CHAPTERl
2.3 RESEARCH TOOLS EMPLOYED
The tools employed by the thesis include the research, collection. inspection.
and analyses of relevant literature; researching the environment: personal observations, communications. and interviews; and the testing of hypotheses through publication. The world-wide-web was employed in a prudent manner towards accessing relevant and authentic data. The passages below elaborate on the use of these methods.
Literary sources
The predominant apparatus utilized for the purposes of data collection was inspection of an assortment of established literary documents. A broad collection of published materials was accumulated from among others, The University of Cape Town. The Cuban Embassy (Pretoria). The Institute for Latin American Studies (University of London), Goldsmiths University. The British Library, and, not the least, art institutions and bookstores located in Havana, Cuba. South Africa's prevailing socio-cultural conditions to a large extent inspired the exploration into Cuban cultural themes. Information from the South African print media, such as general articles and reports. expert commentary, and letters from the public, were collected, reviewed and analysed.
Attention was afforded general topics on race and racism, racial labelling, and racial categorization, cultural rights and privileges, as well as associated matters like enduring economic discrimination and economic exploitation. In addition.
established South African volumes on politics, economics, and the national question were explored for historical-contextual purposes.
Cuba
The inspection of literature dealing specifically with Cuban matters was confined to published material appearing originally in the English language, as well as volumes translated into English. Special care was taken. wherever possible, to ensure translated material originates from affinned and trustworthy sources. For example, the Cuban Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. provided an assortment of published brochures containing Cuban governmental commentary.
published by the Printing Office of the Cuban Council of State in Havana. The useful anthology Afrocuha (cds. Sarduy and Stubbs 1993) includes a wide
University
of Cape
Town
selection of significant Cuban cultural-historical records. The anthology is edited by two well-known Cuban cultural practitioners (operating both inside and outside of Cuba) and published in association with the Centre for Cuban Studies in New York. (As in the case of Guevara and Marti's writings - see below - for historical context the citation of these sources in the thesis includes both the original and Sarduy and Stubbs' year of publication). Other examples of affirmed sources include the following documents which were obtained directly in Havana, Cuba. It will be noted that some of these have been published by, or in association, with Edit6ra Politica, one of Cuba's principal publishing companies:
• Fidel Castro's War, racism and economic injustice (Ed. Keeble 2002, OceanlEditora Politica), which offers a selection of interviews and speeches the Cuban leader gave in Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, the USA, and South Africa. This collection was utilised in conjunction with other materials, towards offering some proof of the continuity of standpoints taken in earlier years.
• Constitution of the Republic of Cuba (National Assembly of People's Power, Cuba 2004, Edit6ra Politica). The national document elaborates on subjects like the political, social, and economic principles of the Cuban state;
citizenship; family; equality; fundamental rights, duties, and guarantees; and, perhaps more importantly, the role of education and culture in broader Cuban society.
• Haydee Santamaria (Ed. Betsy Maclean 2003) constitutes a rare epigrammatic anthology of letters, interviews, and writings both on and by the subject of the book. Included are wTitings of celebrated cultural workers and note-worthy intellectuals from both Cuba and the broader Latin American continent. This compilation is considered of special importance as it denotes perhaps the rarest source in the English language on the contribution of a globally-obscure Cuban woman activist to the development of Latin American culture. The anthology is published likewise by Ocean Press and in association with the Casa de las Americas Latin America's focal cultural institution and the locale where Santamaria spent her professional life.
University
of Cape
Town
• Jose Marti: Reader (Shnookal and Muniz 1999) is arguably the most authoritative translation of an extensive collection of speeches, writings, letters, and verse of Cuba's national hero (2005a). The collection IS
published by Ocean Press, an international publisher working in collaboration with Cuban publishing houses, with additional copyright vested in Cuba's historic Centro de Estudios Martianos located in Havana.
