JOURNALIST YOANI SANCHEZ ON CUBA'S ACCESS TO THE INTERNET

JOURNALIST YOANI SANCHEZ ON CUBA'S ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
BY NICOLE MARTINEZWEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015

"I'm an optimist," says Cuban journalist Yoani Sanchez, "if I wasn't an
optimist I wouldn't be able to live in Cuba. You need a lot of optimism
to live in Cuba," Sanchez said during a panel discussion at the eMerge
Americas conference on May 4. Sanchez made the comment during a panel
discussion at the eMerge Americas conference. The panel, hosted by
journalist Jackie Nespral, a beloved local news anchor and the daughter
of Cuban immigrants, she pressed Sanchez on issues affecting the Cuba,
and Sanchez didn't waver once as she fearlessly answered Nespral's
questions.

The Cuban dissident blogger, one of Time's 100 Most Influential People,
garners a following of over 665,000 followers on Twitter, the majority
of which don't live in Cuba. "Cuba is a country where there's very
little internet connectivity, it's the country where there's the least
connectivity in the entire western hemisphere," she reminded the audience.

But that didn't stop Sanchez from taking to the net and sharing stories
of her everyday reality under the Cuban government. Through the
trademark ingenuity Cubans have come to be regarded by, Sanchez has done
what is necessary to publish her writings on the web, and render them
untouchable by the censorship arm of the Castro government. Today,
Sanchez has launched a full-scale operation, 14ymedio, a newspaper that
features opinion and commentary by Cuba's independent journalists.
Sanchez believes, and rightly so, that journalists will play an integral
role in tomorrow's Cuba, where they'll be able to inform the public and
urge them to reach to their own conclusions.

In many ways, Sanchez is optimistic: She envisions a day, not so far
away, where the Cuban people will once again have the opportunity to
choose their leader. She sees Cuba finally gaining access to the
Internet this year, noting that the government "has already come to
terms with the fact that the Cuban people are finding out what's being
censored," and that the U.S. has given clear directives regarding
telecommunications companies entering and giving aid to establish
internet connectivity. "In this case, hope is not enough," Sanchez says.
"We need the Cuban government to say, 'Okay, we are going to let Cuba
enter cyberspace.' "

It's a move that the Cuban government is no closer to making, despite
efforts to end the trade embargo with the United States. "After December
17, Cubans don't have more food, more money, or more liberty. But we
have more hope. We have the hope that we have ended a long period during
which the Cuban government can blame a lack of resources on our
neighbors to the north. Even if nothing has changed in the material or
social realm, we have a lot more hope that something will change soon,"
she says.

Unfortunately, Sanchez's voice, no matter how loud and how far it rings,
has not yet been the catalyst for like-minded Cubans to step forward and
do the same. On a recent trip to Havana, I met with the leaders of an
artist collective in Cuba who have gained access to the internet through
their jobs within the Cuban government. Their internet presence has
allowed them to create a network of artists both within and outside of
Cuba, and has permitted their work to be viewed across the world. We
discussed at length the possibility of developing a story for New Times,
an idea that the group was pleased about because it would surely lead to
more work and recognition for the photographers. In today's Cuba, it's
not as difficult to earn money under the table, thanks to an influx of
tourists and the loosening of certain restrictions on Cuban-owned
businesses. However, owning any type of business that's not geared
towards hospitality is illegal; to call attention this group's use of
the internet to promulgate their skills would certainly be a risk.

Needless to say, after several conversations about how the article would
take shape and where it would be published, our communication disintegrated.

"Fear is constant when you live in Cuba. It is not just the fear of
physical harm or prison, or the fear of having to escape the country as
so many have done. The worst fear is the fear of social death," Sanchez
reminds the audience. "That's what happens under a totalitarian regime
that limits you in this way, where your neighbors are afraid to speak
with you because of who you are. Or the sensation of living in a country
where you don't feel like you can be in the corners of your house
without feeling like you're being listened to. If you are going to have
a opinion in cuba, you have to be ready to live in a glass house."

Source: Journalist Yoani Sanchez on Cuba's Access to the Internet |
Miami New Times -
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/journalist-yoani-sanchez-on-cubas-access-to-the-internet-7594722