La Paradojas de Dos Mujeres Cubanas

"La Paradoja de Dos Mujeres Cubanas"
por Alberto N. Jones
26 de noviembre, 2009



Alberto N. Jones
November 26, 2009

En el año 2006, miembros de la direccion de la cadena televisiva CNN, se plantearon la necesidad de crear un programa distinto de lo que venian realizando hasta entonces, basado en noticias llenas de muerte, destruccion y calamidades humanas durante las 24 horas al dia, siete dia a la semana, por lo que este debia dedicarse por entero, a rendir homenaje a Personas Ordinarias realizando Actividades Extraordinarias en todo el mundo.

El dia 6 de Diciembre del ano 2007, en el muy apropiado e increiblemente bello Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Nueva York, 2.5 mil millones de personas alrededor del mundo tuvieron la oportunidad de recibir una detallada descripcion audio-visual de las actividades llevadas a cabo por cada uno de los diez finalistas del programa HEROES, en el cual un jurado altamente calificado le otorgo el Primer Premio a Irania Martinez por Defender El Planeta.

El increible honor que le fuera conferido a esta humilde madre Afro-Cuba, que casi en forma independiente transformo un basurero en un Jardin del Eden como fue descrito por el equipo periodistico de CNN, fue capaz ademas, de colocar honrosamente a su ciudad, su comunidad y a su pueblo en el mapa del mundo.

Como pudo haber ocurrido este hecho sin precedentes? La confluencia accidental de distintos factores no relacionados, condujeron a feliz termino, el hecho mas importante en la historia del pueblo de Guantanamo. Algunos elementos.

El subito colapso de la Union Sovietica y los demas paises del campo socialista significo para Cuba, la perdida del 40% de sus mercados de importacion/exportacion, transacciones financieras, materia prima, assistencia tecnica y un impacto mental traumatico, al encontrarse sin aliados socio/politicos/financieros y una amenza real de hambruna, falta de medicina, suministros medicos, apagones interminables y la posibilidad real de un colapso total como habia sido previsto en las teorias del Domino.

En lo que la historia tendra que reconocer como otra osadia de Fidel Castro similar al ataque al cuartel Moncada en 1953, a la invasion maritima de 1956 para desencadenar la insurreccion, la direccion del contra-ataque de Playa Giron en 1961, la Crisis de Octubre de 1962 y la direccion de la estrategia militar que derroto al Apartheid y la demolicion de la maquinaria militar mas poderosas del continente Africano.

En apasionados discurscos, el presidente Cubano llamo a su pueblo a crecerse y ponerse a la altura de nuestros proceres, quienes forjaron la independencia de Cuba con su sangre y sus vidas, transformado ahora en el Periodo Especial en tiempos de Paz. El nivel de privaciones, sufrimientos y las muertes asociadas a esta tragedia que tuvo lugar en Cuba, nos recordo de una Europa devastada al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Una vez mas y haciendo lo que Cuba ha sabido hacer especialmente cuando esta se encuentra en el suelo y los politicos y academicos han determinado la muerte de este proceso, surgio un mar de ideas, decenas de proyectos, vision y una recien descubierta energia envolvio a la nacion, desmantelando todas las predicciones fatalistas. Entre las nuevas ideas que surgieron al calor de este movimiento estubo, la inmediata transformacion de cada terreno baldio, solar yermo o espacio en la ciudades, fuesen transformados en huertos comunitarios. Como tecnica agricola, Irania Martinez fue asignada al barrio marginal de sur Isleta en Guantanamo.

Debido a una aguda falta de combustible, gomas, piezas de respuestos etc., todos los camiones dedicados a la recoleccion de desechos estaban parados y su funcion fue transferido a carretones de traccion animal. Adicionalmente, la ciudad fue subdividido en regiones, para hacer posible este trabajo mediante la traccion animal, lo que condujo a la creacion de multiples mini-vertederos en lugar del tipico vertedero central.

