Agustin Blazquez with the collaboration of Jaums Sutton.
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001. NewsMax.com
After my arrival in the United States in 1967, I noticed what the written
press and television were saying about Cuba, and consequently, I realized the
reigning misunderstanding about our reality.
I soon realized that Cuban-Americans were facing two formidable enemies:
Fidel Castro and the U.S. media.
In 1968 I began writing letters to American reporters trying to clarify
their errors and guide them to sources of information where they could find the
factual Cuban reality.
After several years of receiving silence as the only reply, I decided to
write articles. I always saw that my target was the American audience, because
Cubans know very well by our own experience the reality of living inside Cuba.
Counting on the invaluable collaboration and dedication of an American,
Jaums Sutton – who has been the editor of all my work in English – my
articles were born and are being published by some 32 Web pages on the Internet,
and are read all over the world.
I have learned that among my readers are the Cuban secret state police, the
Capitol in Havana and the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. –
which is a nest of security agents, spies, bullies and Castro's henchmen.
This was demonstrated on April 14, 2000, when "diplomats" attacked
(as the Cuban Rapid Response Brigades do) a group of U.S. citizens who were
peacefully demonstrating in support of Elian Gonzalez.
Some of my articles have also been published in U.S. newspapers like the
Houston Chronicle, the Washington Times and Washington Inquirer, but the doors
still are generally shut for the ones who write in English about the reality of
Cuba.
Carlos Wotzkow read one of my articles in Switzerland and commented on it
with writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante in England – I have known Guillermo
since 1966 and he was acquainted with my articles – and he suggested that
we publish a book together. That is how our collaboration was born.
The result is "Covering and Discovering/Cubriendo y Descubriendo,"
a bilingual book. Carlos' articles are in Spanish and mine are in English.
Another result of the dismissal of Cuban-Americans and the near total
blockade by the U.S. media is my labor as a documentarist – again counting
on the collaboration of Jaums Sutton, who, in addition to donating his time, has
contributed economically to this enterprise.
In these documentaries I attempt to disseminate our reality to the American
public, reflecting the majority feelings of our community and giving
Cuban-Americans the opportunity to express themselves without being subjected to
misrepresentation and ridicule.
Tonight is the first time that one of my documentaries is shown here, the
capital of Cuban exiles.
The U.S. media present our community in a negative and insensitive way,
revealing their apparent resentment against us simply because we try to expose
the romantic aura around Castro and his revolution as nothing more than a tragic
fallacy.
During the Elian Gonzalez affair, this resentment by the U.S. media was
clearly demonstrated by the derogatory way we were presented to the public
opinion of the nation.
What was published about us in the U.S. media in this country was insulting
to a superlative degree, using an attitude that, of course, they wouldn't dare
use about the other ethnic groups that make up this nation.
It is my intention that through my articles and documentaries the American
people receive our message, which in reality is a very American message in
accordance with the founders of this great nation.
We, Cuban-Americans, definitely do appreciate, love and defend real liberty.
Thank you very much.
Author with Carlos Wotzkow of the book Covering and
Discovering/Cubriendo y Descubriendo
Producer/Director of the documentaries Covering Cuba, covering Cuba 2:
The New Generation and the upcoming Covering Cuba 3: Elian
© ABIP 2001.
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