studies and documents on cultural - unesdoc...

Studies and documents on cultural policies

Recent titles in this series:

Cultural policy in Guyana, by A. J. Seymour Cultural policy in Peru, by the National Institute of Culture Cultural policy in Colombia, by Jorge Eliécer Ruiz and Valentina Manilanda Aspects of Algeriun cultural policy, by Sid-Ahmed Baghli Cultural policy in the Republic of Panama, by the National Institute of Culture Cultural policy in Argentina, by Edwin R. Harvey Cultural policy in the Byelorussinn S.S.R., by the Academy of Sciences of the Byelo- russian S.S.R.

For a complete list of titles see page 51

The cultural policy of L 1

Cuba.

Jaime Saruski and Gerardo Mosquera

Published in 1979 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris Printed by Presses Universitaires de France

ISBN 92-3-101617-2

Spanish edition: 92-3-301617-X

0 Unesco 1979 Printed in France

Preface

The purpose of this series is to show how cultural policies are planned and implemented in various Member States.

As cultures differ, so does the approach to them; it is for each M e d e r State to determine its cultural policy and methods according to its own conception of culture, its socio-economic system, political ideology and technological development. However, the methods of cultural policy (like those of general development policy) have certain common problems; these are largely institutional, administrative and financial in nature, and the need has increasingly been stressed for exchanging experiences and information about them. This series, each issue of which follows as far as possible a similar pattern so as to make comparison easier, is mainly concerned with these technical aspects of cultural policy.

In general, the studies deal with the principles and methods of cultural policy, the evaluation of cultural needs, administrative structures and man- agement, planning and financing, the organization of resources, legislation, budgeting, public and private institutions, cultural content in education, cultural autonomy and decentralization, the training of personnel, institutional infrastructures for meeting specific cultural needs, the safeguarding of the cultural heritage, institutions for the dissemination of the arts, international cultural co-operation and other related subjects.

The studies, which cover countries belonging to differing social and economic systems, geographical areas and levels of development, present, therefore, a wide variety of approaches and methods in cultural policy. Taken as a whole, they can provide guidelines to countries which have yet to establish cultural policies, while all countries, especially those seeking new formulations of such policies, can profit by the experience already gained.

This study was prepared for Unesco by Jaime Saruski and Gerardo Mosquera of the Cuban Ministry of Culture and replaces the preceding study

Cultural Policy in Cuba, by Lisandro Otero with the assistance of Francisco Martínez Hinojosa, published by Unesco in 1971.

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unesco.

Contents

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20

28

39

Background

Cuban cultural policy Areas of institutional responsibility 23 Funds for cultural activities 23 Art amateurs 25 Cultural heritage 26

Organizations, institutions and cultural groups The ‘Saiz Brothers’ Brigade 28 Casa de las Américas 28 Music publishing 31 Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) 33 Instituto de Literatura y Lingüística Libraries 35 Publishing houses 36 The creative arts Artistic education 39 Plastic arts 40 Dance 41 Literature 43 Music 43 Theatre 45 Cinema 46

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49 The outlook for cultural development in Cuba

Background

The forms of Cuban culture could not help reflecting the fact that, until the triumph of the Revolution, Cuba was a country dominated, first by col- onialism and later by imperialism. It is in the light of this that the difficulties besetting the expansion of the national culture should be seen and that its contribution to a dramatic struggle against its enemies should be explained. The evaluation of the most significant achievements of Cuban thought and creative activity shows, however, a favourable credit balance.

Situated at the centre of the Caribbean, Cuba was destined to be at all times a place of transit, exchange and fusion of peoples and cultures. The earliest evidence of the presence of human beings in the island dates back to more than 5,000 years before the discovery of America. The aborigines were gatherers and hunters and formed primitive farming communities, which were swept away by the conquest. The achievements of these early inhabi- tants had a negligible influence on the make-up of Cuban culture, although, paradoxically, two of the things they bequeathed to posterity-the ham- mock and tobacco-eventually became part of the world's heritage.

Immigrants from Andalusia, the Canary Islands, the Basque country, Galicia and other parts of the Iberian peninsula-each group with its own specific traits-gradually settled on the island, which was a place of transit for people from every corner of the globe. They were joined, from time to time, by other migrant groups, such as the French settlers who fled the Haitian Revolution. Over a period of four centuries, the island also received an uninterrupted flow of black slaves. They came from various regions of Africa (Guinea, Dahomey, the Congo and Angola) which were inhabited by culturally very distinct peoples. The dynamic fusion of all these elements in the new geographic, economic and social environment, under specific historical conditions, formed the bedrock of the Cuban culture, which conse- quently became a culture of integration, a mestizo culture par excellence.

For many years Cuba served as a supply station for the fleets carrying treasure from America to Europe. The country was a trading post without

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The cultural policy of Cuba

schools or books, where the interests of education and culture were wholly alien to the purposes of the greedy rulers.

In contrast to this distressing situation, the Conquistadores regarded Cuba as their principal stronghold in the Americas, the key bastion in the defence of the Spanish Empire. Havana was famous for its fortifications, and its shipyards built large vessels, in keeping with the city’s status as the first port of the Americas.

Slowly, the first signs of a Cuban artistic language began to appear. To begin with, it could hardly do more than echo the styles then current in Spain, although-as in the case of Esteban Salas (1725-1803), the first American composer of note-it reached certain levels of quality. Even before Salas, however, and particularly in folk music, there were nascent elements reflecting specifically Cuban traits-harbingers of later national achievements.

The colonial society held back the cultural advancement of the Creoles and denied it altogether to the enslaved black masses. The values of African culture, which became one of the moulds of our nationhood in the course of a long process of resistance, integration and miscegenation, suffered systematic discrimination, being regarded as debasing and undesirable.

The printing press was not introduced until 1720, and even then it was merely a workshop for printing announcements, regulations and other matter without any scientific or literary aspirations. In 1728, a medieval university was founded which was wholly dominated by scholasticism. The first newspaper worthy of the name made its appearance in 1790, and the first public library opened in 1797.

Our culture did not evolve significantly until the component elements of our nationhood coalesced. This happened in the last decade of the eighteenth century and in the first few decades of the nineteenth century, at the time of the economic boom based primarily, even then, on the cultivation of the sugar cane, at the time of the beginnings of the conflict between the colony and the mother country which eventually became the main driving force in the history of nineteenth-century Cuba.

The new philosophical movements disturbed the atmosphere of lethargy which had for so long prevailed. The land-owning Creole bourgeoisie fos- tered a culture with a national-not a Hispanic-content. This nationally oriented culture found its most important expressions in thought and literature. This is the period of scientific and pedagogical innovations, of the progressive ideas of Félix Varela (1788-1853) and of the poems of the American phase of José María Heredia (1803-39), the first great poet to celebrate Cuban nationhood. Cuban folk culture found its expression mainly in music, dance and the theatre.

With the successive wars of independence (1868-78, 1879-80 and 1895-99) the Cuban nation acquired its inner strength and the process of integration of its cultural components was completed. In these wars, which were started by the land-owning bourgeoisie, an increasingly active part

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Background

was played by the popular classes, typified by personalities like the mulatto Antonio Maceo (1845-96) and the Dominican internationalist revolutionary Máximo Gómez (1836-1905).

The feeling of independence, the anti-slavery spirit and the aspiration towards social progress, which were heightened by the fervour of these years of struggle, are reflected in the works of such major creative artists as the novelist Cirilo Villaverde (1812-94), the musicians José White (1835-1918) and Ignacio Cervantes (1847-1905), and the poet and playwright José Jacinto Milanés (1814-63). No less important were the many revolutionary songs of anonymous authorship, theatrical productions, war poetry, campaign literature and a folk art which strove to represent our nation’s fight- ing life. The popular classes were the custodians and steadfast defenders of these vital traditions of the national culture.

This patriotic drive for freedom was resisted by various reactionary political tendencies, but the finest and most genuine among the Cuban intellectuals of the day-professionals, academics, artists and writers-joined ranks with the peasants, former slaves, craftsmen and other urban workers. As happened in other Latin American countries, cultural life was stirred by patriotic fervour.

The work of José Marti (1853-95) captures and reflects the libertarian aspirations of his times. His profound political thought is relevant even today. The lofty revolutionary thinking of this fervent patriot and clear- sighted precursor of the struggle against imperialism raised his universally relevant literary work to heights that have not been exceeded. Marti organized the final stage of the struggles for independence in a democratic and revolutionary spirit, with the aim of achieving national liberation, the higher objective being to counter the threat of imperialism.

The patriotic and progressive character of the cultural work which culminated in Marti has remained an invariable constant in Cuba. All the creative artists of national significance and American vocation belong to the great freedom-loving tradition which corresponds to deeper interests of the people.

United States intervention in 1899 thwarted the Cuban victory and gave the Yankee monopolies the opportunity of achieving their ambition of ruling the island. As from that time Cuba became a neo-colonial depen- dency of the United States.

In 1902 there began the history of almost fifty-seven years during which Cuba was a puppet republic. During this time imperialism had true control of the country’s economic, political and cultural life, penetrated the educational system, controlled the information media and systematically sought to warp the consciousness of the people.

The pseudo-republic was characterized by economic backwardness, one- crop agriculture, chronic unemployment, illiteracy, moral degeneracy, political and administrative corruption, and the existence of anti-democratic governments which practised every form of robbery and violated the

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fundamental rights and freedoms of the people. One of its vilest features was the practice of racial discrimination, an inheritance from the period of slavery which was not abolished until 1886.

The working class, the peasantry and the intellectuals, who remained loyal to the patriotic tradition, set themselves the task of opposing this state of affairs. The cream of the Cuban intellectuals were the uncompro- mising heirs of the legitimate cultural past in the new historical situation.

At its various stages, the Cuban revolutionary process drew inspiration from the most advanced ideas of its time, and so did Cuban intellectual life. The October Revolution influenced the avant-garde and impressed the outstanding creative minds. Prominent cultural figures saw themselves in the context of the new age, embraced the anti-imperialist cause, took their place alongside the working class, adopted its revolutionary ideology and, in many instances, joined ranks with the advocates of Marxism-Leninism or led the social and political struggle. Among these, Julio Antonio Mella (1905-29), Rubén Martínez Villena (1899-1934), and Pablo de la Torriente Brau (1901-36) headed the revolution of the 1930s, which imperialism also succeeded in crushing.

The Cuban intellectuals played an important part in the awakening of the national consciousness which characterized that entire period. Thinkers of the stature of Juan Marinello (1899-1977) and Raúl Roa (1909- ) closed ranks with the people. Fernando Ortiz (1881-1969) wrote his monumental work on the roots of the Cuban people. Inspired by the avant-garde, Cuban painters made their first serious approach to social problems, and for the first time the plastic arts depicted Cuban realities. Artists like Rafael Blanco (1885-1955), Eduardo Abela (1891-1965), Victor Manuel García (1897-1969) and Carlos Enriquez (1900-57) may be regarded as represen- tative of this trend. A similar direction was taken in classical music by the composers Amadeo Roldán (1900-39) and Alejandro García Caturla (190640), while the finest examples of folk music developed its rich tradition of originality, Cuban spirit and patriotism.