Cuando Irania arribo al barrio de Isleta para acometer su funcion de adiestrar a personas de la barriada en el desarrollo y manejo de un huerto, ella fue recibida por un enjambre de moscas, hormigas, roedores, un hedor insoportable por la descomposicion organica y un humo asfixiante proveniente de la quema de basura domestica contaminada con material plastico potencialmente cancerigeno.

Al alertar a funcionarios de su empresa sobre el estado insalubre del area, se le dijo que esa funcion no era de su competencia, que se limitara a cumplir con sus funcionnes, a lo cual ella se opuso y en su lugar, comenzo a organizar a los vecinos y a buscar voluntarios dispuestos a ayudarla a sanear dicho ambiente.


Algunos vecinos la apoyaron y carentes medios de proteccion personal, salario o recursos materiales, comenzaron a separar metales, vidrios y otros materiales reciclables y semillas de la materia digerible, que fueron convertido pacientemente mediante el uso de lombriz de tierrra en compost, que a su vez fue colocado en recipientes recuperados, sembrados con semillas extraidas de aquel medio y donado a toda aquel que estuviera dispuesto a cultivar un arbol.

Como resultado de la critica situacion economica que sufria Cuba en general y Guantanamo en particular durante el ano 1992 y mas alla, solicitamos donaciones a infinidad de instituciones sanitarias, educacionales, deportivas o de apoyo a los discapacitados en el estado de la Florida, quienes nos apoyaron generosamente, lo que permitio empacar maletas que enviabamos con cualquier viajero que estuviera dispuesto a llevar un equipaje extra y mas tarde, a traves de cuantas organizaciones solidarias con Cuba, se pudo enviar toneladas de medicina, suministros medicos, material educacional y para los impedidos fisicos.

A raiz de los danos ocasionados por el ciclon Gordon en Guantanamo en el ano 1994, en colaboracion con las demas instituciones solidarias con Cuba en los Estados Unidos, fue posible enviar el primer avion cuatrimotor repleto de donaciones desde Miami, que aterrizara en Cuba despues del ano 1959. Este hecho contribuyo como ningun otro a consolidar nuestra relacion de trabajo con las instituciones de salud, impedidos fisicos y otros en aquella provincia.

Debido a la necesidad de estructurar e institucionalizar nuestra labor humanitaria, fui miembro fundador de la asociacion US-Cuba Sister City, fundamos en el ano 1998 el Caribbean American Children Foundation y somos miembro/fundador de la direccion de St- Augustine-Baracoa Friendship Association.

Este proceso legal nos permitio solicitar y recibir multiples licencias del departamento de Comercio y del Tesoro de los Estados Unidos, lo que viabilizo el envio de millones de dolares en medicina, suministros medicos, articulos deportivos, culturales, medio ambientales y para los discapacitados.

Por esta razon, distintas instituciones en Guantanamo nos invitaron a visitar el CEPRU o Centro Ecologico para el Procesamiento de Residuos urbanos. Prometi que iria, pero no estube convencido que visitar un basurero era la mejor forma de utilizar el limitado tiempo de mi visita familiar a esa ciudad.

En una visita sucesiva a Guantanamo, me recordaron nuevamente de su deseo que visitara el CEPRU. Acorralado y sin salida, acepte su invitacion y quede cautivado. La imagen que me encontre ese dia vivira conmigo de por vida, al ver a hombres y mujeres, jovenes y viejos, fisicamente sanos o impedidos, trabajando de manera incansable con sus ropas raidas, sin guantes u otros medios de proteccion personal, separando material reciclable de aquellos digeribles en la basura.

Impresionado con un esfuerzo tan singular, les prometi en el momento, que apoyaria su heroica y peligrosa tarea mediante la recoleccion de ropa de trabajo, guantes, bicicletas, mascaras, implementos de trabajo, los ayudamos a construir una cocina, bano, lavanderia, un aula de computacion, camara fotografica y les orientamos a no llevar sus ropas de trabajo contaminado a sus casas.