The following list which includes the method of citation, contains a selection of Marti's speeches, \VTitings, and poetry, chosen from the compilation for the purposes of the thesis:
'The Spanish republic and the Cuban revolution' 'The memorial meeting in honor of Karl Marx' 'Wandering teachers'
'The Munkacsy Christ'
'The funeral of the Haymarket martyrs: A terrible drama'
'Mother America' 'Our America' 'Simple Verses'
'With all, for the good of all' 'Our ideas'
'My race' 'Simon Bolivar'
'The truth about the United States' 'To the New York Herald'
'Free Verse'
(1M 1873/1999a) (1M 1883/1999b) (1M 188411999c) (1M 188711999d)
(1M 18881199ge) (1M 188911999f) (1M 189111999g) (JM 189111999h) (JM 189111999i) (1M 189211999j) (JM 189311999k) (1M 1893/19991) (JM 189411999m) (1M 189511999n) (1M 1913119990)
The main literary source utilised in Part III is the compendium of Guevara's
\VTitings, speeches, interviews, and letters - Che Guevara reader: writings on politics and revolution (2003). Obtained directly in Havana and spanning more than 400 pages, the collection is compiled and edited by David Deutschmann, a global specialist on Cuban politics and history. Assistance with its preparation was given by the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara (Havana), particularly the Centre's director, Guevara's daughter, A1eida March, and its research
University
of Cape
Town
coordinator, Maria del Cannen Ariet Garda. As an expanded edition of a book first published in 1997 on the 30th anniversary of Guevara's death. it is published jointly by the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara and Ocean Press (Melbourne). It is relevant to note that the current edition is nol, as the editor points out, 'a biography nor a book of reminiscences by others - it is Che Guevara in his own words' (Deutschmann 2003, 1). Besides Guevara's own contributions. the anthology contains an instructive introduction and chronology of Guevara's life and Cuban history. Brief texts on historical context and/or origin often precede Guevara's own works. In addition. detailed endnotes are provided for each of the four sections of the book. A handy glossary is followed at the end by a complete bibliography that lists all of Guevara's articles, books.
speeches, interviews, and letters. Below follows a list of works (including their respective citations) from the compilation that has been consulted for the purposes of the thesis.
'What we have learnt and what we have taught' 'Social ideals of the rebel army'
'The essence of guerrilla struggle' 'Political sovereignty'
(EG J958/2003a) (EG 1959/2003b) (EG 1960/2003c) (EG 1960/200d) 'Speech to medical students and health workers' (EG I 960/2003e) 'Notes for the study of the ideology of the Cuban revolution' (EG 1960/2003t) 'Speech to the Latin American youth congress' (EG 1960/20mg) 'Cuba: historical exception or vanguard in the anticolonial struggle'
'The OAS conference at Punta del Este' , A new culture of work'
'The cadre: backbone of the revolution' 'To be a young communist'
'The Cuban revolution's influence in Latin America' 'Guerrilla warfare: a method'
'A party of the working class' 'Against bureaucratism'
'On the budgetary finance system' 'The philosophy of plunder must cease'
'At the United Nations'
(EG 1961/2003h) (EG 1961/2003i) (EG 1962/2003j) (EG 1962/2003k) (EG 1962120031) (EG 1962/20(301) (EG 1963/2003n) (EG 1963/20(30) (EG 1963/2003p) (EG 1964/2003q) (EG 1964/2003r) (EG 1964/2003s)
University
of Cape
Town
. At the Afro-Asian conference in Algeria' 'Create two, three, many Vietnams'
'Tactics and strategy of the Latin American revolution'
Internet
(EG 1965/2003v) (EG 1967/2003w) (EG 1968/2003x)
Gaining access to ideas, perceptions, and arguments of Cuban intellectuals, artists, and writers, was aided by the online magazine The Militanl (www.themilitant.com). a publication of Pathfinder Press located in New York.
In view of its historical ties with UNEAC (Cuban Union of Writers and Artists) The Militant has become possibly the only English-language source outside of Cuba consistently offering coverage of this sector of the Cuban cultural establishment. The Internet also provided access to established socialist and/or Marxist organisations' analyses of a range of Cuban matters. Established printed material was used as basis from which data from internet sources could be judged in terms of reliability and consistency.
Researching the environment South Africa
Scrutiny of local radio and television news broadcasts and talk shows provided broad insight into (1) the current state of the nation and (2) citizens' viewpoints on contemporary cultural trends. The overriding conclusion that emerged from this study is that many divergent and opposing perceptions currently exist of (1) factors that constitute the nation, (2) concepts of race and racism, and (3) the meaning and implication of building a non-racial society.
Cuba
During March of 2005, on invitation from the South African Department of Arts and Culture, the rare opportunity was enjoyed to undertake a first exploratory visit to Havana, Cuba. Not only has this unique experience been an exciting and culturally-enriching one, but moreover, many prior perspectives could be substantiated.
