Women's Voices |
Cuba
Caridad Morales Nussa at a Family Celebration, La Habana
Federation of Cuban Women
Documents from the Federation of Cuban Women/
Documentos de la federación de mujeres cubanas
2012 Information and Statistics on Cuban Women:
Cuban Women in Statistics 2012
FMC Powerpoint
Caridad Morales Nussa
Presented at 2012 NOW Conference
Federation of Cuban Women Powerpoint
We Will Never Cease in Our Struggle Against Terrorism
October 2011
"This [Gramma] Editorial has the total support of the more than four million members of the Federation of Cuban Women."
Summons to an Inter-active Forum:
"Cuban Women Demand Freedom for the Five Now"
The Youth Computer and Electronics Clubs (YCEC) and the Federation of Cuban Women (FCW) announce an inter-active Forum "Cuban Women demand Freedom For the Five Now," at the moment when our five Cuban brothers have fulfilled 12 years of unjust imprisonment in United States prisons.
Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Lavañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez, as of last September 12, have spent more than a decade of their lives in cruel confinement. Through this, the intention is not only to punish these five anti-terrorists fighters, but also their families.
The USA government has tried, with this embarrassing and arbitrary detention, to bend the physical and moral integrity of these five human rights defenders. A periodic communication with their relatives has been denied to them, with emphasis on the Gerardo and Rene cases, whose wives Adriana Perez O’Connor and Olga Salanueva, have not received authorization to enter US territory during all these years.
The facts they are accused of are related to the peaceful exercise of the self-defense right of the Cuban people to oppose terrorism. None of them participated in violent actions.
A wall of silence has been raised by the big media transnationals so that this case is not well known. Cuban women in our continuous struggle for spreading word of this unjustice, wish, through this forum, to share refections, opinions and condemnations against this monstrous fact and to assert our maxim of Freedom for the Five Now!
We invite all good-willing persons and women movements to participate in this interactive forum next September 29 through this website from 10.00 to 12.00 noon local time.
To fight for the release of the Five is an act of fundamental justice and human solidarity!
Federation of Cuban Women
22 September 2010
Call to Women from all over the World
Sisters:
At a time when, once again, humanity faces the danger of a nuclear war, we must join ourselves in defense of life. That is why, the Federation of Cuban Women calls all women and men of good will, to add their voices to the claim of over four million Cuban women, who together with all Cuban people demand the freedom of five of its compatriots unjustly imprisoned in The United States.
This September 12, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Lavañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, and Rene Gonzales will complete twelve years of cruel confinement. This injustice is not only intended to punish the five antiterrorist fighters, but also their families, particularly Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez, whose right of visiting their husbands has been denied.
A wall of silence has been raised by the big media transnationals so that this truth be unknown. But as José Martí said "one just principle from the depths of a cave, is stronger than an army".
Let us raise our voices to demand to the U.S. government the immediate releasing of these men, whose courage and exceptional ethical dimension are recognized today by personalities from the whole world.
Women, life- deliverers, appreciate the value of the family and know the power of solidarity. Let's join in all actions that contribute to publicize this case and put pressure on the U.S. public and its authorities.
Sisters of the world, we count on you so that our 5 sons, whom we considered heroes, true representatives of a people that love freedom and peace, return home.
End to injustice, free them now!
National Secretariat
Federation of Cuban Women
Llamamiento a las Mujeres del Mundo
Hermanas:
En momentos en que la humanidad se enfrenta nuevamente al peligro de una guerra nuclear debemos unirnos en defensa de la vida. Por ello, la Federación de Mujeres Cubanas, llama a todas las mujeres y hombres de buena voluntad, a sumarse al reclamo de más de cuatro millones de cubanas, que junto a todo su pueblo, exigen la libertad de cinco de sus compatriotas injustamente encarcelados en Estados Unidos.
Este 12 de septiembre Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Lavañino, Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero, y René González cumplirán doce años de cruel confinamiento. En el largo camino de esta injusticia no solo se pretende castigar a los cinco luchadores antiterroristas, sino también a sus familias, y en particular, a Olga Salanueva y Adriana Pérez, a quienes se les niega el derecho de visitar a sus esposos.
Un muro de silencio ha sido levantado por las grandes transnacionales de la información para que esta verdad no se conozca. Pero como dijera Martí "una idea justa desde el fondo de una cueva puede más que un ejército."
Alcemos nuestras voces para demandar al gobierno de Estados Unidos la inmediata liberación de estos hombres, cuya valentía y excepcional dimensión ética, son reconocidas hoy por personalidades de todo el mundo.
