“Colloquium Patria” begins against fake news and the digital blockade of Cuba | More than 160 journalists and academics from around the world are participating in the process in Havana

In the presence of more than 160 academics, journalists and officials from Cuba and other countries, This Monday the second edition of the “Colloquio Internacional Patria” began in HavanaThat Condemns the “digital siege” of the island and proposes alternatives to “defeat hate campaigns and fake news orchestrated by the right and imperialism.” Throughout the day, guests debated the effects of the US embargo on Cuba at the Casa de las Americas, which extended to the Internet and communications space.

“The debate agenda is hate speech, disinformation systems and A digital blockade that has prevented Cuba from accessing a significant number of sites”was assured Daniel RossoArgentine sociologist attended the call Page 12. From Cuba, for example, you can’t open a platform like Zoom or Spotify: the only alternative is to do it through a VPN (virtual private network), which makes the country you’re using that computer or cell phone invisible to. These limits occur in an environment where coupling has undergone very large quantum leaps in recent years on the island.

“Stop the siege”

At the beginning of the session, the president of Casa de los Américas, Abel BrittoHe said that the Left must handle the communication war at a very critical time for political communication. “The Anti-Colonial Forces Must Reveal, We Are Scattered”Prieto warned, adding: “We are at a better time than ever to work on concrete measures, to defend ourselves, to attack and to have a more coherent and effective response to lies and slander.”

Cuban political analyst Irol Sanchez Mentions the need for exposure to support the production of quality content and Creation of a “key receiving object”.. Sánchez condemned the disinformation and manipulation campaigns being used against Washington and Cuba through social networks “with the aim of disrupting order in the country.” He also noted, “There is still a lot of fighting to be done.”

A young Mexican influencer Jerome Sarko I am calling “Preventive Prohibition” Creating new narratives with the same tools used by imperialism. “There has been a very important revival of the Left in the world, and that is to preserve past projects and create new ones,” this student of history and philosophy added: “If we move without direction, without an information base, we will do nothing. It is important that we go on the offensive and position ourselves at the center of political action“.

“Unity and Love Against Hate”

In this regard, the former member of the Ecuadorian legislature, Gabriela RivadeneiraHe condemned the role of media houses in the “dirty war” against progressive leaders. Rivadeneira proposed to unite the region’s governments in a “speech of unity and love against hate”. In this sense, the leader of Khorezmo expressedAll dictatorships are won by hate speech. We can transmit love, as Chavez and Fidel, Cristina Fernandez and Rafael Correa did, and as Andrés Manuel López Obrador is doing now.”

In the same way Rosa Miriam ElizalteThe vice-president of the Union of Cuban Journalists (UPEC), who coordinated the event, highlighted the importance of visualizing the successful communication map that exists in Latin America with clear examples such as the case of the López Obrador government in Mexico and Argentina. With Cristina Fernandez and Lula from Brazil, the successes speak for themselves “Well-articulated Communication Teams and Communication Procedures”.

Sabrina Fernandez, a Brazilian sociologist and one of the first women to speak out about the environment in the country, celebrated that there are many left-wing communicators today. “In the Battle of the Emotions Many feel that the strategy for countering the algorithm is to reproduce the same language of communication and ownership rather than presenting an alternative plan.. It gives the impression that growing up is all about fame. It confuses vision with people power or supremacy,” Fernandez noted.

“I think we will fail if we are going to think of the Internet only as our own sector and not as something that can help us plan for popular companies,” Fernández noted: “In Brazil we were able to elect Lula, but we know that the government we have to push for more radical reforms. .

“Enjoy Politics”

For his part, the Spanish journalist Pascual Serrano Warned about what the present represents – from communication and networks – emotion, above objectivity. “Truth and rigor lose ground. Contempt rises against argument. Anger is embedded in networks. We must fight online, but militancy and war cannot be virtual,” Serrano said.

With the presence of a Cuban journalist there was also room for dissent Francisco Rodriguez Cruz –Better known as “Paquito” – pointed out that Sometimes the rhetoric of the left is boring, for which “we must renew ourselves and recreate revolutionary reality with new readings, parodying the identity of the right and counter-revolution, treating it as personal in its political dimension.” Paquito, who defines himself on his networks as “Marty, journalist, communist, homosexual, devout atheist and occasional superstition”, calls to fight against imperialism. “Having fun doing politics”.

At the beginning of the discussion, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Organizational Secretary Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda was also present. Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee and head of its ideological department; Albidio Alonso, Minister of Culture; Tubal Páez, Honorary President of UPEC, along with other prominent Cuban and Latin American intellectuals and trade union leaders.

The “International Patria Colloquium” will conclude this Tuesday with a great political act and a concert on the historic steps of the University of Havana. Among the artists invited were the groups Buena Fe and the group Encilla Cheche. The Argentinian Leandro Petrosino will be responsible for closing through the video mapping technique, which uses video projectors to display animations and images on real surfaces, which has been seen more than once on the facade of the Casa Rosada.