The poets Manuel Navarro Luna (1894-1966) and Regino Pedroso (1896- ), the novelists Luis Felipe Rodriguez (1888-1947) and Onelio Jorge Cardoso (1912- ), and the playwright José Antonio Ramos (1885-1946) served as a link between this republican phase and the tradition of national- ism and social concern of our literature, which was raised to aesthetic distinction by Nicolás Guillén (1902-

But not all the works of these writers succeeded in reaching the illiterate and poverty-stricken masses. During the more than fifty years of neo- colonial oppression, the legitimate expressions of Cuban culture were stifled, silenced, the subject of persecution or traduced, and the narrow intellectual life was a reflection of the interests of the foreign oppressor.

Most of the artists, lacking all social and economic support, lived on the fringe of society or were accepted only for the entertainment of minorities. Hundreds of talents were frustrated in his hostile environment. What was

) and Alejo Carpentier (1904- ).

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Background

encouraged was sensationalism, glib entertainment and escapism in art. Resources were used to emasculate the cultural values of the people and to falsify history. The few cultural institutions catered only for privi- leged élites. The mass media were used mainly for purposes of ideological encroachment, the introduction of foreign ideas and the spread of perverted forms of cultural expression, humiliating for a people sunken in illiteracy and in the most abject cultural impoverishment.

Despite this inauspicious situation, in which the cultural problems inherent in underdevelopment and economic dependence were compounded by symptoms of alienation and decadence typical of the developed capitalist world, there were at all times groups of intellectuals who succeeded in continuing to produce works rooted in the national tradition. Some talented, promising young people like Raúl Gómez García, Gómez Lubian and the Saiz brothers left, as their finest achievement, the example of their sacrifice in a struggle from which, for the first time, the people emerged victorious.

In 1959 the Revolution triumphed. One of its stated basic objectives was to develop culture ‘so that it should become a true heritage of the people’, as Fidel Castro put it in his Palabras a los Intelectuales:

And just as we wanted the people to have a better life materially, so is it also our wish that the people should have a better life in all its spiritual aspects. . . . And just as the Revolution is concerned about the development of conditions and forces that enable the people to satisfy all its material needs, so we also wish to develop the conditions that make it possible for the people to satisfy all its cultural needs.

The revolutionary victory gave a precise meaning to the feeling of Cuban nationhood.

From the outset, it was realized that there was an evident need for far-reaching changes, which were indispensable to the cultural transformation called for by the new historical reality.

The most serious problem, and hence the one calling for the most radical approach, was that of education. One-third of the total population of the country was either illiterate or semi-literate; 600,000 children were without schools. Without delay, 10,000 new classrooms were created, and within a few months after the victorious Revolution there were twice as many rural teachers as there had been throughout the entire capitalist period.

The year 1961 was marked by a decisive cultural event: the Literacy Campaign, an extraordinary feat on the part of the Cuban people who, in but one year, succeeded in eradicating an evil considered as insuperable in more developed countries. This accomplishment strengthened the ties uniting the urban and rural masses, and was the start of their transformation into an audience capable of receiving and enjoying outstanding work having deep roots in the national culture and, at the same time, of playing an active part in the creation of artistic and literary works.

Simultaneously with this campaign, the process of adult education was

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inaugurated which later gave rise to the ‘Further Study Courses for Workers’ and to the workers’ and peasants’ faculties, which proved to be the mainspring of the systematic betterment of the educational level of the people.

Towards the end of 1961, a vast scholarship scheme was introduced with an initial enrolment of 40,000 young persons. The early entrants in this scheme included art teachers who took a two-year training course to enable them to promote the various forms of artistic expression in the previously utterly neglected rural areas. Through this system, which is still in operation, large sectors of the population have had the opportunity to receive instruction in the different forms of artistic expression. It has served to enrich the non-material aspects of people’s lives and given rise to a movement of amateurs of the arts which has produced many artists of considerable talent.

With the foundation of the Escuela Nacional de Arte (National Art School) came the systematic extension of instruction in the arts, which is now available to anyone anywhere in the country who shows artistic promise. Provision is made for the award of scholarships for more advanced studies abroad. The establishment of the Instituto Superior de Arte (Higher Institute of Art) has made it possible to broaden this sphere of activity and, with the support of the Soviet Union, to meet some of Cuba’s own requirements.

Specialized artistic education is matched by general instruction in the arts, which is provided as from the primary school level, for aesthetic training is considered to be an indispensable part of the formation of the personality.

Radical changes have occurred also in university education. In a country where formerly only three or four careers were open to

most of the small number of graduates a veritable explosion occurred in the number of specializations and in the number of students and graduates. Technological studies were developed, in line with the country’s economic needs, and the scientific disciplines-almost non-existent in the past if one excepts medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine-were expanded, pedagogical institutes were founded, and the humanities were diversified into various specialized branches. Scientifically based plans and curricula were adopted and research was undertaken into the teaching process, the relationship of study to work and social service. The university scholarship system was set up, and the country’s entire population was given an opportunity to enrol.

In Cuba all education is free of charge. One in every three persons is a student. In relation to 1958, primary education has increased 2.7 times, secondary education, 6.1 times, university education 5.5 times. For children between the ages of 6 and 12, the school enrolment ratio is 100 per cent.

More than 620,000 students are in receipt of scholarships. Cuba currently invests eleven times more in education than during the capitalist period.

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Background

W e have commented at some length on the question of education because in a developing country it is a prerequisite for any cultural advance. Accordingly, although education and culture are administratively distinct in Cuba, they form a single complex and call for concurrent action. And, in its turn, such action cannot be taken without a parallel economic development which provides the necessary material and social foundations. Culture cannot expand without concomitant economic growth, nor can this growth occur independently of the social and cultural progress of the masses.

In the specific field of culture, the Revolution removed the impediments with which the capitalist market hampers artistic and literary work. Cre- ative artists are assured of suíñcient resources to cover their needs and are thus able to develop their talents without any hindrance whatsoever.

The conditions of penury and humiliation, which formerly beset literature and the arts are a thing of the past. No longer do creative artists live on the fringe of society : they are now fully integrated in the social structure as factors vital to the building of socialism. The exclusivist character with which the bourgeoisie invested certain forms of artistic expression has been erased; the foundations have been laid for the development of a socialist culture.

In addition to the organization of the system of instruction in the arts (referred to earlier), the following specific advances, among many others, deserve special mention.

Participation of the masses in cultural activity. The greatest asset of a country engaged in the building of socialism is the people. Cultural expansion is inconceivable without the active involvement of the workers, peasants, students and, in particular, children and adolescents. This involvement has occurred in both of the aspects inherent in art and literature: that of the creator and that of the recipient. On the one side, all possible facilities for artistic creation have been provided; on the other, the masses have been given access to aesthetic enjoyment as an inalienable right attaching to the human condition. These developments have been decisively in flu- enced by the improvement in the standard of living, education, the emergence of numerous amateur groups and the extraordinary spread of the network of cultural dissemination. One of the great successes of the Cuban Revolution has been the transformation of the oppressed, hungry, illiterate masses into a people which is gaining access to culture and which is becoming, in the words of Fidel Castro, ‘the great creator’.

The reappraisal of the most important works of national art and literature and of universal culture, and the study of cultural roots, the recognition of their values, the development of these values and research into folklore. The Revol- ution was weighed down by an accumulation of distorted values. In the neo-colonial period, particularly in the final phase, the so-called mass culture had prevailed, with its emphasis on sensationalism and glib enter-

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tainment, encouraging an escapist form of art that does not portray man’s problems.

Imperialism exported bogus cultural models, encouraged the dispar- agement of national values and popular culture and at the same time promoted derivative forms of art and literature, concerned with problems and modes of expression alien to Cuban life. Folklore was either contemptuously ignored or emasculated by the commercialization of the mass media. All means were employed to uproot our country’s cultural values, to falsify its history, to crush and disfigure our finest national traditions, to hamper cultural exchanges with the rest of the world, with the object of converting this debased culture into yet another instrument of exploitation.

The Cuban people and State faced the momentous task of retrieving the values of the most important works in Cuba’s and the world’s cultural heritage. The accomplishment of this task became the objective of publishing policy, the organization of museums and exhibitions, theatrical, musical and dance activities, and the work of the mass media.

Scientific research into our cultural roots and our folklore was organized on a systematic basis. Encouragement was given to the revival of valuable aspects of popular culture which were scarcely known and were on the point of extinction, in many cases ia isolated and previously neglected parts of the country. The amateur movement acted as the means of fostering the authentic development, in their natural environment, of many different forms of folk art, which have in turn become part of the general cultural heritage. Wherever some cultural value has blossomed, it has been given the care and opportunities needed to favour its growth.

The foundation of cultural bodies, institutions and groups. From its earliest days, the Revolution was at pains to establish and promote various bodies capable of guiding the work and channelling the considerable resources allocated for cultural progress. The Casa de las Américas (House of the Americas) was founded in 1959, with the task of forging closer cultural links with the sister nations of the continent. It is n o w the most prestigious centre of its kind in Latin America. The same year saw the foundation of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and the Film Industry), which has promoted the development of the Cuban cinema and enabled it to attain international standing.

Early in 1961, the Consejo Nacional de Cultura (National Cultural Council) was established, as the body principally responsible for cultural activities. In the same year, writers and artists joined forces to form the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (Cuban Writers’ and Artists’ Union) which subsequently widened its scope to take in the newly founded Brigada de Artistas y Escritores Jóvenes ‘Hermanos Saiz’ (‘Saiz Brothers’ Brigade of Young Artists and Writers). The formation of the Empresa de Grabaciones e Ediciones Musicales (Cuban Recording and Music Publishing Company) in 1962 has facilitated the publication of

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Background

musical scores and the production and distribution of records. The foundation of the Comisión Nacional de Museos y Monumentos (National Com- mission for Museums and Monuments) in 1963 marked the start of a programme aimed at the protection and preservation of our rich cultural heritage. In 1976, the Consejo Nacional de Cultura, the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos and the Instituto Cubano del Libro (Cuban Book Institute) were amalgamated to form the Ministry of Culture, and as a consequence the whole subject is now dealt with at a high institutional level. A good many artistic groups have come into existence thanks to the

support of these various bodies and institutions. The foundation of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Ballet) gave an impetus to an activity which had been forced to a halt in 1958 through the indifference of the State. In 1959 the Conjunto de Danza Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Dance Ensemble) and the Conjunto Folclorico Nacional (National Folklore Ensemble) were formed, followed by the foundation of the Ballet de Camagüey (Camagüey Ballet Company). The *Teatro Lírico Nacional (National Opera) was constituted, and simultaneously with the formation of other groups of this kind the children’s theatre was inaugurated and many playacting societies sprang up. That year was a significant one for music in Cuba. In 1960 the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (National Sym- phony Orchestra) was reorganized, as the interpreter of a form of musical expression that had only just managed to survive through the efforts of Cuban musicians, and in addition five provincial concert orchestras were created. The foundation of the Coro Nacional (National Choir) in 1959 marked the beginning of the expansion of the choral movement which now comprises ten permanent choral societies. The Movimiento de la Nueva Trova (New Trova Movement)l has opened up new avenues for the traditional line of Cuban song.

