Tuesday May 25th 2021 | 20:00 – 21:15 | Zoom |
After sixty years of the Castro family ruling Cuba, Raúl Castro announced that he would pass the baton on to the ‘younger generation’. It is current president Miguel Diaz-Canel who took over the leadership of the communist party.Cuba has been a communist state since Castro’s leadership. However, over the past years an increasing amount of freedom has been granted, such as citizens being allowed to use the internet. However, freedom of speech and press are still being denied. On top of that, the country is also suffering from a great economic depression. This is partially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also because of the planned economy; the vast majority of the economy is still under government control. There is a call from Cubans for a reform, one that is getting louder and louder. Therefore, the main question of this evening is: will this shift of leadership lead to a new chapter for Cuba? And what can be said about the legacy of the Castro brothers?
We will discuss this and more with Edwin Koopman, Latin America journalist and analyst for VPRO Bureau Buitenland, Trouw and Elsevier and Gert Oostindie, a historian specialized in Dutch colonial and Caribbean history.
This evening will take place via Zoom. You will be able to join the call from 20:00 (CET). Not a member of SIB? You can register in the following forms until May 25th 14:00: https://forms.gle/4HJSenoUcqR5BGYE9