Cuban e-mail

[Mike Weaver]

The media is one aspect of Cuban life  of which the govt does keep tight
control.  The eco/gardening mag of the group I worked with could wryly be
referred to as Cuba's only independent publication. It had a print run of
10,000 and national distribution.  Foreign mags,  Time, Newsweek,
Scientific American,  etc etc were on sale at various places so don't get
the idea the govt is attempting absolute control.  They are aware however
that the U.S./capitalist agencies would pour finances into anti govt
publications if allowed ( check track two of the current U.S. strategy, much
more worrisome to Cuban authorities than track one(Helms/Burton etc))
        E-mail is another matter.  As yet Cuba has no direct link with the
internet, relying on links with foreign organisations and daily bulk
emailing for its external links.  Since the number of privately owned
computers is minimal the opportunities for private email setups in almost
non-existent.  The only person I met with one was a dollar earning musician
who had got his link through personal connections.
        Until earlier this year NGO's using Tinored, a voluntarily run
server, had external links via Web: Canada's member of the APC (Association
of Progressive Communications).  This cost several thousand dollars a week
to maintain and Web couldn't keep it up.  The alternatives now for those
organisations mean dollars to pay subs to one of the other Cuban servers -
mostly based on scientific establishments.  Tinored continues to operate
internally. The conferences on Tinored include one dedicated entirely to SF.
While Tinored had the link with  Web there was plenty of personal use,  tho
short, <5kb,  messages were the rule.  

I know a couple of English teachers in Manchester with Cuban links,  one
taught at Havana Uni for several years and the other collects books for the
English dept. of a provincial uni. The courses he collects for include
English and U.S. history and culture,  Lit crit ancient and modern,
Caribbean Lit, culture and history and the Vietnam War, representation in
lit and comics!  The list of books he was after two years ago included, on
the  U.S. lit 60's onward bit:  V, Lot49, JR,  Fear and Loathing,
Slaughterhouse 5 and lots of other classics (S.F. represented by Ellison
Wonderland and the Dispossessed).  
I'll contact them and see if I can find a conduit to the P-heads of Cuba!
Maybe the U.S. p-list community could arrange for copies of M&D for the
Cuban uni libraries to go on the next Pastors for Peace solidarity shipment?

Hasta proxima vez
Miguelito
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"...if you do not love words,  how will you love the communication?
  How will you, forgive me my tropes, communicate the love?" 
R. A. Lafferty
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