CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Culture: the nation's heritage and a guarantee of its sovereignty in a globalized world

The cultural work undertaken in Cuba since 1959 represents one of the most eloquent expressions of the humanistic, universal and democratic spirit of the Cuban Revolution.

The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba establishes that the state "orients, foments and promotes education, culture and science in all their manifestations," and specifically espouses the freedom of artistic creation, the defense of Cuban cultural identity, and the conservation of the nation's cultural heritage and artistic and historic wealth.

In Cuba, culture is the domain of the masses, with equal opportunity for the development of the potential of every citizen. For the Cuban government, culture is an essential foundation of development, in light of its spiritual, creative, affective, moral and ethical contribution to society and the tangible and intangible heritage of the nation.

Based on this conviction, the Cuban state promotes the most varied expressions of artistic, cultural and intellectual activity, and this sector has been given particular priority over recent years through the development of programs aimed at fostering a higher degree of general, comprehensive culture and learning in every Cuban citizen.

After the National Literacy Campaign, in the earliest years of the Revolution, the foundations were laid for profound cultural development, through the establishment of important institutions with this goal. These included, among others, a national publishing system, bringing books and reading to the masses; an art education system of the highest standards yet accessible to all; a system of local cultural institutions; and national institutes and other agencies responsible for promoting the various fields of the arts.

The progressive growth in state funding of culture reflects the priority placed on the development of this sector, with an increase from 102 million pesos in 1997 to 552 million pesos in 2004.

The Ministry of Culture and its provincial and municipal departments are currently concentrating on the following priorities:

The creation and promotion of art and literature throughout the country and the active participation of artists in the nation's cultural institutions.
The development and implementation of multifaceted, high-quality cultural programming, with close coordination among national, provincial and municipal institutions, aimed at meeting the growing public demand.

The enrichment, preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage.

Community work on the part of cultural institutions, with the participation of the different social forces that support community cultural work.

Increased emphasis on the art education system, and the development of human resources in general.

The introduction and application of new information and communication technologies for the development and dissemination of culture.

Closer ties with the media, as one of the fundamental means of informing the public and influencing tastes.

The international promotion of Cuban culture.

Fostering the production and marketing of cultural goods and services.

1.- Municipal cultural institutions

Cuba has developed a wide network of local community cultural institutions, spread throughout the country and numbering 2050 in all, including
368 bookstores, 21 traditional music clubs, 178 video theaters and two circus tents.

The amateur artist movement, promoted through community cultural centers, has grown significantly in recent years, with a current membership of 98,762.

There are over 2,200 professional cultural promoters currently working in local people's councils, districts and settlements. Between 1995 and 2002, 410 new cultural promoters were trained in courses specially designed for this purpose. The enrollment for the 2003-2004 course is 3654 students, of whom 1874 were participants in the comprehensive upgrading courses for unemployed youth.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Education, special priority has been placed on the new schools for art instructors, which are staffed by instructors recruited from cultural institutions and groups throughout the country. There are 15 of these schools in all, one in each of the 14 provinces and one on the Isle of Youth. There are currently 15,482 students enrolled, specializing in various artistic fields. The first group of graduates, numbering 3,353 in all, will complete their studies in 2004.

2.-Art education

The founding of the National School of Art in 1962 marked the initiation of one of the most transcendental and beautiful works of the Revolution: the creation of an art education system. This system has earned considerable international recognition and prestige, owing to the quality of its graduates and to its design, curricula, faculty and high technical and artistic standards.

There are currently 20 basic art education schools and 29 junior college level professional art schools throughout the country, a reflection of the emphasis placed on this field of education. The successes achieved in Cuban culture are undoubtedly the fruit of this art education system, crowned by the prestigious Higher Institute of Arts (ISA).

During the year 2003, work continued in the training of the 16,000 students enrolled in the country's schools for art instructors. The annual Book Fair was expanded to encompass 30 venues throughout the country, and was attended by 3.5 million people; millions of books were sold.

3.-The use of information technologies for sociocultural development

Cuba, whose cultural development efforts are founded on the pillars of people’s participation and equity, has begun to implement strategies that will help convert information and communication technologies into instruments serving sociocultural transformation.

In all of the country's school, including those in remote rural areas, audiovisual technology and computers are used as part of the teaching and learning process. A total of 30,000 students are currently enrolled in programs for training as programmers and in other fields of computer sciences at the junior college level. The use of the Internet and new information and communication technologies is being handled creatively so as to ensure the greatest possible social benefit.

The late arrival of the Internet to Cuba owes to the fact that up until May of 1994, Cuban access to Internet websites was blocked by the United States. The Torricelli Act, adopted in 1992 to reinforce the blockade, identified communications with Cuba as a means of weakening the Cuban Revolution.22

In a world where access to the Internet is for only a small minority,23 where millions of people have never even seen a telephone, and have no hope of ever being able to use the Internet, because many of them cannot read or write, the only possible path for the underdeveloped countries, the most democratic and wide-reaching under the conditions of the blockade and the limited resources faced by Cuba, is the path that we are following. Through social, educational, cultural, academic, artistic and other centers, in specialized fields or in the community in general, access to the Internet is provided for artists, intellectuals, writers and other creators.

Despite the efforts made, Cuba's connection to the so-called worldwide web does not offer the sufficient bandwidth to meet the country's demand. The U.S. blockade obliges Cuba to use a bandwidth and satellite connection that is costly and slow. The problem could be solved by a fiber optic cable connecting Cuba and the state of Florida, but the U.S. authorities prohibit this.

Cuba's ability to connect to the Internet with the speed it would like, or with as many channels or independent providers as it may choose, does not depend on Cuba. Every time that Cuba attempts to add a new channel to the Internet, the U.S. counterpart must obtain the corresponding license from the U.S. Treasury Department. Likewise, if a U.S. company wants to open a new channel to Cuba or decides to increase the speed of connection, a license must be issued.

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