Este modesto gesto de solidaridad y respeto, les imprimio un gran impulso a sus tareas, multiplicando y transformando su centro de trabajo en el entorno que impresiono de tal forma al equipo periodistico de CNN y otros grupos procedentes de Estados Unidos y Europa que los han visitado.

El CEPRU es hoy un vivero forestal de mediano tamano con miles de plantas medicinales, flores, arbustos ornamentales, frutales y madera dura. Un humedal para la reproduccion de mariposas esta a punto de ser concluido, se encuentra en operacion una pequena poblacion de cabras lecheras para la produccion de leche para los ninos hospitalizados que son lactosa-intolerantes, se ofrecen seminarios mensuales de proteccion medio ambiental con especialistas de la rama y se coordinan visitas de alumnos de primaria para motivarlos en el amor y proteccion del medio ambiente.



Estos logros nos llevaron de manera equivocada a pensar, que la Mencion Meritoria que le fuera otorgado al CEPRU por el Ministerio de Agricultura, el ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio Ambiente, el primer premio que le fuera otorgado por la oficina regional de la FAO en la Habana y el imponente galardon de HEROES por CNN, hubiera convertido a este proyecto en una joya de aclamacion nacional y trampolin para elevar el nivel de conciencia acerca de los retos a nuestro medio ambiente.

Lamentable, ese no ocurrio. El apoyo a este proyecto ha sido pobre o cuestionable. Mulltiples impedimentos artificialmente creados han frenado la implementacion del proyecto Oxigeno Para Todos, que pretendia sembrar un millon de arboles maderables, ornamental y frutales por ano, encaminado a detener y revertir el grave proceso de desertificacion y salinizacion de Oriente Sur.

Sin embargo, ha sido Yoani Sanchez y no Irania Martinez Garcia quien ha hecho tanto en beneficio de su comunidad y que ha ganado el respeto internacional para su pais, quien la virulenta prensa anti-Cubana ha convertido en una celebridad internacional.

El curso que Yoani Sanchez ha escojido para sostener su estilo de vida, alcanzar una fama transitoria a expensa de degradar, mancillar y desmoralizar su pais, es simplemente asquiante. Uno de los principios morales elementales que aprendimos temprano en nuestras vidas, es debatir y resolver las diferencias familiares dentro del seno y nunca fuera de sus confines.
Seria posible, que esta seudo-filologa hubiera podido alcanzar fama internacional y sus "obras" traducidas a 17 idiomas, si el contenido central de su tematica giraria alrededor de los mas de 500 jovenes negros brutalmente asesinados entre si, en las calles de Chicago en el ano 2008?
Cuantos se interesarian por sus articulos, si ella se hubiera ocupado en reportar el vil asesinato de un joven hispano de 18 anos de edad, baleado 11 veces en la espalda, frente y los costados el dia 11/22/09 en Queens, Nueva York, por miembros de una brutal fuerza policiaca?

Ha escuchado alguna vez Yoani Sanchez hablar de Ellinor Bumpers, una abuela de 84 anos de edad, baleada seis veces en su apartamento del Bronx en 1984, por miembros de esta misma honorable fuerza policiaca?

Que decir acerca del emigrante sur Africano Amadou Diallo, al cual la policia de Nueva York le disparo 41 veces e hiriendolo 19 veces, mientras intentaba abrir la puerta de su apartamento en el Bronx en el ano 1999?

Como explicarnos el caso del humilde emigrante Haitiano Abmer Louima al cual, un perverso sexual de la estacion de policia de Brooklyn, le perforo el intestino al introducirle forzosamente el cabo de un destupidor por el recto en el ano 1997 y no parece ser motivo de interes periodistico de algunos?

Tendriamos que estimular a Yoani Sanchez para que investigue las bases del movimiento MOVE de Filadelphia que justifico, que un helicoptero de la policia dejara caer sobre sus casas, una bomba plastica C-4 de cuatro libras, incendiando numerosas casas, mientras la policia, prensa y bomberos observaron indiferentes, como 11 personas, de los cuales cinco eran ninos, morian calcinados en aquel infierno?

