MIAMI, United States. – Journalist Camila Acosta, collaborator of CubaNet and correspondent on the Island of the Spanish newspaper ABCdenounced the misrepresentation of Cuba’s reality in the program “The Midday Show”from the Dominican Republic, in which he participated and stated that “Cuba’s system is not a reference in anything” and that “since 1959 the first thing it did was take away the freedom of Cubans.”
In a post on your Facebook accountAcosta related: “This interview happened a few days ago. A producer from the Dominican media contacted me to interview me about the terrible situation in Cuba after the energy collapse and the devastation caused by the Hurricane Oscar“. However, he noted that “the interview ended in debate after one of the presenters questioned the existence of a dictatorial system and said that Cuba has been a ‘reference’ in the region in many matters.”
The journalist expressed her discontent with the dynamics of the program: “They barely let me speak, they barely let me answer their questions and, in the end, they completely silenced me with the justification that the segment had come to an end.” Despite the interruptions, Acosta managed to “make it clear that in Cuba there is a criminal dictatorship, which is not a reference for anything good, that the Cuban people live without freedom and in total misery.”
The journalist also considered it a “lack of respect” to affirm that Cubans should recognize that the government has also done “good things.” He compared this position to saying that “the Trujillo dictatorship—responsible for the murder and disappearance of thousands of Dominicans—was not entirely bad or criminal because the dictator ‘also did good things.’”
“That there is a dictatorship in Cuba is not a relative truth, but an absolute one. There is no question, and the reasons are numerous,” the journalist emphasized. He added that “saying it, explaining it and shutting up those who defend this tyrannical system with facts is not being intolerant but coherent, it is having blood in your veins and being outraged by such lies and manipulations.”
Acosta assured that, wherever he is, he will continue to denounce the Cuban reality: “Wherever I stand or speak I will make that clear, because that is defending the truth, the facts, the history and the pain of this people, it is being also responsible with my profession and with a historical context.”
He criticized those from abroad who defend the Cuban government without knowing the daily reality: “If my criteria are not to your liking, it is better to interview those ideological ‘students’ who adore the ‘Cuban revolution’ from the tranquility and freedom that living provides them. in democracy and that, having visited the Island on a couple of occasions – as tourists and going to Varadero in cars rented from the government—they already think they know more than someone who lives and suffers day after day from blackouts, repression or the lack of food and medicine.”
The journalist also mentioned that this is not the first time she has faced this type of situation: “It would not be the first time that I have been removed from news media lists because my criteria do not suit their ideologues.”
Despite everything, Acosta was satisfied with her participation: “This program is a total shame for those who defended the indefensible. But I feel proud to have been able to expose reality and the lies.”
He concluded by noting that he would not delve into “the inaccuracies in the presentation” of the program, but regretted that he expected “an informative or more serious program.”
Acosta’s experience highlights the difficulties that Cuban journalists face when trying to publicize the situation of their country in international media, and reaffirms their commitment to “defending the truth, the facts, the history and the pain of this people.” .
