Message from Vaclav Havel to the Tallin Conference organized by the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba

Message from Vaclav Havel to the Tallin Conference organized by the
International Committee for Democracy in Cuba

2005-10-18

Ladies and Gentlemen:

When some day somebody comes to write the history of totalitarian
regimes based on the ideology of communism, there will doubtless be a
chapter devoted to the regime of the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Such a discourse will certainly examine the mechanisms by which that
regime held on to power while keeping its citizens in a vice, and will
also look at the activities of the internal opposition in all its
various forms. Without doubt, that chapter will also include an attempt
to cast light on the reasons the Cuban version of totalitarianism did
not collapse at the same time as the communist regimes of central and
eastern Europe, or with the extinction of its most generous sponsor, the
Soviet Union.

I do not believe, however, that this hypothetical capital should be
open-ended. Freedom will, sooner or later, reach Cuba as well, and our
imaginary author will probably conclude by asking what the causes of the
fall of Castro’s dictatorship were. It is almost impossible to imagine
that he would not mention the efforts of the many people who today are
not oblivious to the fate of this relatively small island and its
population.

I deeply believe in the importance of meetings like yours, such as last
year’s conference of the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba,
but not because I consider it so important that future historians will
be able to enrich their work with a sufficient number of footnotes. For
me such activities express that fact that we are not indifferent and are
a kind of signal to the world and all Cubans; they are also small steps,
which like perhaps signing a petition or other form of public
expression, really bring Cuba closer to freedom. That is another reason
why I have great respect for all those who have gone through a similar
history to the Cubans and at the same time have not forgotten that in
unhappier times the support of the world was important to them too. I
also find it wonderful that you are willing to share your experience of
the kind of changes that the Cubans are unfortunately still awaiting.

I have no doubt that your discussions will be interesting, and that
makes me even sorrier that I cannot take part personally.

I wish you great success and the swift arrival of freedom for all Cubans.

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