The seventh summit showed that we are not alone

The seventh summit showed that we are not alone / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya
Posted on April 19, 2015

The Summit of the Americas legitimized our right to exist as civil
society and as an alternative to dictatorial power. It was a victory of
democracy over the empire of totalitarianism.

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Panama, 13 April 2015 – With smiles, handshakes
and the usual "family photo" of all the presidents, the Summit of the
Americas ended in Panama. This time the hemispheric event had the
distinction of hosting, after a half century of absence, the visit of
the prodigal son: the representative of the longest dictatorship of the
continent, as well as a varied delegation from the Island's civil society.

Apart from the numerous irregularities, related to the organization of
the event, and the almost obvious complicity of local authorities with
the obstacles that tried to sabotage the participation of alternative
civil society representatives in the various forums of the summit —
including power cuts, credential problems, and the well-known
repudiation rallies orchestrated by the delegates of the Castro regime's
"civil society" and its continental acolytes — one could conclude that
the balance of the conclave was positive for Cuban democrats.

Needless to say, the vociferous covens starring "revolutionary" wildlife
had the opposite effect to that intended: far from demonizing opponents
and members of independent civil society, they demonstrated to the rest
of the delegations the intolerant nature of the regime and the veracity
of the testimonies that have denounced the repression against every
different alternative on the island, as well as the disrespect of the
Cuban authorities towards the hosts and the other countries of the region.

Not only did the delegates from many social organizations openly express
their support for the exercise of the rights of expression of Cuban
democrats, but many representatives of the continental Left expressed
disgust with the intransigence and violent methods used by pro-Castro
attendees, a posture that in their opinion sullies the image of the Left
and contaminates its projects in the region.

However, with the morbid interest aroused by the spectacle of violence,
the tabloid press has given these repudiation rallies greater prominence
than they deserve, and has emphasized the imprint of their protagonists
on the Summit, as if that was the highlight of the agenda.

However, for independent civil society the true importance of the
Panamanian meeting consists in the fact that its voices have finally
been recognized at a major regional event, as well as the joint and
harmonious participation of Cubans living within and outside the island,
welcoming plural and diverse ideas and positions, capable of mutual
respect, and finding commonalities among all of them. In fact, those
voices – and not those of the "repudiators" of the Castro regime's
supporters – were the ones that ended up represented in official
documents of the Summit, with several opponents to the regime
participating in their drafting.

Equally important was the meeting between US President Barack Obama and
well-known Cuban dissidents, undoubtedly a gesture of support for the
struggle for human rights within Cuba and a clear message that that
government will continue to support pro-democracy activists, regardless
of the negotiations being conducted with the Cuban authorities at the
highest level.

Overall, the exchange between political leaders and leaders of social
networks around the hemisphere was of great importance, making
independent Cuban civil society visible at the regional level, attesting
to the existence of an alternative discourse to that allowed by the
regime, a discourse that claims spaces and demands rights, and that made
clear the variety of proposals that exist within Cuban society.

It was also an opportunity to participate in debates which included deep
analysis about the danger of the spread of totalitarian regimes in Latin
America, and the risk this poses to democracy and peace in the region;
debates where the continued and increasing violations of human rights
and encroachments on freedom of the press and expression in several of
our nations was denounced; debates that strongly questioned the role of
the Organization of American States (OAS) as a body that is obliged to
ensure democracy and enforce the Inter-American Charter, which are the
founding objectives of the organization and which have been set aside
with the permissibility, indifference and complicity, both of the
leadership of the OAS as well as the region's democratic leaders.

For those of us who had the privilege of participating in this Summit it
was an invaluable experience that showed how it is possible to discuss
in a civilized manner, beyond politics and ideology, and the certainty
that we are not alone in our struggle for the democratization of Cuba.

The Summit of the Americas, as I have argued in all spaces in which we
participated, was not a goal, but an important step in legitimizing our
right to exist as civil society and as an alternative to dictatorial
power. It was undoubtedly a victory for democracy over the empire of
totalitarianism: an unpublished chapter after the long history of
exclusions that we Cubans have experienced in our hemisphere. Hopefully
now that the doors, despite many adversities, have been opened, we are
at the beginning of a process of regional integration that promotes
democratic openings within Cuba.

Source: The seventh summit showed that we are not alone / Cubanet,
Miriam Celaya | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-seventh-summit-showed-that-we-are-not-alone-cubanet-miriam-celaya/