The Death Certificate

The historical and honorary President of Cuba signed a death certificate on Twitter last week. Our country has been known for years for the practice of “illness and burial” of the Cuban historical leader, more or less regularly in the unofficial voice of the people, to serve as the pretext of his proud reappearance, in the media, in order to deny the rumours. I think it is an over-exploited resource for “oficialistas” to refloat the anointing of the phoenix of Cuban politics.

I always found it suspicious, that battered history. I think it has been closely linked among the 638 terrorist attacks that government spokesmen have claimed occurred against the former president. A figure also suspect, if we consider the published writings and audiovisual material made and disseminated on Cuban television, with the assistance of the Ministry of the Interior; stories of aggression told and retold that fall short of twenty. It is likely that the number and continuing rumours of his disappearance, have been aimed at denigrating his opponents, by consecutive refutations, in the diaspora.

I know not whether this was spontaneous, that year, and resulted from a rumour which took root in Cuba that became routine. It is possible that when some emigres gathered together to play dominoes, drinking to the death of the “Guinness Records Hoarder” of Cuba, authorities added it to the long list of attacks he claims. Perhaps they reacted now to the prevalence of the social networks and intend to use the chirping of the free bird that is Twitter to their advantage. I’d rather use those “cyber-comments”, often the fruit of social lethargy or the state mind-trap, and see how they add the most recent funeral to fabricate the number 639 in the long list of attacks on former President Castro.

Translated by: Hank Hardisty

January 26 2012