18 August 2010 at 15:01 by Yule E
As a wee young thing my mum used to send me to ballet lessons. A
bittersweet pill I recall because while I disliked immensely ballet, I
used to love the tap dance and jazz dance classes which followed.
One of the reasons why I hated ballet so much was because of my teacher
– 'Madame' – who would often cry in dismay as she saw my crooked knees
and arms as I struggled to drop a demi-plié. "Non! Non! Not good
enough" she would cry, "Don't curl your back. Better posture, more
poise!" She would then grab my gangling arms or back or some other part
of me and desperately try to infuse grace and poise into my dance
routine. An arduous experience each week. Thankfully a few months into
my practice I had a growth spurt and I was able to convince my mum she
was wasting her money because I'd never seen a ballet dancer over 5 feet
5 inches.
You're probably wondering why I'm rambling down memory lane in today's
news blog. Well in reading the news today that the American Ballet
Theatre will be performing in Cuba for the first time in 50 years, the
voice of 'Madame' came flooding back. "Non! Not good enough Mr Castro!"
Some may interpret the USA's relaxing of travel restrictions to Cuba,
and the arrival of three more former Cuban prisoners of conscience into
Spain as a sign that the authorities in Cuba are enabling a more open
society.
On the surface it may seem that way. But scratch the surface – and you
don't need to scratch too deeply – and you'll see that for many Cubans,
the situation remains as oppressive as before.
The decision to release 52 of the 53 prisoners of conscience was only a
partial success. For although they were released from prison, they have
been exiled to Spain – thousands of miles from their homeland.
Also one other prisoner of conscience who wasn't arrested during the
main March 2003 crackdown but a few months afterwards is still being
held, and there is no sign of his release. Amnesty will continue to
campaign for the immediate and unconditional release of Rolando Jiménez
Posada.
Some of those who were arrested in March 2003 did not experience the
opportunity of being released. Orlando Zapata Tamayo for example, died
in February this year after going on hunger strike. In his memory,
Orlando's mother, Reina Luisa Tamayo, has decided to march through her
hometown every Sunday. Since doing so, she has been subjected to a
torrent of harassment. Last Sunday Mrs Tamayo was physically stopped
from marching by supporters of the government who blocked her from
leaving her house. Loudspeakers have also been used to hurl insults at
her while she has been at home. The police reaction to all this? To sit
by and literally watch it all happen. Amnesty is asking people to take
action to appeal to the Cuban authorities to ensure an end to this
harassment.
Also in recent weeks several independent journalists and dissidents have
been arrested. For example, just two days ago writer Luis Felipe Rojas
Rozabal was detained by the police in his hometown of San Germán.
So all is not rosy in the beautiful city of Havana (or the rest of Cuba)
just yet for any Cuban who dares to express his or her own opinion, or
to speak out (or march) in protest of the government's actions.
Mr Castro clearly has a long way to go. Until there are any real signs
of improvement I, like Madame, will have to cry out in dismay and say
'Non! Non! Not good enough!'
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