Podriamos asumir que Yoani Sanchez hubiera preferido a cualquiera de los policias mencionados mas arriba, que hubiesen intervenido en la lamentalbe, vergonzoso e innecesaria confrontacion reportada con la policia en dias pasados en la Habana?

Es realmente patetico observar como Yoani Sanchez y su esposo se han unido a la industria del odio anti-Cubano para financiar su estilo de vida, la adquisicion sin limites de conexion por internet en hoteles de lujo para exudar su veneno, operar una costosa pagina web operada en Alemania, sin tener que explicarle a su pueblo, la fuente de sus abultados ingresos.

La responsabilidad de este fiasco innecesario, es atribuible enteramente a las autoridades Cubanas, por haber ignorado injustamente los merecidisimos logros de Irania Martinez y permitido que a traves de ese vacio, Yoani, su esposo y amigos, hayan podido escalar desde su oscuro tugurio a inmerecidos niveles de celebridad.

Es derecho de cada ciudadano estar de acuerdo o no con su gobierno y sus leyes. Es igualmente legal el poder expresarlo sin coaccion y menos por la fuerza bruta. Lo que resulta imperdonable, es intentar denigrar a su pais y a su pueblo, en busca de fama y fortuna.

Felizmente en esta tercera edicion de HEROES de CNN y en los que proseguiran en el futuro, no contaran con la presencia de ninguno de estos impostores entre sus homenajeados.

The Paradox of Two Cuban Women

"The Paradox of Two Cuban Women"

Alberto N. Jones

November 26, 2009

Sometime during the year 2006, CNN executives conceived a project that would be different than everything they had done until then, in which, rather than the typical 24/7 news filled with death, destruction and human calamity to which we have become addicted, this project would be devoted entirely to pay hommage to ordinary people doing extraordinary things around the world.

On December 6, 2007 in the incredibly beautiful setting of the New York Museum of Natural History, 2.5 billions viewers around the world were treated to a detailed audio-visual desciption of the activities of all ten finalists, from which Irania Martinez from Guantanamo, Cuba, was declared by a high powered Blue Ribbon commission the winner of Defending the Planet.

The incredible honor that was bestowed upon this modest, Afro-Cuban, un-wed mother, who single handedly transformed a solid waste toxic dump in Guantanamo into a Garden of Eden - as described by CNN - was able at the same time, to put her city, her community and its people on the world map.

How could this unprecedented event come about? An accidental confluence of unrelated events, brought into fruition the most important development in the history of Guantanamo.

Some facts:

The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union and all of eastern European socialist countries meant for Cuba, loosing overnight 40% of its import/export markets, financial exchange, raw material, supplies, technical assistance and a traumatic mental impact of being without socio/political/financial allies and the threat of mass hunger, lack of medicine, medical supplies, endless blackouts and an imminent collapse as predicted by the "Domino" theory.

In what history will record as an equally daring act by Fidel Castro, similar to when he attacked the Moncada Garrison in 1953, led the sea invasion to ignite the revolution in 1956, directed the counterattack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and led the military strategy that defeated Apartheid and the most powerful war machine on the African continent. In impassioned speaches, he called upon the Cuban people to stand tall in defense of the fatherland in the image of our forefathers, who forged Cuba's independence with their blood, their lives, midwifing the Special Period in times of Peace. The level of need, deprivations, suffering and related deaths that took place in Cuba during this period, was a stark reminder of a devastated Europe at the end of WW II.

Doing what Cuba have done best whenever it is down and written off by academics and politicians, a flurry of ideas, projects, visions and new found energies came into play, dismantling all fatalistic predictions. Among the many novel ideas that were put in motion, were the immediate transformation of every city vacant lot into a community vegetable garden. As an agricultural technician, Irania Martinez was assigned to the marginal neighborhood of south Isleta.