The creation of a Cuban cinema and the extension of cinema services to the rural and mountain areas. In the absence of a local tradition, the Cuban cinema was a direct product of the Revolution. In the course of a few years, a cinematographic movement and film-making industry were brought into being, and these have borne fruit in an internationally recognized body of work of high aesthetic and ideological quality.

The work of the travelling cinemas has proved the most interesting of a number of experiments aimed at creating a new audience. The lack of cinemas in the rural areas was one of the symptoms of the deep ‘opportunity gap’ formerly separating the urban from the rural population. By trucks and boats, on mule-back or with the aid of draught animals the cinema reached places where it was completely unknown. The travelling cinemas have given more than a 1.5 million shows to about 200 million spectators.

1. Trova: a kind of ballad or love-song formerly sung by the troubadours.

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A growing publishing movement, enabling the people to get to know the wealth and variety of Cuban and universal culture. Before the triumph of the Revol- ution, the output of books in Cuba was virtually nil. The few publishing houses that existed acted merely as intermediaries for Cuban authors. The printing trade’s activities consisted, basically, of mere commercial printing.

The first big step towards the beginnings of a publishing movement was the publication of more than 1 million primers and textbooks for use in the literacy compaign for adults. Two significant advances were the establishment of the Editorial Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Publishing Company) in 1962, and the appearance of Ediciones Revolucionarias (Revolutionary Publications) in 1965. Two years later the main publishing organizations were amalgamated to form the Instituto Cubano del Libro (Cuban Book Institute), which was to be responsible for meeting the requirements of the population and basic educational needs.

The annual per capita figure for books in Cuba (books published in Cuba and imported books) is now 4.1 as against 0.6 in 1959. In response to this impressive upsurge of interest in reading, together with the physical possibility of satisfying this interest, a network of over 200 bookshops has been set up to serve the population.

’ The increase in the number of libraries, galleries and museums. The Cuban library system includes 130 public libraries and 714 smaller libraries. The Escuela de Técnicos de Bibliotecas (School of Librarianship) was founded in 1962 as the basis of this activity.

During the period of the ‘pseudo-republic,, painters had to overcome great di5culties in order to exhibit their work in the few galleries owned by the State or by private institutions. Nowadays by contrast, twenty or so galleries throughout the country are at their disposal.

In 1958, there were six museums, all in poor shape. There are now fifty- eight museums as a result of the reconstruction, restoration and preservation of existing buildings and the construction of new ones.

The revival of the mass media and their gradual transformation. During the capitalist period, the radio and television were virtually sales agents. Serialized shows were broadcast indiscriminately, leaving an aftermath of vulgarity and poor taste while encouraging superstition and perpetuating ignorance. Programmes extolling the true national values were few and far between; much less was there any attempt to foster a national consciousness. There was never any question of bringing television to sparsely populated or poor areas.

After the triumph of the Revolution, the broadcasting stations which had sided with tyranny were placed under control. The process of nationaliz- ation was completed later, and in 1962 the Instituto Cubano de Radiofusion (now called Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión-Cuban Radio and Television Institute) was established.

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Background

A process of rationalizing the facilities was initiated, the national radio and television network was established, the provincial broadcasting stations were reorganized, the equipment was modernized, telecommunication by satellite was introduced and colour television was inaugurated.

Present-day programmes endeavour to perform a social function: to educate, to inform, to entertain, to develop good taste.

The radio and television at the service of the people have played an unprecedented role in the dissemination of education and culture.

Signijicant achievements in the jield of artistic creation. An outstanding event is the formation of the Escuela Cubana de Ballet, the product of the efforts of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba whose quality and artistic originality are recognized in Cuba and abroad, and of the spread of the teaching and prae- tice of the dance. Other dance ensembles can boast of similar achievements.

The Cuban cinema has won over 200 prizes at various international €es- tivals, a fact which constitutes recognition of a body of work distinguished, mainly in documentary films, by a peculiarly Cuban form of expression. The graphic arts in Cuba, traditionally concerned only with commercial advertising, are another achievement of the Revolution. Their success in assìmi- lating creatively the conventional language of the plastic arts and using it €or expressing fresh ideas, has spread beyond the confines of the American continent. Over and above their immediate objectives, the graphic arts have in addition contributed to inculcating good taste and improving environmental design.

The art of engraving, which languished during the neo-colonial period, has experienced a great expansion thanks to the establishment of a number of studios. Outstanding work has been done in these studios, both with the traditional techniques and through the use of experimental methods.

The foundation of a professional theatre movement and the appearance of new playwrights have given rise to innovative experiments-such as the Grupo de Teatro Escambray (Escambray Theatre Company)-directly concerned with the solution of the problems of social development.

In the plastic arts, in music and in literature, artists hardly known before the Revolution have produced a valuable body of work, while established artists enriched their output under the most favourable conditions for creative work. At the same time, every encouragement is given to young artists and writers who make a vigorous contribution to cultural life. The general activity is in keeping with the finest traditions of Cuban culture.

All this fruitful concern for the advancement of culture took tangible shape in a country devoting the bulk of its resources to a gigantic task of economic and social development, while beset by all kinds of aggression and blockade. Nothing can better testify to the importance which the people, the State and the Communist Party of Cuba attach to art and literature as instruments o€ the advancement of society and of the inalienable rights of man.

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Cuban cultural policy

The people, State and Communist Party of Cuba attach capital importance to cultural development, by reason of the part which culture plays in the ali-round education of m a n and in the assertion of his full human dignity, as proclaimed by Jose Marti and embodied as the supreme law of the Republic in our Constitution. Culture should be an activity directed to the formation of the new m a n in the new society.

This task is linked indissolubly to the building of socialism. Only in a society free of exploitation, whose fundamental objectives are to satisfy the ever-growing material and spiritual needs of the human being and to develop a new form of social relations, can culture attain its finest flowering and raise human life itself to aesthetic levels.

Under socialism, art and literature are untrammelled by the pressures of supply and demand ruling in the bourgeois society, and there is every opportunity for aesthetic expression and enjoyment. Capitalism, as Marx pointed out, is inimical to the development of art and literature, in that the work of art becomes a commodity serving the interests of the ruling class.

Furthermore, owing to the inequality inherent in capitalism, the masses are denied the full benefit of cultural life. The capitalist system fosters a dehumanized specialization, turns artistic creation to alienation, and pre- vents art from realizing its noble aim of contributing to the creation and conquest of a just society.

Only socialism recognizes the true values of art and literature, empha- sizes their social function, and gives the artist the freedom and material stability that assure him the decent life to which he is entitled. Socialism creates the conditions which make genuine creative freedom a practical possibility.

In a collectivist society, cultural needs increase and their satisfaction becomes more urgent and more feasible, pari passu with technical and scientific advance, the objective being the complete and all-round fulfilment of the worker as a human being.

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The culture of socialism is a humanist culture in that it stresses the solidarity of men and peoples and fosters whatever is best and most progressive in the human being. It offers the scope and the means for the universal development of the individual, and for the formation of his creative personality, so that he is capable of acting freely and effectively in various social fields through the deployment of his initiative, enriched by a deeper understanding of the world and of himself.

The culture of socialism is in a constant state of progress and seeks the means of expression most in keeping with the content of human life. The decisive element of socialist art is what it expresses, the re-evaluations which it makes possible, the true artistic needs which it satisfies, the future prospects which it interprets and advances. In a socialist society, art is one of the main roads to knowledge, and it uses aesthetic appreci- ation as a means of inquiring into and representing reality by its own met hods.

The foundations for the strengthening of the elements of a socialist culture are laid objectively through the establishment of revolutionary power, through the change in the relations of production caused by the revolutionary power, and through the improvement of the conditions of life of the people and the introduction of universal education.

Under the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the State guides, fosters and promotes education, culture and the sciences in all their forms. The State accordingly bases its educational and cultural policy on the scientific conception of the world established and developed by Marxism- Leninism.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of artistic creation, provided that its content is not inconsistent with the Revolution, and declares that the forms of artistic expression are free. In 1961, barely two months after the invasion of Playa Girón, the Leader of the Revolution gave the following broad definition in the course of his talk with the intellectuals: ‘Within the Revolution, everything; against the Revolution, nothing.’

The object of the cultural policy of the Government and Communist Party of Cuba is to establish a highly creative atmosphere conducive to the advancement of all forms of cultural expression, as a legitimate aspiration of the people and as a duty of the political, State and mass organizations. This aspiration is founded on the idea that persons with creative abilities should develop their gifts and individuality to the full, and on the concern that the work of writers and artists should contribute to the endeavour of social and personal liberation to which socialism is committed.

The cultural policy encourages the output of new work with a clear humanist conception, capable of expressing the rich variety of the manifold aspects of Cuban life. It encourages an art which does not disregard or trivialize reality, the circumstances of our social life or the history of our country’s struggle, but which reflects these aspects in all their complexity and richness by work of the first quality, and which encourages writers and

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artists, thus constantly enhancing the esteem which their work deserves and gaining further recognition of its values.

The expressions of artistic culture, which emerged with certain specific historical or social peculiarities, possess a specific national character that was acquired in the course of centuries of development. Culture is an integral aspect of nationhood and is nourished by the roots from which the nation has sprung.

The people, State and Communist Party of Cuba, defending the national character of culture, reaffirm its patriotic and anti-colonial values and declare themselves in favour of works of art which provide an insight into the material and spiritual transformations of society. Our culture strives to give expression to the purest national traditions, the internationalist will of the proletariat and the universal sense of culture which is alien to the bogus universalism that disparages authentic values in the creative art of each people.

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean possess a cultural heritage of great value, which incorporates the inestimable human legacy left by the original civilizations. The peoples of these countries are brothers by reason of a history of common struggle, they face similar problems in their economic and social development, and their cultures are united in their roots and their aims. Accordingly, those belonging to the Cuban culture have many ethnic and socio-historical affinities with the other peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, and not a few of their peculiarities and customs are similar to theirs. Cuba is fraternally linked to these peoples and encourages cultural exchange and schemes by which Cuba and these countries can learn about each other’s cultures. Artistic and literary creation in Cuba should also contribute to their struggles for the recovery of their natural resources, for economic independence and political sovereignty, and to the protection of their national cultures, whose values form part of our own spiritual heritage.

Cultural values and intellectual and scientific creation should be for the benefit of all. Many developing countries which have the dynamism and the potential to develop culture and education at a rapid pace lack the resources for enjoying the benefits of such progress. Our country advocates an approach which should give all peoples unrestricted access to science and culture.

