On Friday my son had an assembly about the awarding of the guarantee of suitability for admission to higher education, a very important step because the university is for the Revolutionaries. Taking advantage of the presence of all the students, the Principal and Deputy Principal of the school explained the honor of participating in the march for the fiftieth anniversary of the Bay of Pigs victory and the proclamation of the Socialist Character of the Revolution, emphasizing that the upcoming Sixth Communist Party Congress would be the last one with the “historic” leaders.*
They asked the students if they believed that young people were prepared to assume their responsibilities to preserve socialism, because in 10-15 years they would be making the decisions and could not make a mistake, at the risk of turning the country into another Eastern Europe. Inside and outside Cuba the young people would be being watched, with much hanging on the unity that they must preserve, the unity that, in 2005, made socialism eternal, something that is non-negotiable, based on 97% of the votes.
The support of young people would tell the world that the unity surrounding the government continues. If this unity didn’t exist, it would lead to conditions for a new military aggression.
The students gave the expected responses, the principal and deputy principal retired, a student read the list of repeat offenders — two students — and the others were approved for the University, and the meeting ended. None of the kids seemed to interest themselves in the importance of the march explained by the school authorities, and as soon as they got out of there they forgot all about that without unity there would danger of war; the memorable conclusion they took away from the meeting was that if they already had the guarantee for higher education, they didn’t have to go on the march.
Translator’s note:
The original revolutionaries who are still living and are still in power are referred to as the “historic” leaders.
March 22 2011
