The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) has called on all intellectuals and creators worldwide to mobilize in defense of the Cuban cause.
“As Martí defined it in 1895, when writing about our duty in America: ‘Whoever rises up for Cuba today, rises up for all time,’” reads the text, which was shared this Monday by the influential Mexican newspaper La Jornada, and which can be subscribed to by writing to the email address oficina.presidencia@uneac.co.cu, with the subject: Cuba is not a threat.
The Island “resists and will resist this inhuman aggression, but it has the active solidarity of all honest, humanist, and well-intentioned men and women of the world. It is about preventing a genocidal act and saving a heroic people whose only ‘crime and threat’ has been defending their sovereignty,” the document asserts.
“Cuba has never attacked any nation. Cuba exercises international solidarity even under conditions of extreme blockade. To stand with Cuba today is to defend peace and the right of all peoples, however small, to the full exercise of their sovereignty.”
The appeal explains that the country has fought for centuries, first to achieve its independence and then to defend it fiercely. Such immense resistance against the most powerful and predatory empire in human history has been achieved through the immense sacrifice of its people. The conscious resistance of those of us who live in the archipelago stems from convictions and principles learned long ago.
“José Martí, the great poet and patriot, defined our noble destiny in 1894: ‘The Antilles are at the heart of America, and if enslaved, they would be mere pontoons in the war of an imperial republic.’
“Cuba’s greatest wealth lies in its people. We do not possess oil reserves or other highly coveted natural resources, but we have developed a human capital capable of shaping resilience through creativity and knowledge.
"Cuba does not foster terrorism, although we have been victims of it. We cherish peace, inextricably linked to our independence. We have always aspired to build a just and compassionate society. We have eradicated illiteracy and reduced infant and maternal mortality to levels comparable to those of the developed world. We send doctors and teachers to other nations when others only drop bombs."
"We create vaccines that are distributed free of charge. We promote sports as a right of the people, and we are the Spanish-speaking country that has won the most medals in the history of the Olympic Games."
"We have a comprehensive, free system of art schools, where dancers, actors, painters, filmmakers, musicians—many from humble backgrounds—have been trained; they have created a powerful, internationally recognized artistic movement."
"Since the revolutionary triumph of 1959, we have aspired to achieve the highest cultural level for our people. Fidel proved to us that illiteracy could be eliminated and that we must fight to eradicate racism and discrimination in all its forms through a framework of laws and active vigilance. We have made progress in the integration and defense of the rights of our women, who are now members of parliament, executives, and professionals on equal footing with men."
"We approved a progressive Family Code that protects love in its diverse forms of expression."
"Despite the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States since 1962, which has been successively intensified, culminating in the suffocation implemented by the current U.S. government, we do not renounce our dreams of prosperity, justice, and peace."
"Resistance costs us dearly and imposes great sacrifices on our people every day, and it requires facing with stoicism the cruelty of the extraterritorial measures of the U.S. government."
"The empire says that Cuba represents a threat to its national security, which is ridiculous and implausible. It has decreed an oil blockade, with the consequent paralysis of hospitals, schools, industries, and transportation. They are trying to prevent our doctors from saving lives; they are trying to paralyze our free and universal education system, to plunge us into famine, into a lack of energy to guarantee access to drinking water and cooking food; in short, they intend to slowly and cruelly extinguish a country."