Cuba encourages class-conscious forms of artistic and literary expression in conformity with the principles of Marxism-Leninism which, in this respect, comprises the following features: the assimilation of the finest traditions of the national culture; the critical appropriation, redefinition and development of universal culture; the use of the most varied and creative forms of artistic expression; the genuine reflection of the world in which we live and the stimulation of a creative outlook towards the future; the association of art and literature with the lives of the masses and their most vital interests; the rejection of obsolete and anti-humanist forms of artistic

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and literary expression; and the upbringing of man with feelings of solidarity with all progressive and revolutionary movements.

The Communist Party of Cuba, which attaches great importance to the development of culture in the process of the building of a socialist society, considers that the promotion of art and literature and the enjoyment of cultural experiences by all the people are objectives no less essential than the improvement of the people’s material conditions of life and its education.

Areas of institutional responsibility

The Ministry of Culture was established in 1976. It is responsible for directing, carrying out and supervising the application of cultural policy. It is fundamentally concerned with guidance, technique and methodology. The municipal and provincial authorities of the People’s Power administer the cultural centres and facilities: casas de cultura, cinemas, theatres, libraries, etc. Only a few units of national importance are dealt with directly by ministerial bodies. This decentralized system means that basic decisions in cultural matters rest with the community.

The ministry guides the activities of the State and its agencies in matters connected with art and literature; it fosters the development of the different forms of artistic and literary expression, and promotes scientific research in these fields. It administers overall policy relating to artistic education as an integral part of education as such, and gives methodological and technical guidance regarding instruction in the arts. It also guides and encourages the development of mass culture, which includes a flourishing amateur movement, and promotes the interest of the people in all forms of cultural expression. As part of its functions it fosters the development of book publishing,

book distribution and book promotion; it offers guidance (within the scope of its competence) to the cinematographic art and the film industry; it is responsible for the conservation of the objects forming part of the cultural heritage; it arranges international cultural exchanges, and promotes the study of cultural history.

Funds for cultural activities

Because of the socialist character of its political and economic structure, the State has overall responsibility for cultural development, as part of the general development plans. The State, acting through the appropriate bodies, determines what funds are to be devoted to the financing of culture, apportions such funds with due regard for the other basic requirements of the nation, and establishes priorities among the possible alternatives.

It is obvious that an analysis of the way in which culture is financed in

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Cuba and the attempt to make comparisons with other countries give rise to the problems examined and noted in the numerous studies on the subject, such as the lack of a common criterion as to the items to be included under the heading ‘culture’, the different concepts reflecting the differences in political regime and economic development, etc. But there is one common fact: the financing of culture is the crucial factor of any cultural policy. And this financing in turn depends on economic development, for this development determines the objective limit of the available resources.

In Cuba, the economic underdevelopment and cultural backwardness affected the early revolutionary measures relating to the financing of culture. Although it would be extremely confusing and controversial to draw a clear-cut distinction between cultural investment and educational investment, it may be said that in the early days of the Revolution available funds were channelled primarily into education. This was a logical decision, for it would have been out of the question to lay down a coherent cultural policy in a country with 40 per cent adult illiteracy. An extraordinary literacy campaign and the subsequent educational policy radically trans- formed the structure of the masses, which are the recipients and the creators of culture, and generated pressing demands for new cultural products and services. One of the many requirements, for example, involved the extension of the country’s library network to a point far beyond the highest estimates of the planners. This is a difficult problem in budgetary terms, inasmuch as the library system is exactly on the borderline between the traditional concepts of education and culture.

Much the same thing happened in the case of books. The growth of the reading public-a consequence of educational plans-the increase in per capita purchasing power and the policy of price stability-consequences of the economic policy-created an almost insatiable market for books and gave rise to an unprecedented growth in publishing. The book ceased to be a product of private business and became an integral part of the sphere of culture financed by the State. In general, books are sold below cost, and students receive their textbooks free of charge. The financing of publishing has become a very big item in the cultural and educational budget.

The same may be said of other aspects of cultural life such as museums, the theatre, music, dance, etc. However, two areas of activity which may be classed as cultural gave rise to special financial problems. First, when radio and television ceased to be commercial advertising vehicles, they became unprofitable and had to be financed by the State. Secondly, the cinema, which provided practically the only opportunity for the Cuban to exercise any kind of choice and his only form of entertainment, was a highly profitable activity, but depended entirely on the importation and showing of commercial films. While the Revolution changed the commercial approach to the importation and exhibition of films, the cinema did not cease to be profitable. The policy regarding the exhibition of films was changed in that ever greater emphasis was given to cultural objectives and

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the all-round education of the citizen; at the same time, efforts were made to develop the national cinematographic art and film industry. The receipts from the whole range of cinematographic operations (imports, national productions, exports and exhibition) exceed investment in the film industry and in cinematographic art.

In brief, the objective of the Cuban State’s policy of financing cultural activities was to achieve the all-round education of the citizens, rather than to earn profits. But this has not prevented the appIication of a policy of economic rationalization and optimization in regard to investment: efforts are made to achieve profitability, in cases where it does not prejudice the essential purposes of culture. This means that the financing policy, even in profitable areas of culture, such as the cinema, has been determined not by the receipts flowing from such areas but by the intrinsic needs of cultural development. Nor has a mechanical yardstick (e.g. a certain percentage of gross national product (GNP)) been applied to investment in cultural property and services. On the contrary, Cuba is practically the only developing socialist country to have mobilized a11 available resources-financial and others-with a view to achieving the maximum educational and cultural objectives.

Art amateurs

The amateur movement, launched by the Revolution, has a twofold aim: to promote the universalization of artistic creation, and to foster a love of culture in the population. It has encouraged people to take up the various arts and has become a means of aesthetic education through the large-scale participation of amateurs among the workers, peasants, students and m e m - bers of the armed forces, in addition to bringing art and literature within the reach of the masses who are the beneficiaries of culture.

In 1964, there were over 1,000 amateur groups; by 1975, the number had risen to more than 18,000. Great importance is attached to th.e artistic activities of children. In 1975, more than 600,000 children took pait in musical, theatrical, dance and other artistic activities, such as the plastic arts which at any given time involve around 89,000 children. In the same year, Cuba had approximately 1,000 rhythmic bands attached to the pioneer movement and about 17,000 reading circles.

Some of the amateur groups have visited other countries and taken part in international festivals or ‘Cuban culture weeks’.

The casas de cultura play a major role in cultural life, for their object is to bring the people into direct contact with art, to disseminate culture, to raise the educational level of the population and to provide it with opportunities for leisure and recreation.

They organize and run the amateur movement and are responsible for cultural work at the community level. They arrange discussions, seminars, concerts, festivals, exhibitions, cultural groups, recreational activit.ies, art

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workshops, music classes, ûlm. shows followed by discussions, and other cultural events.

It is not part of the functions of the casas de cultura to train professionals. Their objective is to acquaint the masses with the different forms of artistic expression, so that people will in this way learn to appreciate works of art and have the opportunity to pursue their own artistic interests. The professional artists and writers in the communities in which the casas de cultura are located play an active role in this valuable cultural work and throw themselves wholeheartedly into the search for genuinely Cuban artistic values.

Although this scheme has only recently been introduced, fifty casas de cultura have already been opened throughout the country.

Cultural heritage

MUS E UMS

Whereas in 1958 Cuba had 6 museums, there are now 59 museums located in 12 of the 14 provinces, divided into the following categories and specialized subjects: general museums (6); specialized museums (40); history museums (24); art museums (6); science museums (10); and memorials (13).

In 1976, Cuban museums were visited by 1.5 million people, which is equivalent to one-seventh of the population of the island. This is a very high figure, if it is borne in mind that Cuba is a developing country and that the people were formerly not accustomed to visit museums.

The activities of the museums are geared to various well-defined specific objectives, in the light of modern museology and museography, as scientific disciplines and in conformity with extensive training schemes for technicians and specialized personnel. The staff is experimenting with new methods for integrating the museum into an overall system of education and cultural action.

Before 1959, research as a discipline was not carried on in the Cuban museums. In order to introduce research it was necessary to create a technical and material infrastructure, to equip specialized laboratories and workshops, and to train middle-level and graduate personnel through seminars, courses, foreign-study grants and international technical assistance.

The Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural (Department of Cultural Heri- tage) of the Ministry of Culture has a central conserving and restoring laboratory which directly serves all the museums in the country and guides and controls the activities of the small workshops in other provinces.

This work in the field of recovery, research, restoration and conservation and the various aspects of museography is accompanied by a line of activity commonly known as ‘education and cultural action’. This side of the museums’ work is most important since it brings them more into the

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mainstream of national life and provides the people with genuine opportunities for aesthetic education and enjoyment. Cuban museums systematically organize activities in places of work, mass organizations, schools and universities; they give courses and seminars, set up and guide study groups for primary-school and secondary-school pupils, and arrange film shows, lectures and guided tours.

MONUMENTS

Before 1959, no systematic work had been done on the conservation, restoration or classification of the country’s monuments. On the contrary, property speculation in the cities led to indiscriminate demolition which, together with neglect and the action of the climate, contributed to the ruin of buildings of cultural interest.

After the Revolution, concrete steps were taken with a view to pro- tecting such cultural property. The Comisión Nacional de Monumentos (National Monuments Commission) was set up in 1963 and, despite the difficulties caused by the economic blockade, a great deal of restoration and conservation work has been carried out throughout the country on buildings, fortresses, squares and statues. The work done in less than five years surpasses in quality and quantity all the work done in the previous fifty years, with the result that a good many buildings have been rescued from destruction.

The following buildings and monuments represent Cuba’s finest achievements in the field of conservation and restoration: the Castillo de la Fuerza, the Palacio Aldama, the Church of Santa Maria del Rosario, the Plaza de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba, the Sauto de Matanzas theatre, the houses of José Marti in Havana and of Ignacio Agramonte in Camagiiey, the Morrillo fort and many others.

In 1963 a start was made with the preparation of a scientific classification, catalogue and inventory of the monuments; an archaeological research section was set up, primarily to take charge of restoration projects.

Work was recently completed on the preliminary project for the Master Plan for Old Havana, on the basis of a detailed demographic, historical, physical and cultural analysis. The plan sets out the guidelines foi- the restoration and conservation of this important historical centre and also provides a framework for future projects for the conservation of centres of historic interest throughout the country.

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Organizations, institutions and cultural groups

The ‘Saiz Brothers’ Brigade

This independent organization was set up in 1962 on the initiative of the Cuban Writers’ and Artists’ Union (UNEAC). It includes writers and artists from all over the country and is the main source of the new intake into the Cuban Writers’ and Artists’ Union.

The objects of the brigade are to foster the constant aesthetic, technical and ideological development of its members and to organize regularly activities aimed at disseminating art and literature and promoting the cultural education of the entire population.

Its present membership includes around 800 musicians, writers, painters, engravers and draughtsmen who are organized into three sections: the writers’ section, the artists’ section and the musicians’ section. These young people produce work of a very high standard, and many of them have won prizes in Cuba and abroad.

The ‘Saiz Brothers’ Brigade sponsors exhibitions, lectures, recitals, meetings and publications. Members have the opportunity to read and discuss their work with other members and also collaborate with other cultural institutions from which they receive support.

