Cubadebate was born 23 years ago in times as difficult as these. Imperial aggression and threats, along with an overwhelming and funded anti-Cuban media campaign, spurred our launch into online platforms. Back then, it was Bush and Condoleezza, the mainstream media, and the fervent supporters in Miami clamoring, “Iraq now, Cuba later.” Now it’s Trump and Marco Rubio, their blockade intensified to genocidal levels, the media aligned with the regime, the manipulated social networks, and the same Miami clique calling for military action against Cuba.
We were forged in this struggle against the propaganda and manipulation machine financed by or subservient to the empire, but also by confronting our own realities and challenges.
It hasn’t been a perfect endeavor, because it’s done by women and men, as the troubadour would say. But we have opened paths in Cuban social communication, driven more by conviction than resources, and we have tried to be at the forefront of the country’s public media, grounded in the weapons of truth and ideas.
And here we are: covering the Central American Games and Fidel Castro’s Centennial, reporting on the news that shapes the world, and monitoring the transformations underway in the country, condemning the collective punishment of our people and reflecting on the enormous human suffering we Cubans endure as a result of those medieval policies of siege, producing collective reports from our neighborhoods, creating podcasts and reels, and generating content with the help of artificial intelligence.
In the midst of long hours of blackouts, connectivity problems, barely any transportation for news coverage, and the daily challenges of home life, we haven’t stopped doing and saying. We have an enormous responsibility to our people, and we know what that means.
Our gratitude to the generations of colleagues who have sustained Cubadebate throughout these years. Our special thanks to our readers, who are our inspiration, our source of ideas, and our critical feedback, allowing us to continue growing.
Even though times are tough and genocidal forces are on the prowl, congratulations on Cubadebate’s 23rd anniversary!
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE ]