Las mujeres, dadoras de vida, apreciamos el valor de la familia y sabemos del poder de la solidaridad. Unámonos en todas las acciones que contribuyan a dar a conocer este caso, y a ejercer presión ante la opinión pública de Estados Unidos y sus autoridades.
Hermanas del mundo, contamos con ustedes para que nuestros hijos, a los que consideramos héroes, fieles representantes de un pueblo amante de la libertad y la paz, vuelvan a casa.
"Fin a la injusticia, libertad ya."
Secretariado Nacional
Federación de Mujeres Cubanas
2010 Information and Statistics on Cuban Women:
Cuban Women in Statistics 2010 (4 pages)
Mujeres Cubanas en Cifras 2010 (4 paginas)
Topic: Solidarity and cooperation
The growing prestige of our country in the world has resulted in increases, each day, of more and more members of solidarity organizations that work all over the world to support our country against defamation campaigns and against all kind of aggressions suffered by our people, as well as showing and explaining the true Cuban reality, experienced by many of the members in the different delegations that travel to our country. In these trips, these enthusiastic friends give their solidarity contributions through their unselfish work in different areas of our economy and in social projects. Cuba has over 2,000 solidarity organizations that work in 149 countries of every continent. Most of these 2,027 groups are in Europe (840) and Latin America and the Caribbean (698).
But we Cubans are not only the recipients of solidarity, we also offer it. In many countries, Cuba has major collaborative projects in several areas of daily life. Many people receive free health consultations, literacy classes, physical culture classes, sports training and even agricultural advice, thanks to the cooperation of Cuban collaborators who currently offer their services in 98 countries-over 37,000 collaborators in the health sector, and about 12,000 in other sectors, such as education, sports and agriculture.
We reaffirm to the whole world that while there remains a single person who needs our solidarity help, we will not disappoint them and they can always count on our collaboration.
We are offering you the thematic sites at the Network in Defense of Humanity to send your signatures for the causes we defend, as well as information about the actions held in your countries:
Federation of Cuban Women
November 20, 2009
FMC Solidarity and Cooperation Statement
IN THE NAME OF ADRIANA
On behalf of Adriana Pérez O'Conor, the wife of Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, and in the name of more than 4 millions of affiliated Cuban women, we cannot understand this new ferocious and savage vengeance of the US State Department that, precisely on the day they celebrate 21 years of marriage, and for ten continuous times, has just refused to her the Visa application to meet her husband. The right to see relatives every month is a recognized right to all person imprisoned in that country. On behalf of reason and human dignity, we call women all over the world.
We call you to share with us the demand and the accusation due to this new attack to justice, this act of extreme violence, of unprecedented cruelty against a woman, for the single fact of being Cuban and of being the wife of a hero, a consequential fighter for the safety, security and the happiness of his people.
Next September will be eleven years of the permanent state of anguish in which Adriana lives. She is subjected in truth to a process of physical and affective torture, as all this could destroy her hopes and feelings. This Cuban woman has not committed a crime in any place of the world, neither in her country, and neither in the United States.
Her life takes place in the middle of the sadness, receiving a punishment for a crime that she has never committed. As if so much suffering was not enough, now she has been wickedly accused, by the Secretary of the State of the most powerful economic and military country in the earth, as a person that "threatens the stability and national security of the United States."
Adriana still cannot be convinced of this huge injustice, more inadmissible when such a judgment comes from a woman: Hillary Clinton, who is also considered as an outstanding jurist. Supposedly, at her intellectual and political level, she should be sensitized by human situations, as those of a wife that for more than 10 years been denied the right of seeing her husband, the person with whom she has shared her life, who has been denied the possibility of exchanging with him, of supporting him in these difficult circumstances, of sharing the affection and the love that mutually are professed.
We Cuban women are together and supporting Adriana, and we won't give up this battle, so that she can be reunited with Gerardo and to wait together his return to Cuba. Therefore we again appeal to women all over the world, especially women from United Stated, the simplest wives, sisters, daughters, up to the big officers of the highest levels, to protest and change this absurd and inhuman refusal of a visa application. We only demand the respect to Adriana's rights, we only ask that her voice be listened to, and the voices of her Cuban sisters that make this claim for justice and reason.
Federation of Cuban Women
22 July 2009
Mensaje de la FMC solidaridad con Palestina
9 Jan 2009
Solidarity Message with the Palestinian people and its women, condemning the israelí attacks.
Dear sisters,
We, Cuban women rise our voices and join all progressive forces of the world to condemn the violent actions of the Zionist government of Israel against the Palestinian people, whose main victims are women, children and elderly people.