The ‘David Competition’ organized jointly with the Cuban Writers’ and Artists’ Union provides an important incentive for new writers.

Casa de las Américas (House of the Americas)

This prestigious international institution was founded in 1959 and is an important centre for the dissemination of Latin American culture. It has greatly contributed to countering the policy of isolation imposed on Cuba by imperialism. The cultural blockade of Cuba never really worked in Latin

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America, thanks largely to the links forged between the Casa de las Américas and the Latin American intellectuals and cultural institutions.

The Casa de las Américas is concerned with the defence of the unity of the peoples of Latin America, and the authentic evolution of their true identity. Its activities include the fields of literature, plastic arts, music, publishing, the theatre and other forms of artistic and cultural expression.

PUBLISHING

In just eighteen years, the Casa de las Américas has published over 350 titles (4.2 million copies in all), in a number of series including, among others: the Premio Collections, which publish the winning entries in the Casa de las Américas Literary Competition; the Pensamiento de Nuestra América (Thought of Our America) series which presents the thinking of prominent Latin American personalities; Nuestros Países (Our Countries), which analyses the cultural, social and historical aspects of the continent; Literatura Latinoamericana (Library of Latin American Literature) and La Honda (the Sling), which feature the works of distinguished writers; Cuadernos Casa (Essays); and Valoración Múltiple, consisting of comprehensive studies of writers or literary movements, prepared by the Centro de Investigación Literaria.

In addition, the Casa publishes the Casa de las Américas review (over 100 issues) which has included work from hundreds of contributors, the theatrical review Conjunto and the Boletín de Música.

THE CASA DE LAS AMERICAS LITERARY PRIZE

One of the most important activities of the Casa de las Américas is the award of its annual literary prize, which is regarded as the most prestigious award of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world.

The prize is awarded for fiction (novels, short stories, drama and poetry), research (essays and autobiography), children’s books and the literature of the English-speaking West Indies.

Over 6,000 works have been entered for this competition over the years. Each year the events surrounding the prize include a meeting of Latin American writers and a series of lectures.

The competition has been a way of publicizing the best of the modern literature of the Americas. For many Latin American writers, it has been a means of getting published and of gaining an international readership. It has also effectively served to strengthen the bonds and promote mutual understanding among the peoples of the Americas.

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T H E PLASTIC ARTS

The Casa de las Américas has staged more than 100 art exhibitions, including those held in its o w n Latin American Gallery, and exhibitions at other centres and abroad. It has organized nine Exposiciones de la Habana (Havana Exhibitions) at which twenty-eight prizes have been awarded, and three Encuentros de Plástica Latinoamericana (Meetings of Latin American Artists) which are held every two years and have been attended by some fifty guest artists from various countries of the continent.

The art collection of the Casa de las Américas contains thousands of paintings, drawings, engravings and examples of Latin American folk art.

MUSIC

The Casa de las Américas has sponsored meetings, concerts and other events which have offered opportunities for the performance of Latin American music.

The music section possesses a collection of tape recordings, records and scores on which it draws to bring out its o w n editions of Latin American music and to provide information to research scholars and students. Some of the records published by the Casa are in the nature of anthologies.

The Casa has brought out more than sixty issues of the Boletín de Musica which contain a great deal of information of a journalistic nature and also serious studies on the music of the Americas.

THEATRE

The drama has always been one of the categories in the Casa de las Américas Literary Prize. The Casa has organized Latin American drama festivals and play-reading sessions, with the participation of the public. These activities have intensified contacts between writers and in this way contributed to the development of dramatic art.

The Encuestros Internacionales de Teatro (International Theatre Meet- ings) and all the other activities organized by the Casa have formed the basis for a great popular movement in the Latin American theatre.

The review Conjunto contains technical information, general information and criticism. More than thirty issues have appeared and the review has published more than twenty new plays.

The theatre section of the Casa co-ordinates contacts with Latin Americans active in the theatrical world and advises theatre companies; it also keeps a Latin-American theatre card index.

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LIBRARY

The Casa de las Américas possesses a library with a stock of more than 77,000 volumes and many collections of journals and magazines devoted to Latin American themes.

Music publishing

The Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales (EGREM) (Cuban Recording and Music Publishing Company) was founded in 1962 with the aim of meeting a social and cultural need of the people. This is a specialist organization, covering the entire country and possessing its own artistic, technical, financial, industrial, commercial and legal services, to give effect to national policy regarding music publishing and recording, and a variety of forms of publishing and sound recording, aimed at meeting other important needs through the presentation of political, educational, auto- biographical, research and experimental material.

All the productive processes connected with this field of activity are carried out in Cuba. EGREM has a recording studio using the most advanced technology, with a record production capacity of 3 million units. This capacity will be increased when a new recording studio, also using the latest technology, opens in the province of Santiago de Cuba.

The Cuban record and music publishing industries arc of international standing. Their main lines of activity are Cuban folk music, modern popular music, children’s music, classical (‘high-brow’) music, music with a social or political content, literary recordings, educational music and various forms of music from other countries.

Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión (Cuban Radio and Television Institute)

Radio broadcasting in Cuba, having developed very fast, bore the marks of chaotic proliferation and was wholly geared to commercial interests. In 1959, although there were 156 radio stations with an installed capacity of 348.1 kW, radio broadcasts were concentrated in the capital-which accounted for thirty-two transmitting stations and for 64 per cent of the installed capacity-and other densely populated areas, while vast areas of the country were unable to receive any radio broadcasts at ali. Much the same thing happened in the case of television: the 150.5 kW capacity was accounted for by the seven television stations in Havana and a small station in the interior, which meant that large areas of the country, including entire provinces, had no television service whatsoever. What further aggravated this state of affairs was the commercialized and biased nature of the

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programmes, which were totally devoid of any educational or cultural content.

In 1962, the Revolutionary Government established the Instituto Cubano de Radiodifusibn (the Cuban Radio Broadcasting Institute) with the object of co-ordinating and planning radio and television broadcasting services in a coherent fashion. This move had been preceded by a transitional period during which the process of institutionalization was completed and the media passed from private to public ownership.

The redistribution, replacement and improvement of the various facili- tics and equipment made it possible for the broadcasting services to cover large areas which before 1959 had not received any broadcasts at all. As a result, the national radio and television networks now serve 85 per cent of the national territory. There are now fifty-one radio transmitting stations (five national, seven provincial and thirty-nine regional stations) with a total capacity of 900.1 k W (31 per cent of which is accounted for by the capital). It is planned that by 1980 95 per cent of the country should receive radio broadcasting services. There are two nation-wide television channels, and a provincial channel in the eastern part of the country, with a total capacity of 1,198 kW. Another development in the television service has been the introduction of colour programmes transmitted by satellite. In Cuba there are 1,865,000 radio sets and 635,000 television sets.

Radio and television have stepped up the application of their diversified programming policy. They currently provide information programmes, educational programmes, cultural programmes, science programmes, entertainment programmes, minority-audience programmes and various other types of programme.

The number of educational programmes has been increased, directly and indirectly, through classes linked to the national educational system and by means of programmes which are educational in content or form. In 1976, around 40 per cent of the radio and television programme output was culturally oriented.

In 1976, the Instituto Cubano de Radiodifusión was reorganized and renamed the Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión. It is responsible for directing, implementing and monitoring the application of the policy of the State in the field of radio and television broadcasting. Its main functions and responsibilities are: (a) to direct and oversee radio and television programming; (b) to direct and oversee film work connected with television; (c) to ensure the planned development and the raising of the quality and etñciency of the radio and television broadcasting facilities; and (d) to carry out the measures needed for the progressive improvement of the programmes which are offered to the public.

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University of Havana. The Central Library.

Book fair.

Folk group of young people

from the Brigada XX Aniversario

Havana. T h e National Museum.


Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) (Cuban Writers’ and Artists’ Union)

This union was founded at the 1961 Congress of Cuban Writers and Artists. Its achievement has been to unite creative artists in pursuit of a fundamental objective: to produce work of artistic quality and to build up a revolutionary society.

The UNEAC has sections for literature, the plastic arts, music, cinema, radio and television, theatre and dance.

LITERATURE

The publishing policy of UNEAC combines creative freedom with rigorous insistence on quality. In this context, two literary competitions perform a prime function: the annual literature competition, open exclusively to Cuban writers, and the David Competition (likewise annual) which is organized in conjunction with the Brigada Hermanos Saia and which is a source of encouragement for new writers

Between 1965-the year in which it was instituted-and 1976, more than 1,600 entrants took part in the national competition for Cuban writers. Around 1,700 writers have entered the David Competition.

Ediciones Unión (the union’s publishing enterprise) plays an important part in the work of UNEAC. Since its establishment in 1962, it has published 350 or so titles, most of them works by Cuban authors. The list includes essays, criticism, biography, autobiography, novels, short stories, drama, poetry, literature for children and young persons and other genres.

A comparison of the way in which the works of Cuban authors were published and distributed before the Revoluti.on and the achievements of Ediciones Unión gives clear evidence of the results of its work. Its achievements are all the more significant in that it has published hundreds of authors whose work could not appear in print before 1959. Other authors who succeeded in publishing some of their books had to defray the costs of publication and distribution themselves. N o w they have the opportunity to see their works published in large editions and distributed widely in Cuba and abroad (often in translation).

It should be noted that the publishing activities of this institution are not confined to the works of its members: any Cuban writer, whether a member of UNEAC or not, m a y submit his manuscripts to a publications committee.

THE PLASTIC ARTS

The Cuban painters, sculptors, ceramic artists, engravers, draughtsmen, designers and photographers belonging to this section have been performing for many years and without interruption valuable service involving

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organization work, the provision of information and advice, popularization, training, the promotion of national and international relations, creative activities, exhibitions and the donation of works of art, contribution to the embellishment of educational centres and places of work, and a varied array of other activities.

A new feature of Cuban cultural life, and a fruit of the internationalist spirit of the Revolution, is the practice of arranging foreign exhibitions of works by Cuban artists. Conversely, many countries have made it possible for the Cuban people to enjoy, for the first time in its history, works of art pertaining to the cultures of those countries.

Between 1968 and 1976, in the context of exchanges of mutual interest, 175 artists from 19 countries were guests of the Casa de los Plásticos at the headquarters of the UNEAC. In its turn, this institution has donated more than 350 works of art to Cuban and foreign bodies.

MUSIC

The music section of the union includes among its membership the country’s most outstanding musicians (composers, performing artists, musicol- ogists, etc.).

The music contests organized by UNEAC have been of very high quality and have led to the discovery of a number of personalities who are making a valuable contribution to the country’s cultural life.

This section has arranged visits to Cuba by many foreign composers and performing artists, who have exchanged their experiences with Cuban musicians and performed before Cuban audiences, thus bringing them into contact with the musical culture of their countries.

UNEAC also organizes in Cuba the Festivales de Música Contemporánea de los Países Socialistas (Festivals of Contemporary Music of the Socialist Countries), which have made it possible to forge closer ties with the artists of socialist countries.

