Cuban Libraries Support Group

Cuban Libraries Support Group response to IFLA report on "independent" libraries in Cuba

The Cuban Libraries Support Group (CLSG) is dismayed by the report on "independent" libraries in Cuba produced by IFLAís intellectual freedom committee (FAIF). The committee seems to have based its report mainly on information supplied by the Friends of Cuban Libraries (FCL), who, in turn, get their information from Cubanet, which is based in Coral Gables, Florida. Cubanet is financed by :

* National Endowment for Democracy, which supports a number of anti-Cuban organisations

* Open Society, funded by George Soros

* USAID, dedicated to advancing the "political and economic interests of the United States"

Such information cannot be relied upon in terms of accuracy or objectivity. FAIF also do not point out that none of the so called "independent" librarians are, in fact librarians, and their "libraries" are stocked with materials supplied by :

* Freedom House, an anti Castro organisation which has received $500,000 in US government funding (via USAID and the US Information Agency)

* Centre for a Free Cuba, which has received $400,000 in US government funding

As none of the "librarians" are real librarians, FCL is misleading when it urges other librarians to remember the 1983 IFLA resolution concerning solidarity with colleagues who are persecuted for their opinions. There is no evidence that any real Cuban librarians are being persecuted or harrassed in any way.

FCL is also misleading when it calls itself "an independent, non partisan" support group which is "funded entirely by donations and does not seek or accept support from outside sources" :

* Robert Kent, an FCL spokesman, has admitted that on 4 occasions he has taken books and pamphlets to Cuba for Freedom House and the Centre for a Free Cuba.

* Robert Kent has also admitted that on 3 occasions his travel expenses to Cuba were paid by Freedom House or the Centre for a Free Cuba

* Jorge Sanguinetty, another leading FCL member (who is not a librarian), works for Radio Marti, a US government funded radio station which broadcasts anti Castro programmes illegally into Cuba

Support for the FCL from Freedom House, Centre for a Free Cuba and Radio Marti do not suggest that FCL is "independent and non partisan".

FCL also claims to be opposed to "violations of intellectual freedom in Cuba, as defined by the UN Declaration of Human Rights", and yet FCL is not opposed to the 40 year blockade of Cuba which is in clear breach of the UN charter. The blockade applies to food and medicine as well as books and has lead to the death of over 5500 Cuban citizens. Last year at the UN 157 nations opposed the blockade and only 2 countries, USA and Israel, voted to support it.

CLSG would ask that FAIF reconsider their report in the light of this information. CSLG would also be interested in what the FAIF and IFLA position is on the blockade of Cuba and what efforts they have made to challenge it in the name of intellectual freedom.

CLSG exists to support Cuban librarians and the Cuban library system. CSLG has received formal endorsement from a range of organisations including Information for Social Change, Book Aid International, Cuba Solidarity Campaign and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

CLSG calls on its supporters to :

1. write letters of protest to FAIF

2. request protests from their own professional bodies

3. send messages of support to the Cuban Library Association

4. give donations of books to Book Aid International

5. translate this message, if appropriate, and send it to magazines, newspapers, listserves and other bulletin boards, whether electronic or in paper form

For more information about the Cuban Libraries Support Group, contact John Pateman at John.Pateman@merton.gov.uk

John Pateman is a member of the Society of Chief Librarians and has visited Cuban libraries in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000.

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