There’s No Going Back

There's No Going Back / Rebeca Monzo
Posted on August 13, 2015

Rebeca Monzo, 12 August 2015 — I am one of those people who believe the
opening created by the US government and the entrenched Castro regime,
no matter how insignificant it might at first appear, cannot help but
widen until it brings down the great ideological wall erected by
island's totalitarian regime over the past fifty-six years.

The restoration of relations with the government of the United States,
which will be officially inaugurated on August 14, has brought a ray of
hope to the long-suffering and suppressed Cuban people.

I can fully understand those who feel truly hurt and reject this
opening, not only because their property was taken from them, but also
because they were separated from their families, forcing them into
unwanted exile. But I also understand that the great majority of the
Cuban population has grown old or died waiting for change.

Though it may be hard to believe, a segment of the population which
remained on the island has recently begun to express its dissatisfaction
in subtle and peaceful ways. People now challenge the government through
the use of American symbols, displaying the stars and stripes on their
clothes, accessories, cars and privately owned work vehicles.

Though they might well be carted off by the police if they said publicly
what they were thinking privately, the vast majority of the population
silently welcomes this first contact with our neighboring country, which
has long been spoken of with reproach in sick and hateful propaganda
campaigns

I feel that for us — the dissidents and free thinkers who have put a
face to protest on the island — the way these meetings between the two
governments have been conducted are a disappointment. However, I
understand that they an important first step and that there will be no
turning back.

Source: There's No Going Back / Rebeca Monzo | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/theres-no-going-back-rebeca-monzo/