Because of an acute lack of spare parts, fuel, tires etc., all solid waste trucks in Guantanamo were grounded and exchanged for horse driven wagons. Additionally, the city was sub-diveded into blocks to make it manageable by this new collection technique, by creating tens of mini-solid waste dumps in lieu of the centralized old dump.

When Irania arrived in Isleta, she was received by swarms of flies, ants, rodents, choking smoke from burning household solid waste contaminated with cancerigenous plastic containers and an offensive odor from decomposing matter.

After bringing this challenging health hazard to the attention of her managers, she was told that, that was not of her competence and that she should limit herself to do what she was sent there to do. She not only rejected such orders, she began organizing neighbors and asking for volunteer workers, to start addressing that critical problem.

A few joined and without any personal protection gears, salary or material support, they started sorting, recycling glass, metal, composting and creating a seedling of thousands of hardwood, ornamental and fruits trees, that were given away to everyone willing to nurture a plant.

As a result of the dire humanitarian drama that Cuba in general and Guantanamo in particular was enduring in 1992 and after, we begged, packaged and sent with everyone willing to take an extra suitcase and later through every Cuba solidarity group, tons of medical, educational, physically challenged and sport supplies that were generously donated to us by peace loving, caring people in the state of Florida and beyond.

This working relationship reached its peak after hurricane Gordon hit Guantanamo in 1994 and we were able in collaboration with others, to send the first four engine cargo plane loaded with humanitarian assistance to land in Cuba since 1959. This act created a permanent working relation with the healthcare, education and the physically challenged association of that province.
Because this activity needed to be structured and institutionalized, I became a founding member of US-Cuba Sister City, founded the Caribbean American Children Foundation and an officer in the St Augustine-Baracoa Friendship Association.

These legal proceedings allowed us to apply for and receive multiple licenses from the US Treasury and Commerce Department, which enabled us to send millions of dollars in medicine, medical supplies, sports, physically challenged, cultural and environmental health supplies.

This factor, led members of different institutions to invite us to visit CEPRU or the Ecological Center For Processing Urban Refuse. I promised I would, but was not convinced that a solid waste dump was the most interesting place to spend my limited time during my family visits to Guantanamo.

On a second visit to Guantanamo, I was reminded of their desire for me to visit CEPRU. Cornered and with no other possibility, I accepted the invitation and I was doomed. The image I came across that day will live with me forever, as men and women, young and old, physically fit and challenged, worked tireless with their bare hands, ragged clothing, without personal protection, sorting through piles of household refuse.

There and then, I promised that we would support the heroic and dangerous work they were doing, by providing them with work clothing, gloves, mask, bicycles, work tools, help build a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, a computer/classroom, camera and forbade everyone from taking their contaminated work clothes home.

These modest signs of respect and solidarity became a real boost to each of them, who multiplied their efforts and transformed their workplace into the enviroment that so impressed the visiting CNN team.

Today CEPRU has a midsize nursery with thousands of medicinal herbs, flowers, ornamental, fruits and hardwood. A humid pond for butterflies reproduction is about to be completed, a small goat dairy farm for lactose intolerant hospitalized babies is in production, monthly environmental seminars with specialists in the field are held on premises and primary school children are encouraged to visit and learn to love and respect nature.

It was our hopes, that after CEPRU had been awarded meritorious recognitions by the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Science and Environment, the regional FAO office and the stunning CNN HEROES first prize, this project would be widely acclaimed by everyone in Cuba and used as a springboard to raise the awareness of the threats to country's environment.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Support has been questionable and bureaucratic impediments have stalled a project, "Oxygen For All," whose goals were to plant one millon fruit, ornamental, hardwood and other trees per year, intended to revert the desertfication/salinization on the southern coast of Oriente.

Yet, it is Yoani Sanchez - not Irania Martinez who have done so much on behalf of her community and earned international respect for her country - who the hostile, anti-Cuba media, have turned into an international celebrity.

