw
extremely sick prisoners ask for medical attention, and the guards
laughed in their faces. We must humanize Cuban prisons!

I also have to say that prison offered me the chance to see, to my
surprise, how many people support, in one way or another, the peaceful
opposition movement in Cuba. I never felt alone inside. Prison also gave
me the opportunity to harbor not even a drop of hatred against my
victimizers. In my heart there exists neither hatred nor rancor towards
them.

Q: You have participated in several unity initiatives among opposition
forces, the latest of them the Open Space of Civil Cuban Society. Do you
believe consensus can be achieved in spite of differences?

A: All proposals of this type are excellent. What I do consider
unjustifiable is the dismissive insult and personal attack among
ourselves. That is the method the Cuban government uses against us, it
is anti-democratic and not at all ethical. No activist should fall for
something like that. We must have consensus on basic points, and that is
what Open Space has achieved and what we have sought for years. I am
happy to be able to participate in that initiative.

Q: What do you think about the intention of the governments of Cuba and
the United States to re-establish diplomatic relations after more than
half a century of confrontation?

A: As of last December 17 a new era for Cuba began. The government of
the United States has realized that the prior policy was a dead end with
no way out, and now a host of opportunities is opening for our people.

I have asked people about the measures announced by the American
government, and they look favorably on them, because they mean
prosperity for the people. But when I have asked them what they think of
the Cuban government in the face of this challenge, they answer that
they do not trust it. Nevertheless, I am optimistic. We must create
awareness that dialog is best. I believe that the United States is
committed to us and has intelligently confronted the regime.

We have to have the courage to reclaim democracy and to respect our
rights. The era of change may be coming for all Cubans, and it falls to
everyone to do it in harmony. Cuba has to flourish again for everyone
and for the good of all!
Unanimity is not good. We must live in diversity. But it is good for us
to be unanimous when dealing with differences. Well…better I say it in
verse:

Cuban,
Why is it that it doesn't matter to you
To ruin your dignity?
Because so much calamity
Will never produce heroism.
Bury that pessimism
That daily assaults you.
Raise your voice, you are able
To be the example of the titan
Awaken those who are
Prisoners of their own webs.

Translated by MLK

Source: "I am a meddlesome peasant" / 14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernandez |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/i-am-a-meddlesome-peasant-14ymedio-juan-carlos-fernandez/