Instituto de Literatura y Linguistica (Institurn of Literature and Linguistics)

The institute was officially established in 1965 as a research centre attached to the Cuban Academy of Sciences. Its objects are to conduct research into and preserve our literary and linguistic heritage, and to study the linguistic and literary processes in Cuba as expressions of the national consciousness and as instruments of ideological education and dissemination.

The institute consists of a literature department (which includes a Cuban section, a Soviet Russian section, a North American section, and a section specializing in the Gallego language and literature) a linguistics

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department and a library. The library has the distinction of having been the first public library in Cuba, founded under the auspices of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País, the oldest Cuban cultural institution, in whose headquarters the institute is currently housed. The library’s most valuable possessions are its collections of Cuban literary works and works relating to the social sciences and the collection of periodicals. Both the main library and the adjoining newspaper and periodicals library are open to research scholars attached to the institute as well as to the general public, for w h o m the library also provides consultation and reference services. In addition, the institute has a bibliography and documentation section and a literary archive.

The institute publishes the Anuario L/L which contains research studies, articles, bibliographies, book reviews, etc., and has published works by Cuban authors, special studies and other material. The institute’s experts make selections, undertake revisions, compile anthologies, write introduc- tions and carry out research work for the publishing enterprises of the Ministry of Culture. The institute also works closely with other bodies, to which it offers advisory services, courses and series of lectures.

One of the outstanding contributions of the institute has been the publication of the Diccionario de la Literatura Cubana which contains not only biographical and bibliographical material concerning Cuban authors but also information about literary genres, literary terms, cultural institutions and the most important periodicals. It is the first work of its kind in Cuba and is an indispensable reference source for any scientific study of Cuban culture.

The institute is currently preparing the Atlas Lingüístico de Cuba (Linguistic Atlas of Cuba) which includes partial studies of the various semantic fields of Cuban Spanish, the cultured (‘high-braw’) element in Cuban usage, Cubanisms, and the indigenous lexical substratum. The institute is planning, in addition, to sponsor a history of Cuban literature.

Libraries

The National Library, which was founded early this century, had about 28,000 users a year until 1958 and its collection numbered some 250,000 volumes. At present, around 168,000 people a year use the library; it currently houses around 900,000 volumes and new accessions average about 20,000 a year.

The National Library has published 299 titles, 273 of them since the Revolution. It operates exchange arrangements with more than 300 similar institutions in 100 different countries. The National Library has the following specialized departments: the Cuban Collection (including the M a p Room and the Marti Room); special book stocks, a selection and exchange service; a cataloguing department; a scientific and technical information

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service; a music section; an art section; a newspaper and periodicals library; an information service for the humanities; a library extension service; the travelling library; the children’s and juvenile library; reading rooms; a reference section.

These departments organize courses, talks, seminars, cultural groups, guided tours and exhibitions at the library and elsewhere; they also collect research work carried out by specialists and undertake various other cultural activities. The library is currently preparing a dictionary of Cuban artists and publishes the Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional and the Anuario Martiano.

The National Library is responsible for the Cuban bibliographical heritage and undertakes research and retrospective searches. It keeps the master catalogue of national and foreign periodicals, compiles bibliographies and publishes the biennial Directory of Cuban Libraries.

In all, there are some 2,150 libraries in the country, comprising 130 public libraries, 134 documentation centres with their respective libraries, together with the various libraries of the Ministry of Education and other agencies. The public library system provides the following country- wide services: reading rooms, bibliographic searches, reference services, lending services, a service for lending pictures and slides, a m a p service, etc.

The library extension services include small collections known as ‘mini- libraries’, which are housed in hospitals, factories, militas. camps, boats, prisons, farms and other places. In some provinces, rural areas are served by a bookmobile which also puts on puppet shows and musical programmes.

In 1963, library science in Cuba received a great impetus from the introduction of the documentation service, which involved the adoption of new data processing techniques. The Escuela de Información Científica y Bibliotecológica (School of Scientific Information and Library Science) operates as part of Havana University, whiIst the Escuela de Técnicos de Biblioteca (School of Librarianship), which is responsible far training middle-level personnel, is attached to the Ministry of Culture.

Publishing houses

The evolution of the cultural and technical needs of the Cuban people calls for an increased effort to publish books in all fields.

The rise in the educational level of the masses has been reflected in a notable increase in the demand for books. Whereas about a milJion copies were published in the year preceding the Revolution, the number of books and pamphlets published had risen to 38 million by 1976.

From 1967 to 1976, Cuban publishing houses brought out 6,842 book titles totalling some 216 million copies and 2,004 pamphlet titles totalling some 58 million copies. Since its foundation, Gente Nueva has produced around 40 million copies of publications for children and young persons.

36


The Ministry of Culture operates eight publishing organizations, each with a complete editorial and production team including editors, proof- readers, printers and designers.

Pueblo y Educación publishes books for all levels of education, from the primary to university level. Its output also includes exercise books, reference books, maps and teaching manuals. Students receive these books, like all educational services, free of charge.

Gente Nueva is responsible for children’s and juvenile literature. There are two ‘children’s sections’: one for children up to 6 years of age; the other for children from 6 to 12. The juvenile category is divided into two: one section specializes in history and literature, and the other in scientific and technical subjects. Both of these sections cater for youngsters from the age of 12 upwards.

Orbe publishes training, information, popularization and publicity material at the request of State agencies and other institutions. The work of this publishing organization primarily consists of producing training material in scientific and technical subjects for teachers, middle-level technicians and skilled workers throughout the country.

Científico-Técnica publishes textbooks in the fields of medicine, agriculture, biology, geology, mining engineering, metallurgy, industry and the building trade, written by Cuban and foreign experts. These books contribute to the furtherance of scientific and technical thought; they reflect the advances made in these fields and the country’s special requirements. This publishing organization devotes special attention to books by Cuban experts and also produces works of popular science.

Arte y Literatura publishes collections of novels, short stories, plays, poetry and other literary works by classic and modern authors, and also essays on art and literature. The publications of the Casa de las Américas and the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba are published in conjunction with Arte y Literatura. This publishing organization also publishes the winning entries in the

literary competitions in which Cuban writers take part each year. Ciencias Sociales specializes in books on politics, history, economics,

sociology, philosophy and social questions in general. Letras Cubanas was only recently founded and specializes in the publi-

cation of Cuban literature and art in general. Its collections are: Letras Cubanas (Cuban literature), Biblioteca Básica de Literatura Cubana (Basic Library of Cuban Literature), Mínima, Repertorio Teatral Cubano (Cuban Plays), Pluma en Ristre (works by young authors), Pintores Cubanos (Cuban Painters), Arquitectura Cubana (Cuban Architecture), Ensayo Fotográfico, Figuras Cubanas and Colección Cubana.

Oriente publishes scientific and technical books, children’s and juvenile books, and books on the humanities; it also brings out textbooks and popularizations. This publishing organization operates in the eastern part of the island.

37


DEVE LOPM E NT P LARS

During the five-year period 1976-80 it is planned to consolidate and develop the publishing system and to enlarge considerably its industrial capacity. The plan makes provision for heavy investment in the printing works in Havana where the printing trade is concentrated.

The modern Juan Marinello printing press merits special mention. It was inaugurated in the middle of 1977 in the easternmost part of the country, and will make it possible to raise the Cuban publishing output by more than 20 million copies a year.

DISTRIBUTION

In order to satisfy the growing demand for books, a large network of 200 bookshops has been established, in addition to bookstalls, bookshops at places of work and other bookselling facilities which allow the distribution system to be extended and ensure that books reach the remotest parts of the country.

In 1975 more than 54 million copies of books or pamphlets published in Cuba or abroad were distributed in the country. Of the books distributed nation-wide, 49 per cent are publications connected with the curricula of the educational system.

38

The creative arts

Artistic education

The few schools in which some of the forms of artistic expression used to be taught in Cuba were generally private and did not conform to any comprehensive national plan. In 1959 a start was made on the task of pooling efforts and creating the bases for the provision of instruction in the arts in keeping with the new situation in the country.

The Escuela Nacional de Arte (National Art School) was founded in February 1962. Since then, artistic education has spread; in 1975 a total of forty-seven schools throughout the island were providing courses of artistic education, and 5,000 students were studying to become instructors, teachers or artists. The syllabus for elementary instruction covers the ballet, dancing, painting, sculpture and music, besides extra subjects to Grade IX in general education. The pupil receives a thorough grounding in his chosen. field and is prepared for entry into the middle level.

Instruction at the middle level includes, in addition, courses in drawing and library science and training courses for art instructors; it also trains teachers, technicians and professional artists. Graduates m a y continue their studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte (Higher Institute of Art) which was inaugurated in 1976 around the same time as the establishment of the Ministry of Higher Education. Alternatively, they m a y receive scholarships to study at specialized institutions abroad, generally in the socialist countries.

The Instituto Superior de Arte will provide training to licentiate and doctorate level in: music (composition, musicology, orchestral conducting, choral conducting, string instruments, wind instruments, percussion insta- ments, the guitar and singing); the scenic arts (acting, drama, theatre); and the plastic arts (engraving, painting, sculpture). Consideration is being given to the possible inclusion of town planning, interior design, furniture design, toy design and stage design in the plastic-arts section.

39


The institute serves as the centre for instruction in the various specialized fields, the object being to train all-round artists and teachers who take a global view of art, who understand and are receptive to each form of artistic expression. The university-level artists graduating from the institute will have a guaranteed place in society and will be able to devote themselves to creative activities without any concerns or difficulties.

In addition to providing specialized artistic instruction, aesthetic education forms part of the general education system, since it is considered to be inseparable from the all-round formation of the human personality.

Plastic arts

In 1961 Cuba set up a network of twenty-five art galleries located in special buildings offering optimum conditions for exhibitions. In addition to the exhibition rooms situated in other cultural centres such as the casas de cultura, in museums, and in factories and other places of employment, they arrange temporary exhibitions of various kinds. From 1963 to 1975, an average of around 900,000 persons a year visited the art galleries.

Frequent exhibitions and competitions covering many forms of expression in the plastic arts have stimulated creativity, particularly among the young. In the context of the opportunities for artistic expression and aesthetic experimentation offered by the Revolution, these exhibitions and competitions have played an important part in the development of the plastic arts in modern Cuba.

Each year national exhibitions of new work are held and provide an opportunity for comparing the different branches of the plastic arts. These exhibitions usually tour the provinces, and the provinces for their part organize their own activities, such as exhibitions and shows by local artists.

The art galleries and exhibition halls of the city of Havana act as host to exhibitions from other countries, and many of these aftemarcla tour the provinces. Similarly, examples of Cuban art are often shown abroad and Cuban artists take part in international exhibitions, and in this way Cuban art has received international acclaim, as is evidenced by the more than seventy important intemational awards won since 1960 at various events.

The development which followed the Revolution has reflected the new opportunities and needs. Graphic art, in particular, has reached a high level and achieved international recognition. In conformity with the principle that beauty should be consistently brought into every aspect of daily life, draughtsmanship is applied with the same commitment to aesthetic values to hoardings, posters, books, periodicals and other publications, record sleeves, packaging, textiles, fences and walls.

