Identidades in English No 4, December 2014 | Page 32

and most discriminated and displaced: they have
no chance at finding any legal or institutional
mechanism to which to take their concerns and
problems about being marginalized, vulnerable,
and humiliated.
Civil society in Cuba is at a critical point. Its increasing maturity has contributed to civic transformations, and there is growing interest in
participating on a global level, to be able to make
known the real truth about the situation of Afrodescendants, which is so distorted by the governing elite.
The government manipulates the situation in a
way that visible forms of direct discrimination are
not seen, but there is a great deal of indirect discrimination. Because they live in the worst and
unhealthiest living conditions and have access
only to the worst paid jobs, there is no doubt that
Afro-descendants are the object of discrimination.
They represent a majority in both the country’s
prison population and in jobs requiring a great
deal of physical effort but pay much lower wages
than other positions.
To understand the race problem in Cuba and attempt to resolve it, a number of strategies are
needed, among them affirmative action policies
to minimize (but not eliminate) discrimination as
well as address old practices, create equal opportunities, and stimulate diversity.
These affirmative action policies should lead to
trainings and the creation of: mechanisms for
complaints and critiques, studies to discover the
dimensions and range of discrimination, quotas
for schools, and differentiated admission policies.
There should be work done to establish institutions that truly function: deal with manifestations
of racism, monitor legislation, increase the visibility of the race problem, and promote policies
and practices to ensure equitable treatment.
They also need to be able to help victims of racial
discrimination.

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Those groups that protect the rights of Afro-descendants should join with communities and citizens who want their problems to be
acknowledged the way that they, themselves,
acknowledge them. As such, organizations shall
be able to: craft policies that can truly bring about
a social metamorphosis, acquire the greatest intellectual and legal education possible, promote a
collective debate on the issue, and maximize ties
between international legal mechanisms and resources that promote the rights of Afro-descendants.
Presently, the governing elite is a white majority,
and Afro-Cubans are a disadvantaged minority
with respect to well-paid employment. Affirmative actions should seek a more equitable ratio of
persons of certain ethnic groups within government as well as diversify workplaces, universities, and schools.
A long road lies ahead, to be able to confront the
plague of racial discrimination. There is a distinct
lack of political will on the part of the authorities
to acknowledge the problem and permit public
discussion about it. We are also limited by an
enormous lack of references and information
about our social reality. In addition, there is a persistent colonial mentality that keeps people thinking of themselves as victims of racism, which
leads to very low self-esteem and debases the
pride and identity of Cuba’s Afro-descendants. A
certain, appreciable disconnect between them and
the global movement for Afro-descendant rights
is a further obstacle.
We could start by focusing our efforts on rescuing
the culture of Afro-descendants and making it
visible. Many in independent organizations are
already working diligently to get the Afro-Cuban
contribution acknowledged. It is time for Afrodescendants to become political and social actors
in the affirmation of their rights. Concomitantly,
they should interact with independent, Cuba and
international, social organizations in the fight