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CUBAN LIBRARIES
SOLIDARITY GROUP
In one of Giles Tremlett’s articles on Cuba (Dissidents feel full force of Castro’s wrath, 20 July) there is a reference to the so-called “independent libraries” project. In reality these are neither “independent” nor “libraries”. They are small collections of books held in the living rooms of people who are not trained librarians. They are political dissidents, supported and financed by the US Interest Section in Havana. I have visited one of these libraries, the “Biblioteca Independiente Juana Alonso” in Havana. This library is in the home of Rogelio Travieso Perez, who is Human Rights Secretary of the Democratic Solidarity Party. The library consisted of 80 books and 20 journals. Only 10 items were out on loan. The collection contained items that would be stocked in the local public library. The library was a front for political activities. It did not meet the information needs of the people, which are well served by the Cuban library system. Cuba has one of the most socially inclusive library systems in the world. Cuban libraries are well staffed, they have plenty of books and the opening hours are generous. This is a remarkable achievement for a country which has been blockaded for 44 years. The so-called “independent libraries” are a public face and a recruiting tool for the dissident movement within Cuba and a means of “jumping the queue” to get an immigration visa to the US.
John Pateman
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