Once again, the Palestinian people suffer the violation of its international right to sovereignty and self-determination, of the norms of the humanitarian law, including the civilians protection in war time that figures in the Geneva Convention, adopted August 12th, 1949.
Facing the impunity of the military Zionist operations in the Gaza Strip, and the absence of an overwhelming answer from the Security Council of the United Nations; it is our moral duty to unite ourselves to the call of the International Community in demanding the immediate ceasing of this aggression, and to put an end to this crisis, to support and to promote the peace process and the respect to the international law and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
We ratify our commitment to struggle together with all women of the world against war, in favor of peace, justice and freedom.
FMC Solidarity with Palestine Message
Letter responding to US terms for hurricane aid
October/octubre 2008
2008 UN Report
March 2008: Call from the Federation of Cuban Women Regarding the Five Cuban Heroes
2003: FMC Information about Cuban Women
Cuban Women
Black Women Face Double Discrimination, Half Century After Revolution
By Patricia Grogg
Havana, Sep 21, 2010
Grogg article and response by James Early
Ladies in White
Margarita Alarcon
Havana-based Media Analyst
Posted: April 7, 2010 11:29 AM
People, in general, have to be entitled to protest, disagree, and feel at liberty to complain. Whether these individuals, with something to complain about, wear one particular form of garb or another, and whether they carry daisies, signs, or gladiolas is of no difference. This said, it is my humble opinion that the self proclaimed Ladies in White, of the Cuban counter revolution, should be allowed a space where they may complain about whatever and whomever they deem appropriate. Just as long as they, and the people they encounter along the way abide by rules of civility.
Cuban Christian women have sent this letter to Barack and Michelle Obama, asking them to consider take part in the case of the Five
If you would like to subscribe, please send an email to cristianasporloscin co@cmlk.co.cu
Havana City, September 25, 2009
Dr. Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
Mrs. Michelle Obama
Esteemed sister and brother Michelle and Barack:
Peace and well-being for you. We greet you with great affection.
We are a group of cuban protestant women, lay leaders, pastors, and theologians that are addressing you in your capacity as the family presiding over the government of the United States of America.
We believe you have been elected in a transparent electoral process, with the endorsement of the vast majority of your people, and we are glad that is the case. It is a great responsibility for both of you, as it is undoubtedly, feeling that "God has chosen you for this time" as Mordecai would say when defending the Jewish people, before Queen Esther (Esther 4: 14 b). We have asked God to bless you in your responsibility to lead the destiny of your Nation along the best ways as well as your relations with the rest of the world.
On the occasion of such a meaningful celebration of the Thanksgiving Day, in which two cultures met in an historical effort to achieve reconciliation and unity, we are addressing you to request that the case of the Cuban five men in prison since 1998 in the USA charged with espionage be reviewed: Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, Fernando González and Gerardo Hernández, who have already been in prison for eleven long years.
They were sentenced in 2001. A long process of appeals has taken place during the last years. The Defence has emphasised the partiality of the site, the extreme sentences, and particularly the fact that the US national security was never endangered (affirmed by high representatives of the US Army). However, only three of them have managed to be re-sentenced in Miami .
We are begging you that the process of appealing be studied, the hundreds of documents compiled by the Defence, the decision of the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals of 2005 and the frequent violations of human rights that are found in this process, acknowledged by international institutions, parliaments, and the public opinion of many countries.
Obama, you are a man who is taking firm steps towards the way of justice, as a worthy and unquestionable heir of Martin Luther King's way of thinking and we thank God for that. The Nobel Peace Prize you have received is rather than an honour, a challenge to be consistent with the principles of justice of that award and with the long list of names supporting it.
Michelle, we admire your life itinerary and we hope that as a wife and mother, you may be able to place yourself in Adriana's shoes, her impossibility to have a child, out of this reason.
On this Thanksgiving Day, one word from you, one of your signatures, could change the uncertain destiny of these young men, allowing them to return to their homes, back to their families, to enjoy the same well-being and joy that you experience together with your two daughters.
May God, who is life and Shalom, light your ways and encourage with his Spirit of justice and truth the work that you have in your hands.
Sincerely and gratefully,
1. Rev. Ofelia Ortega, President of the World Council of Churches, Vice-president of the World Reformed Alliance, Director of the Christian Institute for Gender Studies.
2. Rev. Dora Arce Valentín, pastor of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, theologian and professor of Matanzas Theological Evangelical Seminary.
3. Rev. María Yi Reina, Church of the Quaker Friends, Secretary of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI).
