Víctor Manuel Domínguez, Lux Info Press
HAVANA, July - The spaces opened by the Cuban Catholic Church to inform and
debate topics otherwise banned to the general population are watched warily by
the authorities.
The characteristics of the information in Palabra Nueva magazine, without
prejudice or institutional ideology, are enough to ensure that they be banned
from the State media for fear of a message that will take apart the dogmatic
workings of a presumably unquestionable political creed.
The magazine was awarded the Gold Medal by the International Catholic Press
Union in 1998, in recognition of its work "promoting freedom of expression
and becoming a space for expression and participation for the Cuban people, in
spite of the difficulties," according to the award documents.
The staff and collaborators have taken on the task of rescuing the most
important personalities and topics of the national identity, to integrate them
into the mainstream again.
With sections such as Important Figures and Arts and Culture, the magazine
increases its readership with every issue, in spite of a monthly schedule, very
sober design and a total lack of publicity.
The Church has also reclaimed some space from government censorship with its
Fray Bartolomé de las Casas classrooms, held next to the church of San
Juan de Letrán every last Thursday of the month, in which different
strains of opinion interact.
Participants disect every argument in search of a project of cultural
identity that is not limited by political reasons.
Open spaces for civilized debate among people with different opinions is
troubling for defenders of a society ordered by one idea and one voice. The new
dialogue affords fresh points of view within a context that changes as the old
order crumbles.
Finding new paths beyond those authorized by the government constitutes a
step forward in integrating the national identity.
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