The path that Yoani Sanchez have taken to earn a living, achieve transitory fame at the expense of degrading, tainting its image and demoralizing her country, is simply revolting. One of the moral principles we learned early in our lives , is to debate and settle all household differences within our homes, not outside of its confines.

Would this pseudo-phillologist have earned world wide repute and her "works" translated into 17 languages, if she had focused on the 500 plus minority students murdered viciously on the streets of Chicago in 2008?

Would anyone be interested in her writings if she would report on a Hispanic 18 year old youngster shot 11 times in his back, side and forehead in Queens on 11/22/09, by members of the brutal New York Police force?

Have Yoani Sanchez ever heard about Elinor Bumpers, a 84 year old grandmother, shot six times by New York cops in her Bronx apartment in 1984? How about South African emigrant Amadou Diallo, shot at 41 times and hit 19 times while opening his apartment door in Bronx, or Haitian Abner Louima, viciously sodomized with a broom stick in a police precinct in Brooklyn, New York?

Should I remind Yoani Sanchez and encourage her to research the MOVE organization in Philladelphia, on whose home a police helicopter dropped a 4 pound C-4 plastic bomb in 1985, calcinating 11 people among which were 5 children and no one was found guilty?

Should I assume Ms Yoani Sanchez would have preferred any of those police mentioned above, would have handled her recent regretful and uncalled for scuffle with members of the police in Havana?

It is pathetic to see how Yoani Sanchez and her husband have allowed themselves to be used by these Cuba-haters, who have financed their lifestyles for years, provided them with abundant cash to purchase endless internet connection in luxury hotels spewing their excretions and operate a costly web site moderated in Germany, without ever having to explain who is picking up the tab.

No one other than the Cuban authorities are to be blamed for this fiasco, by willfully denying Irania her rightful place in society and for creating a vacuum, where opportunist like Yoani, her husband and friends could walk through from their obscure past into world celebs.

It is everyone's right to agree or disagree with their government and/or its policies. What is repulsive is to denigrate your country and its people in search of false glory.

Fortunately, neither one of them will be on CNN HEROES Third Awards!

As We Push the World Towards Disaster

"As we push the world towards disaster"
Alberto N Jones
November 10, 2009

As I read “Prejudice guides speculation over Fort Hood killings” by Pierre Tristam, Daytona Beach News Journal 11/8/09, I am compelled to reflect into another of his in-depth, objective, analytical journalism that we have come to expect and respect; when he carefully lead us through the violent scourge that have engulfed and is devouring our nation.

As Tristam tries to stay clear of the incendiary speculation and prejudicial Muslim implication in this horrendous crime, a biased and complicit media have conspicuously ignored other despicable acts committed by those without an easy scapegoat background.

Attempting to prevent the root cause of the massacre in Fort Hood and others to come, we marched, held vigils, wrote letters and pleaded with everyone bent on unleashing a monstrous, unjustifiable, lie-laden war on Iraq, which is returning to our shores, sons, daughters and husbands, crazed by hundreds of maimed, charred and mountains of dead bodies that may have changed their lives forever.

When we see a physician who has been trained to help thousands of mentally deranged, morally ravaged soldiers by the horrors of war, doing exactly what he was supposed to prevent, paints a troubling picture of the future, if only 1% of those that have been deployed to that inferno, may be affected by this silent, dreadful syndrome.

Not withstanding the actions of Timothy McVeigh, Allen Muhammad, Malik Hassan and others, all with a common denominator military background, those who have fanned the flames of hatred against Viet Nam, Iraq-I, Balkans, Iraq-II, Iran, Afghanistan and potentially Pakistan into another conflagration; continue today to spew their hate, beat their war drums and are constantly trying to push the United States deeper into the Afghanistan quagmire, from where no nation have ever been able to extricate itself without irreparable damage.

Our efforts to create peace, love and understanding among men may fail once again, as we refuse to tire, give-up or learn to cope with this man-made catastrophe.