University
of Cape
Town
During this brief visit, spanning just over one week, I could
• Call on Cuba's flagship school of the performing arts, the Inslilulo Superior de ArIes located in Playa, Havana, and conduct in-depth discussions with its rector and vice-rector (see Kronenberg 2005a)
• Observe and experience a musical performance by some of the Institute's celebrated performing scholars
• Observe first-hand and discuss with Cuban officials the construction of the Plastic Arts Faculty a structural representation of Cuba's underlying culture policy - the merging of African traditions with those of Spanish ongm
• Attend and video record the spectacular Inaugural Gala of the I
ill
International Meeting of Academies for the Teaching of Ballet at the Sala Garcia Lorca Gran Teatro in Havana
• Visit and inspect Cuba's acclaimed National Ballet School in Havana
• Conduct interviews with the Ballet School's International Relations Ofiicers
• Meet the Cuban Cultural Minister and other members of the Ministry of Culture
• Visit and inspect the Cuban National Museum of Fine Arts
• Attend and participate in instructive talks given by Cuban artists at tht:
House of Culture located in Vedado, Havana
• Observe at the same location community arts production and exhibition, a traditional dance class for children, and inspect some inventive hand-made artefacts
• Perceive, by way of city tours, some measure of the nation's lush cultural legacy
• Draw much general information from in-depth discussions with Karina Palacios and Alina Jova, officials at Africa Desk of the Cuban Ministry of Culture
Interviews
The following interviews have been found to be valuable to objectives of the study:
University
of Cape
Town
• Interview with Leo Brouwer, Cuban composer and advisor to the Cuban Ministry of Culture, conducted in Nlirtingen, Germany during. August 1998 as part of research towards a Masters degree~ parts of which were published in Guitar Review (see Kronenberg 2004a)
• Interview with Ms Maylee Benitez Ortega, International Relations Officer at the Cuban National School of Ballet
• Interview with Itumeleng Mosala, Director General of the South African Department of Arts and Culture, during May 2004
Personal communications
Among many others, the following are considered as being the more important:
• Jorge Martinez, specialist on Latin American politics. unionist speaker on the international labour movement. writer for In defense (?l Afarxism;
acquaintance of Celia Hart (Cuban party member, daughter of Haydee Santamaria and Armando Hart)
• Peter Rose, scholar of Marxism and Rhetoric, expert on Che Guevara's speeches, provided a number of relevant, useful aI1icles on Cuban culture.
film & literature
• Zelia Roelofse-Campbell, director of the UNISA (University of South Africa) Centre for Latin American Studies and editor of Ul'vrIS~4 La/in American Report, the only research institution of its kind in Africa and the only publication on Latin America in South Africa
• Centre for Studies on Che Guevara, Havana
• Ministry of Culture, Havana
• Ministry of Culture, Pretoria
Testing of hypotheses
Texts from key finding of this research were structured and compiled for the purposes of publication with the hope also of eliciting some academic response.
Following below is a list of topics selected for publication and the name of the applicable publication.4
Various letters/commentary on cultural issues (Cape Argus, Cape Times)
University
of Cape
Town
Selection of findings on Cuban culture (Latin American Report) Analyses/discussion of Cuban musical works (Guitar Review)
(Guitarra Afagazine) Political Analyses of
Cuban Marxism The New South Africa
Academic Paper
(Humanities Retooled) (Humanities Retooled) (The Bulletin)
A paper was prepared and delivered to the South Africa-Poland Symposium during September 2004, a scholarly event that was hosted by the University of Cape Town, Cape TO"V\TI, South Africa: 'The Cuban Model and Culture in post- Apartheid South Africa: Arguments and Lessons'.
1 Unless otherwise noted all background information on specific writings or speeches - like date and place of original publication, location of speech delivery, and composition of audience - are obtained from Shnookal and Muniz 1999.
2 According to my readings, scholars of Cuban culture and arts, especially those from the Western, English-speaking world, customarily concentrate on Cuban artists and their individual works and to a lesser extent, generally, the policies and principles that underpin and inform such
works. This was also my experience during my field research in Cuba during March 2005. Cuban intellectuals often were at pains to explain their cultural policies and principles, often to an uninformed audience who, routinely, were more interested in the scope and character of Cuban art works and the island's culture by and large. Thus an additional objective here, is to provide broad insight into revolutionary Cuban cultural thinking (which, it is trusted, will inspire better
perception of Cuban art works and culture) and not to focus primarily on individual artists and their works. Exceptions are made in the case of Haydee Santamaria and Leo Brouwer - two hugely representative arts figures who nonetheless are still relatively obscure outside of their national boundaries.
3 As this part of the thesis was being finalised, an official declaration was released from the Cuban state administration wherein Castro delegates his powers to key governmental agents on account of ill health. According to many undocumented sources, this is the first time since the triumph of the revolution in January 1959, that Castro has formally done so.
4 Extracts from articles published in Unisa Latin American Report (Kronenberg 2004c and 2005b) have been edited and amalgamated, and are employed in Part IV of the thesis.