Interview to the leader farmer, Pedro Antonio Alonso (Final)

Victor and Sanchez,
independent journalist
victorernestosanchez@ymail.com


SANTIAGO OF CUBA, 18 of April, 2009 - Today we offer III the Part (Final) of the interview realized the past Sunday to them 12 of April, to the leader farmer, Pedro Antonio Alonso:

P-Victore: Alonso, the past year left an official notice in which it occurred to know that the next month May would be celebrated a Congress of independent farmers, what has happened with the event?

E-Alonso: If, several years ago we continued trying to realize an event where the directives of the Cuban peasantry draw up. In 1999 we realized a concerted effort to obtain that meeting. The call of an encounter that would be celebrated in Slaughters in November of that year had a great impact and although the event was not obtained absolutely, if it had positive results. During the preparatory phase interesting communications were realized that picked up the reality of our fields and Cuban agriculture and could be realized a strong promotion through Martí Radio. Also by those times we had a great support of Cubanet and the Support battalion to the Dissidence, that offered the necessary resources for the organization of the encounter.

With the course of the time, although it seems paradoxical, already that outer support has disappeared. After the death of Berre Rose in October of the 2006, we broke away from the enemy with its new directive, that never has communicated with us.  The one of Martí Radio, already know you it. That was our main one to pound to disclose our project. Ours first independent cooperative “Transition�, was based the 5 of May of 1997, and by then, we received a tremendous cover. Carlos Quintela, with its programs: By Your Mounts and Caminos and Tempranito and Morning it maintained to us with tremendous hearing. Also I want to remember and to be thankful for the support that gave to Angelica Blackberry us, a Chilean that works in those times in Martí Radio, that called to us until at the dawn deceiving the telephone interruptions, because in those times it is not like now, that you communicate from where you want. In those times, we only had two telephones available to receive calls in all Santiago of Cuba. One was the one of the Riverón family and another one the one of Ing. Jose Ribiño.

Excuse Victor the disintegration, but returning to the subject of the congress, we thought that with its announcement we were going to secure support, certain resources and some spreading, but you will have paid attention that has not been obtained anything. Some Aryan managers like Arthur, Pedro Carballosa and Angel Luis want to do something, but without the minimum resource it becomes almost impossible. Diosmel also called worried to me about the United States, but equal, they have not received any support either over there. Thus they walk the things.

P-Victore: The things shine complicated, the new policy of the United States with respect to Cuba and to Latin America, why no, it will have some impact in the work of you, like rural developers?

E-Alonso: I do not create it. The weather is good I made a planning that Cuba, although outside a different country, was equal to the others. Therefore, many things had to become equal to the rest of the other countries. In Cuba, the government politicizes all it, but we fall in the same error. The social movements that comprise of the civil society we turned them into political projects, very badly handled by the way. We have the case of the fight by the vindication of the woman farmer, who a group of people other people's to our project has removed from the context and intention to it of his main targets.

You will say.  And what has to do a thing with the other - then - we we have an approach of development at regional level, that is for all the Latin America. If we did not work with a depoliticized scheme, we cannot aspire to work with credibility before the other regional organisms. The new North American policy contemplates the support for Latin America through organizations in the own countries. We conceived the rural integral development, from the shared in common associative micro-enterprises. If the North American Government does not push this initiative for Cuba also and presses his governors, they put so that it in practice, within any process of negotiations, the new North American policy will not serve to us don't mention it.

P-Victore: Before so many difficulties, which are the future perspective for the movement farmer in Cuba?

E-Alonso: There is a reality, while the present sociopolitical circumstances do not change, the Cuban peasantry has the historical justification to continue his fight of social vindication. We assumed the challenge to lead this process, having like advantage that the true farmer defends his earth and he does not emigrate. This is one of the reasons reason why the rural population is the one that less benefits from the familiar remittances.

Also we hoped that at some time it is taken more brings back to consciousness on the part of those people who are made represent the transition towards the democracy in Cuba, of the importance that has the movement farmer as social class and include in its projects objectives that tie with the interests of the rural population.

Our projection contemplates the constant demand of the rights that have the farmers, like the right to the Earth property, the improvement in the quality of life through access to the basic services: water, electricity, communications, health, education, etc. and the defense of a right market for its products.

P-Victore: Alonso, I want agradecerte all this dissertation that you have given me. That they remain many subjects that to approach, I hope that in to a next we will do it contact, because I promise to you to follow abreast of all this fascinating activity of the independent farmers.

E-Alonso: No, Victor. The one that has agradecerte I am I, in the name of all our people, who once again have been forgotten by all those that they had to support them. That gesture yours we will consider always them, thus will be registered when a right count becomes of our history.