This concern with designing the environment in which man lives has also given rise to a number of multi-media experiments (exhibitions and the creative use of open spaces) and is evident also in architecture, where

40

The creative arts

excellent results have been achieved by the use of prefabricated elements, particularly for buildings with a social function. Similar progress has been made in the application of the guidelines evolved from the environmental planning studies, as reflected in town planning, the preparation of master plans for the cities, the development of n e w communities and the modern- ization of existing urban areas, and even, on a national scale, in the major agricultural plans, the road networks and the protection of the environment.

Forms of art such as engraving and pottery, which suffered almost total neglect before the Revolution, are n o w widely practised, and are kept up through the work done by a number of workshop-schools.

In the fields of painting and drawing, established artists have added to their œuvre, while new ventures are promoting work of outstanding quality. The widespread practice of painting murals in public places has provided many of our leading artists with the chance to make their work visible in a wider social setting.

Cuban painters, while operating with a great variety of artistic idioms and kinds of artistic expression, and aware of the latest theories about form, tend to focus attention on the rich veins of the national tradition and to give expression to the new realities.

Dance

The dance has become one of the country’s leading forms of art. Apart from the great number and variety of amateur dance groups, Cuba currently has sixlarge professional dance companies f a y subsidized by the State.

The foundation of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Ballet) shortly after the Revolution gave a new lease of life to an artistic activity which had virtually died out owing to the indifference of the government. This company, which has toured the world, very quickly won for itself a solid international reputation, as is borne out by the hundred or so prizes and awards and the widespread critical and public acclaim which it has received. The company is led by Alicia Alonso, who is regarded as one of the most remarkable ballerinas of the century. She is supported by a virtual galaxy of first-rate dancers who have come to the fore since the Revolution and frequently appear as guest dancers with companies all over the world.

The repertoire of the National Ballet consists of more than 150 works, including the classics, works by leading modern authors and the creations of Cuban choreographers which have already won important prizes and awards.

The ensemble is also the central attraction of the Festivales Interna- cionales de Ballet de la Habana (Havana International Ballet Festivals) which have been held since 1960 and been attended by prominent dancers and choreographers from all over the world. These festivals provide the ensemble’s corps de ballet with the opportunity to show the range and quality of their work.

41


An important event has been the establishment and development of the Cuban Ballet School. The school has adopted a Cuban style of dancing, inspired by the personal approach, teaching methods and choreographic gifts of the founders of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The Cuban Ballet School, as it now exists, impresses us with its very special style of staging and with its distinctive musical sense and theatrical quality.

The Danza Moderna de Cuba ensemble was founded in 1959 in response to the ugings of a number of artists who had been making isolated efforts to introduce modern dance techniques.

The ensemble very quickly proved its mettle and has continued to do so on numerous international tours and at various festivals, receiving nothing but the highest acclaim.

The ensemble’s large repertoire is drawn mainly from the work of Cuban choreographers who have been particularly successful in exploring the folklore.

The work of this ensemble has also encouraged the evolution of a Cuban style of modern dance, which has been acknowledged as such by experts in the field.

The Conjunto Folclórico Nacional (National Folklore Ensemble) was formed in 1962 with the aim of rescuing from oblivion and reviving the country’s folk dances and legends. It carries out researches into popular sources and stages adaptations of these traditional forms of expression. The repertoire of the ensemble encompasses a number of cycles concerning the various different cultural expressions of African origin which have survived Cuba and many choreographic works inspired by myths and popular legends.

The Conjunto Folclórico Nacional has toured about twenty countries and taken part in numerous international festivals. The artistic quality of its work is borne out by the various awards it has won.

The Ballet de Camagüey (Camagüey Ballet) was set up as a professional company at the end of 1969 in the city of Camagüey in the eastern part of the island. Its repertoire includes traditional ballet as well as creations by young Cuban choreographers, with the result that it has succeeded in developing a m o d e m approach and its own distinctive flavour. The current director of the company is Fernando Alonso, an outstanding figure in Cuban ballet and one of the founders of the National Ballet.

The Conjunto Folclórico de Oriente (Folklore Ensemble of the province of Oriente), established in 1961, has devoted itself to developing the special characteristics of the folklore of the eastern provinces. The Conjunto Folcló- rico de Artes Escénicas de Pataquín (Pataquin Folklore Ensemble for the Scenic Arts), formed in 1967, has set itself the task of creating shows around folk themes involving dance, music, drama and mime.

Most of these companies are constantly expanding their work to include talks, meetings, seminars, educational events at places of work and educational centres, radio programmes, etc. The National Ballet publishes, in addition, the review Cuba en el Ballet and is given time on television.

42

The creative arts

Literature

Since 1959 publishing has flourished in Cuba; as a consequence, writers n o w have the opportunity to publish their work, and the people are able to get to know the variety and wealth of Cuban and foreign literature. In addition, the increase in the number of libraries has broadened the readership.

The important literary congresses held periodically in Cuba have been a means of promoting and encouraging literary creation. Institutions such as the Casa de las Américas, the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, and the Dirección Nacional de Literatura of the Mjnistry of Culture have undertaken an extensive and thorough campaign aimed at enhancing the standing of Cuban literature.

Many contests have been organized to stimulate literary output; special emphasis has been put on literature for children and young persons.

Since 1959, new writers have found a source of encouragement in the various literary workshops which have been set up. These workshops provide amateur writers with the opportunity to discuss their diiñculties and develop their abilities.

The workshop is basically a place of work where the members meet once a week or once a fortnight to read, discuss and analyse not only their own work but also other matters of intellectual interest, as well as to study literary technique and Cuban literature. At these meetings, the members generally try to help each other with their work in a spirit of lively criticism.

These workshops are held even in the remotest parts of the country; they receive advice from veteran writers and also through specialized pamphlets and lectures. Many of the workshops publish bulletins describing their literary activities.

Once a year interworkshop debates are organized and culminate in a national debate at which the best works in the different genres are sebcted. Apart from their competitive aspect, these meetings are primarily meant to provide help and guidance, and give a chance to compare and exchange views and experiences.

Book-lovers’ circles and literary clubs organize activities aimed at encouraging people to read, appreciate and write the kind of works that make for the enjoyment of a culturally aware life.

Music

Although music had always been one of the country’s highest f o m of cultural expression, any developments in this field had formerly to depend entirely on individual effort, with little institutional support. The Revol- ution marked the beginning of a new era in Cuban music, and all forms of musical activity n o w receive very substantial support. The Revolution also led to the foundation of cultural bodies, schemes for encouraging musical

43


creativity and musicological research, the development of the media, the organization of festivals, competitions and forms of artistic and technical exchange with other countries.

The Coro Nacional (National Choir), founded in 1959, started a choral movement that has burgeoned to such an extent that Cuba n o w has ten permanent choral groups. The Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional was established in 1960 and has performed an important function by popularizing music of all periods, styles and countries. Guest conductors and soloists from all over the world regularly appear with the orchestra.

The Orquesta Nacional de Teatro was also founded in 1960. Its maia work is to accompany ballet and musical theatre performances. In subsequent years, five concert orchestras were established in the provinces. Another group formed since 1960 is the Nuestro Tiempo (Our Time) instru- mental group which specializes in performing contemporary chamber music. The musical bands have been reorganized and now receive institutional support.

Since 1961 a number of important festivals have been held which have contributed considerably to the development and dissemination of Cuban music. Apart from those organized by the Casa de las Américas and the amateur movement, the most important of these festivals are: the Festival de Música Cubana (Festival of Cuban Music), the Festival Nacional de Coros (National Choral Festival), the Festival Nacional de la Trova and the Festival de la Nueva Trova (Trova Festivals), the Jornada de Canción Polí- tica (Political Songs), the Festival del Creador Musical (Composers' Fes- tival), the Festival de la Rumba (Rumba Festival), the Festival del Son (Festival of Sound), the Festival de la Música Sinfónica Alejandro García Caturla, the Festival Nacional de Bandas de Musica (National Bands Fes- tival), and the Festival Nacional de Arte Popular (National Festival of Popular Art).

Numerous international tours and events have provided Cuban composers and performing artists with opportunities to make their work known more widely. Their successful participation in competitions and festivals all over the world is testified by the many awards which they have won. Outstanding among these is Jorge Luis Prats, w h o won the Grand Prix at the 1977 Margaritte Long-Jacques Thibaud Contest, with three distinctions. This young pianist received all his training in Cuba where he recently completed the middle level at the Escuela Nacional de Arte.

The policy of cultural exchanges with all countries has given the Cuban people the chance likewise to appreciate the art of some of the world's leading performers of music. These artists perform not only in the capital, but also in the interior of the country.

The composition of music also has been encouraged by competitions sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Casa de las Américas. These competitions have furthered musical research, which is supported by various bodies and institutions.

44

The creative arts

Cuban music has continued to develop its traditional characteristics, while at the same time broadening and enriching the tradition in various directions and exploring new styles. Popular music has been marked by a return to the old rhythms and sounds; in the so-called classical music Cuban composers experiment and creatively use new techniques and musical idioms although their work is still very much rooted in traditional Cuban music. In this atmosphere of creative freedom both the more established composers and young composers who are already gaining an international reputation are making an outstanding contribution to Cuban music. The Nueva Trova movement is particularly impoaant, as it continues an authentic form of popular music-the traditional songs of the troubadours-which is rooted in Cuban life and embodies social concerns, at the same time employing a variety of contemporary musical techniques.

Theatre

The triumph of the Revolution in 1959 opened up completely new horizons for the Cuban theatre. A new lease of life was injected into the existing small companies, whose actors previously had to support themselves by taking on outside jobs. A number of institutions and bodies were founded to support theatrical activities. N e w companies were formed, and conse- quently new authors began to write plays reflecting the social changes. Gradually, companies of greater stature, and with greater resources, came into existence which were ñnanced entirely by the State. For the h s t time, the theatre came within reach of the people, thanks to the staging of performances at popular prices.

In addition to performing in traditional theatre buildings, many companies undertake theatre extension work in factories, farms and schools. A good deal of experimental theatre is also performed in the streets and in rural areas. As a result, the theatre is n o w attracting many more spectators.

Companies such as Teatro Estudio have built up a body of work of a high artistic standard drawn from the Cuban and international repertoire, and the Grupo de Teatro Político Bertolt Brecht has staged many outstanding international productions. In addition, our own Cuban form of social development has inspired certain trends, which reflect the radical political and economic transformation that has taken place in the country.

The early experiments were carried out by the Grupo de Teatro Escambray. This company analyses and investigates the problems of the rural area in which it operates and puts on plays in which the people can see a critical portrayal of their own concerns and problems. In this way, it is able to influence the situation directly.

Another development is the work done by the Conjunto Dramático de Oriente, a group which has revitalized the Teatro de Relaciones, a

45


nineteenth-century Cuban dramatic form which the company has refur- bished and updated. The company often performs in the streets of Santiago de Cuba.

