A Cuban independent journalist, Julio Aleaga Pesant, is risking his life to inform fellow citizens about the realities of the Cuban government, and he was able to share his experiences with UT students Oct. 24.
“When you enter the opposition in Cuba, you know you’re going to be arrested, you know you’re going to lose your job and you know your family is going to be affected,” Aleaga Pesant said. “You’re willing to undergo that risk.”
Aleaga Pesant was speaking to Dr. James Lopez’s Revolutionary Cuba class about these democratic journalism movements. The students in Revolutionary Cuba, a government and world affairs travel course, will go to Cuba in January to learn more about the country’s transition into democracy after Castro’s reign.
Lopez, associate professor of Spanish and a Cuban-American, translated for Aleaga Pesant from Spanish to English.
“It was very last minute to have Mr. Aleaga Pesant speak to my class,” Lopez said. Lopez has a friend who is friends with Aleaga Pesant’s cousin, which is the reason Aleaga Pesant was able to visit UT.
Jake Loken, a student in the class, feels more knowledgeable and prepared to travel to Cuba after hearing Aleaga Pesant’s story.
“He’s one of the most insightful and inspirational speakers I’ve ever heard,” said Loken, a junior double majoring in government and world affairs and marketing. “It’s interesting to hear from someone who actually lives in Cuba, and I’m excited to see these changes he’s been talking about.”
Aleaga Pesant used to be a film professor at the University of Havana before he was expelled for being a member of the democratic movement in Cuba.
After Fidel Castro stepped down as president in 2006, Aleaga Pesant became an independent journalist in an attempt to spread democratic awareness, change the opinions of civic society and rid Cuba of communism once and for all.
“We were told growing up that family members who left the island were traitors and that they didn’t love us,” Aleaga Pesant said. “But the image of what Cuba is trying to control is beginning to change.”
In March 2003, the Cuban regime cracked down on members of the democratic opposition over a period of three days. They arrested 75 people, including many journalists. It was illegal to own a typewriter, a camera and a fax machine.
“It was a terrible moment, and everyone was frightened,” Aleaga Pesant said. “Nobody knew who was going to be arrested next.”
Aleaga Pesant explained that Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, swept in as president after his brother stepped down.
He is trying to improve Cuba’s economy and international reputation, which involves loosening up on censorship. However, independent publications and journalists like Aleaga Pesant must still be careful for their safety, because the government is always watching. Aleaga Pesant wants to make local publications more mainstream as opposed to having only national news sources.
Fortunately, Aleaga Pesant believes Cuba’s situation is improving. Journalists now have access to the Internet, cell phones and private property. Beforehand, the Cuban government owned people’s cars and homes.
“I want to continue to live in my country, but I want my country to be different,” Aleaga Pesant said. The problem isn’t Raúl Castro; the problem is the democratic movement that has to be ready and prepared to get people on its side, he continued.
Natalie Hicks can be reached at natalie.hicks@theminaretonline.com