Read further for names of the other 34 signatories and their Network Directives.
In Mavis Alvarez's Diary: "I don't remember ever having asked myself what race I belonged to. I was born advantaged in a society that discriminated against non-whites."
"So, am I white? The answer isn't so simple. On my identity card, it says my skin color is white. So, am I white? Let's have a look at my genealogical tree; since racial classifications don't work with me."
A White? Cuban Woman Facing the Mirror
Posted by Mavis Alvarez, March 20, 2009,
Havana Times.org - http://www.havanatimes.org
They are few in number, but women's loud chants of resistance against sexism, racism and discrimination against sexual minorities have left an indelible mark on the hip hop movement in Cuba, a little more than a decade old.
Cuba: Black Women Rap Against Discrimination
Dalia Acosta,
IPS Inter Press Service News Agency, August 2008
August Arnold conducts interviews with two Mothers of the Cuban Five Heroes: with Irma Sehweret, who is René González Sehweret's mother and an outgoing Deputy in the Cuban National Assembly of Peoples' Power, and with Magalys Llort, who is Fernando González Llort's mother and a recently elected Deputy.
Segments of an interview with two mothers of the Cuban Five / Fragmentos de la
entrevista con dos
madres de los cinco héroes
Arnold August, National Committee to Free the Five Website, January 2008, http://www.freethefive.org/updates/Wives/WivesIrmaMagali022508.htm
Alicia Alonso, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, pleads for an end to the US embargo which severely challenges the life of the arts in Cuba as well as limiting US access to Cuban arts.
Letter to American Intellectuals and Artists / Carta a
los intelectuales y artistas estadounidenses
Alicia Alonso, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, General Director of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Mariela Castro, CENESEX
Mariela Castro Espin, director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in Havana, and the daughter of Vilma Espin and Raul Castro, leads a national campaign for sexual health in Cuba.
Interview with Mariela Castro Espin
"Revolutionising Gender"
MEDICC Review April 2012, Vol 14, No 2
Interview with Mariela Castro Espin
Havana, December 18, 2008
Radio Program "La Noche se Mueve"
Miami, 1210 am
www.lanochesemueve.us
EG: Edmundo García, host
MC: Mariela Castro
EG: Interview with Mariela Castro Espín, Director of Cuba's National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX). Mariela, thank you so much for accepting to have this first conversation for 'La Noche se Mueve' and our audience in South Florida.
MC: Thank you for this meeting.
EG: It's been a while since we last met, so I'd like to start by offering my condolences for your mother's death. I know you loved her very much.
MC: Thank you very much.
EG: What did she mean to you and the woman you have become?
MC: Well, first of all she was a very sweet and affectionate mom who made great contributions to our education. Despite her many obligations she really looked after us and paid attention to our contradictions, because we're all so different from one another. Now that I have three children myself, I can't help wondering how she could devote so much time to every one of us, and talk and listen to and help us in times of trouble, and always with respect for what each of us was. Of course, like any other mother, she would try to set boundaries, and as we grew up we would try to set our own.
Her life story as a human being is really beautiful. As all children do, when I was a girl I wanted to be like my folks, but I didn't have it in me to be like her, because we had very different personalities and temperaments. Still, she always taught me good things. We had the usual fights children often have with their parents as part of domestic life, but I always looked up to her as a human being, for she had qualities and abilities as a woman that I could only have in my dreams. Not that I'm any less worthy; it's just that we're so different. My current job has made me go deeper into the history of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), which started the work I do now, and from the professional viewpoint I have to know what they did in the past for the sake of continuity.
More ...
Cuban government backs calls to combat homophobia
Andrea Rodriguez, © 2008 Associated Press
[Mariela] Castro champions gay rights in Cuba--BBC News, Havana
Michael Voss, BBC News, Havana, March 3, 2007
Interview with Mariela Castro--La VanGuardia.es
Fernando Garcia, Havana Correspondent, May 10, 2008, A CubaNews translation by Sue Greene, ed Walter Lippmann
A Castro Strives to Open Cuban's Opinions on Sex--New York Times
Marc Lacey, Havana, June 9, 2007, © 2007 The New York Times Company
Las Isabelas
Las Isabelas is a lesbian organization in Santiago de Cuba that has an advisory role for CENESEX.
Los Isabelas flyer in English and Spanish, trans. Sue Hode
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Our mission is to build a strong US women's movement dedicated to ending the US government blockade of Cuba and to creating mutually beneficial US–Cuba relations; our work is rooted in the concept of universal human rights, racial and economic justice, and women's rights.
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