The Grupo La Yaya works among the new rural communities. It puts on plays reflecting the lives of the peasants, who also act in the plays. Similar experimental work is being done by the GNPO de Participación Popular, with the participation of workers in Havana city.

Teatrova combines theatrical performance with the modern trova, and the musical theatre has flourished with the appearance of musical theatre ensembles in the capital and in the interior of the country.

A most successful development is the spread of the children’s and young people’s theatre movement. The are currently twenty-six companies, working primarily with puppets and actors in theatres and in schools, children’s groups, parks and other places of recreation for children. This form of extension work is very important in the rural areas.

The children’s and young people’s theatre in Cuba has three basic objectives: to entertain, to teach and to develop sensitivity. The Depart- ment for Children’s and Young People’s Theatre of the Ministry of Culture has a team of psychologists and educationists who ensure the achievement of these objectives at the national level.

The fact that playwriting is one of the sections of the various Cuban literary competitions is a considerable source of encouragement for young writers. In addition, they have an opportunity to attend the playwriting workshops which have been set up throughout the country. Here they can read their scripts, and hear the views of their fellow members and the professional playwrights assigned to the workshop. The workshops also invite distinguished personalities of the Cuban theatre movement to give talks or lead study groups.

A considerable development has also occurred in the field ofplays for children, thanks to the inclusion of children’s plays as a separate genre in the various literary competitions.

Each year two important national drama festivals are held. The Pan- orama del Teatro en Cuba aims to show the best theatrical productions. A jury awards prizes and distinctions for the most outstanding works. The equivalent of this competition in children’s theatre is the Encuentro Nacional de Teatro para Niños y Jóvenes. These two festivals include organized discussions and meetings among the participating companies.

Cinema

The first cultural act of the Revolution was the establishment in. 1959 of the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Insti- tute of Cinematographic Art and the Film Industry). In 1976 the institute was attached to the Ministry of Culture. The foundation of the institute

46

The creative arts

truly marked the birth of the Cuban cinema. It was faced with a twofold task: to create an industry and art of the cinema virtually out of nothing, and gradually to erase the marks of a commercialized colonial-type cinema.

The institute had to create the entire infrastructure for the cinema; train film-makers, specialists and technicians; re-educate the public by means of a coherent production and exhibition policy; publish film magazines and journals; promote Hrn clubs, film discussions and television programmes.

Today the remarkable aesthetic and ideological achievements of the Cuban cinema are internationally acclaimed. Its successes have been confirmed by awards of all kinds of international prizes-171 awards by 1976.

Up to 1976, the institute had produced altogether 74 full-length films, 12 medium-length films, 575 documentaries (these are its outstanding achievements), 108 animated cartoons and 46 newsreels.

Thanks to the growth and development of the facilities, it is n o w possible to carry out in the country all the laboratory processes required for an ever-increasing output of colour and black-and-white films. Steps are being taken to install printing facilities capable of enough copies for mass distribution.

Cuba has around 450 cinemas showing 3 5 - m m films and 480 16-mm projectors in k e d premises. The travelling cinema has 136 complete projection units equipped with their own generators. Of these units, 112 are transported by lorry, 22 by horse-drawn vehicles and 2 by boat. In this way the cinema has succeeded in reaching the remotest and least accessible places of the Cuban archipelago where it was previously quite unknown. The travelling cinema also offers its services to schools, military units and places of work. By 1975, it had given more than 1.5 million shows to an audience of around 200 million. It offers the kind of films which can be seen at any city cinema.

The objective of the film exhibition policy is to give the audience a broad conspectus of the world cinema and to provide the means of entertainment, cultural development, aesthetic enjoyment and ideological education. Despite the difficulties arising from the blockade imposed on Cuba, Cuban cinemas have shown films from many countries which were formerly excluded from the national distribution circuits which were wholly dominated by the interests of the large transnational corporations.

The Cinemateca de Cuba (Cuban Film Library), founded in 1960, has been doing very valuable work and is regarded as the most important of its kind in Latin America. It provides films to be shown on the national television network, brings out a number of publications, and holds the largest collection of Latin-American films in the world.

The armed forces and the Ministry of Education possess their o w n studios, laboratories, technicians and projection equipment. The Film Section

47


of the Ministry for the Armed Forces puts on film shows for military units and produces documentaries and newsreels for members of the armed forces. The Educational Film Division of the MinistIy of Education makes short educational films which are designed to fit in with the curricula in the various schools. Both of them work in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture and have achieved effective and promising results.

48

Still from the film Lucia on the revolutionary struggle for independence in Cuba.

Travelling cinema from the Cuban Film Institute, which tours the mountain districts.

e a $ U

Asi cantó Cuba, a musical staged in the Cathedral Square.

The Los Compadres duo, which performs traditional folk songs.

The outlook for cultural development in Cuba

. -

While, despite the extremely adverse conditions under which Cuban culture evolved-more than 400 years of colonial oppression and more than fifty years of imperialist domination-its achievements were on the positive side, its results under the favourable conditions offered by the Revolution hold out the prospect of a very promising future.

The future of Cuban culture is determined not merely by advances in specifically cultural fields but also by the parallel economic and social development and the building of a socialist society. The march towards communism is in itself a movement towards the reign of culture, towards the conversion of every aspect of human life into an aesthetic experience. The premises of this evolution are : (a) the elimination of the class struggle and an all-round approach to education and culture thanks to which all human beings can become recipients and creators of art; (b) the dissemination of general education and artistic education; (c) the constant growth of artistic output and aesthetic needs; and (d) the emergence of aesthetic behaviour as a higher form of relationship between m a n and nature, between the individual and society.

In terms of concrete measures for the immediate future, the people, State and Communist Party of Cuba have set themselves the following tasks: (a) the consistent and harmonious growth of the cultural infrastructure, particularly cultural facilities: casas de cultura, library network, theatres, cinemas, lecture halls and readingrooms, art galleries, etc.; (b) the extension of publishing and printing activities, aiming at greater quantity better quality and wider variety; (c) the improvement of radio and television programmes; (d) the development of film studios and raising the quality of their production; (e) the incorporation of aesthetics into the education system, with emphasis on the establishment and development of art schools and workshops, and on artistic education as part of the curriculum of basic education; (f) the strengthening of the cultural institutions and professional organizations of writers and artists; (g) emphasis

49 \


on methods for bringing artistic and literary work closer to the masses of the population, especially in rural areas; (h) the promotion of the amateur movement, with a view to raising the cultural level of the population and encouraging the emergence of new artistic values; (i) the encouragement of the creative activity of young writers and artists, and the dissemination of their work; and (j) the intensification of international cultural relations, particularly with the peoples of Latin America, the Caribbean and the socialist countries, principally through exchanges of works of art, research workers and experts, and the organization of cultural events and artistic co-production.

Cuba is advancing resolutely towards a culture enriched by the country's and the world's finest traditions, which are oriented towards authentic originality, aware of the important contribution of culture to the furtherance of a free and just coexistence, the source of any ennobling accomplishment of society and of the individual.

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In this series:

Cultural policy: a preliminary study Cultural policy in the United States, by Charles C. Mark Cultural rights as human rights Cultural policy in Japan, by Nobuya Shikaumi Some aspects of French culrural policy, by the Studies and Research Department of the

French Ministry of Culture Cultural policy in Tunisia, by Refik Sard Cultural policy in Great Britain, by Michael Green and Michael Wilding, in

consultation with Richard Hoggart Cultural policy in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, by A. A. Zvorykin with the

assistance of N. I. Golubtsova and E. I. Rabinovitch Cultural policy in Csechoslouakia, by Miroslav Marek with the assistance of Milan

Hromádka and Josef Chroust Cultural policy in Italy, a survey piepared under the auspices of the Italian National

Commissioh for Unesco Cultural policy in Yugoslavia, by Stevan Majstorovii: Cultural policy in Bulgaria, by Kostadine Popov Some aspects of cultural policies in India, by Kapila Malik Vatsyayan Cultural policy in Cuba, by Lisandro Otero with the assistance of Francisco Martínez

Cultural policy in Egypt, by Magdi Wahba Cultural policy in Finland, a study prepared under the auspices of the Finnish National

Cultural policy in Sri Lanka, by H. H. Bandara Cultural policy in Nigeria, by T. A. Fasuyi Cultural policy in Iran, by Djamchid Behnam Cultural policy in Poland, by Stanislaw Witold Balicki, Jerzy Kossak and Miroslaw

The role of culture in leisure time in New Zealand, by Bernard W . Smyth Cultural policy in Israel, by Joseph Michman Cultural policy in Senegal, by Mamadou Seyni MBengue Cultural policy in the Federal Republic of Gennany, a study prepared under the

auspices of the German Commission for Unesco Cultural policy in Indonesia, a study prepared by the staff of the Directorate-General

of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Cultural policy in the Philippines, a study prepared under the auspices of the Unesco

National Commission of the Philippines Cultural policy in Liberia, by Kenneth Y. Best Cultural policy in Hungary, a euwey prepared under the auspices of the Hungarian

The cultural policy of the United Republic of Tanzania, by L. A. Mbughuni Cultural policy in Kenya, by Kivuto Ndeti Cultural policy in Romania, by Ion Dodu Balan with the co-operation of the Directorates

Cultural policy in the German Democratic Republic, by Hans Koch Cultural policy in Afghanistan, by Shafie Rahe1 Cultural policy in the United Republic of Cameroon, by J. C. Bahoken and Englebert S o m aspects of cultural policy in Togo, by K. M. Aithnard Cultural pdicy in ïhe Republic of Zaire, a study prepared under the direction of

Cultwal policy in Ghana, a study prepared by the Cultural Division of the Ministry of

Cultural policy in the Republic of Korea, by Kim Yersu Aspects of Canadian cultural policy, by D. Paul Schafer Cultural policy in Costa Rica, by Samuel Rovinski Cultural policy in Jamcrica, a study prepared by the Institute of Jamaica Cultural policy in Guyana, by A. J. Seymour Cularral policy in Peru, by the National Institute of Culture

Hinojosa

Commission for Unesco

Zulawski

National Commission for Unesco

of the Council of Socialist Culture and Education

Atangana

Dr Bokonga Ekanga Botombele

Education and Cultura, Accra

Cultural policy in Colombia, by Jorge Eliécer Ruiz with the assistance of Valentina

Aspects of Algerian cultural policy, by Sid-Ahmed Baghli Cultural policy in the Republic of Panama, by the National Institute of Culture Cultural policy in Bolivia, by Mariano Baptista Gumucio Cultural policy in Sierra Leone, by Arthur Abraham Cultural policy in the Republic of Pamma, by the National Institute of Culture Cultural policy in Argentina, by Edwin R. Harvey Cultural policy in the Byeíorussian S.S.R., by the Academy of Sciences of the Byelo-

The cultural policy of Cuba, by Jaime Saruski and Gerardo Mosquera

Marulanda

russian S.S.R.

The serial numbering of titles in this series, the presentation of which has been modified, was dibcontinued with the volume Cultural policy in Italy

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