Cuba USA
A recent story on Fidel Castro's 87th birthday calls him a "soldier of ideas on the Internet," who, according to his biographer and book editor, Katuiska White, surfs the Internet for "personality profiles, maps, monographs, data, anecdotes and recollection of events."
This took me back to the early Internet days, when the role of the Internet was being debated in Cuba. What was Fidel's view of the Internet?
One clue is his support of the formation of the Youth Computer Clubs (YCC), several of which had email and Usenet access in the pre-Internet days. This article recounts his financial and policy support of the clubs. As shown below, he expressed his envy of the young people at the dedication of the YCC headquarters, which occupied what had been the Sears store in Havana.
This post by Omar Pérez Salomón includes several other quotes and actions indicating that Fidel continued to favor education in computer science and the use of information technology (though perhaps not the Internet).
On the other hand, government leaders like Raúl Castro and Ramiro Valdés have warned of dangers the Internet poses.
The state of the Internet in Cuba today leads one to conclude that, whatever Fidel may say or believe, widespread access of the citizens to the Internet has not been a priority of the government.
- Venezuela Cracks Down On The Internet
The tension between the benefits of the Internet and it's power as a political communication tool has been with us since the early days of the Internet. When the Internet came to Cuba, the government debated this Dictator's Dilemma and decided...
- Cuba Publishes 2012 Ict Indicators
The National Office of Statistics and Information has published their annual report on information and communication technology. (We have summarized the 2010 and 2011 reports in earlier posts). The current report presents telephone, postal, telegraph...
- Two Videos Say Internet Access In Cuba Is Rare And Difficult -- Duh
Havana Times has a review of "Ojos que te miran: Entre redes" (Eyes That Look at You: Among the Networks), a 13 minute documentary on Internet access in Cuba. The documentary points out the well known limitations on Cuban Internet access and questions...
- Guest Post On Learning About Computers In Cuba
This 1991 note, in which Fidel Castro writes that he feels envy, hangs in a frame on the wall of the Youth Computer Club (YCC) headquarters in the one-time Sears building in Havana. Fidel dedicated the headquarters and supported the Youth Computer Clubs,...
- Gathering Data From Within Cuba
I interviewed an anonymous Internet user for my report on the state of the Internet in Cuba. I was curious about control over access to information and services at various locations. He told me that domestic email and Web pages can be accessed from all...
Cuba USA
Fidel likes the Internet, but does that matter?
A recent story on Fidel Castro's 87th birthday calls him a "soldier of ideas on the Internet," who, according to his biographer and book editor, Katuiska White, surfs the Internet for "personality profiles, maps, monographs, data, anecdotes and recollection of events."
This took me back to the early Internet days, when the role of the Internet was being debated in Cuba. What was Fidel's view of the Internet?
One clue is his support of the formation of the Youth Computer Clubs (YCC), several of which had email and Usenet access in the pre-Internet days. This article recounts his financial and policy support of the clubs. As shown below, he expressed his envy of the young people at the dedication of the YCC headquarters, which occupied what had been the Sears store in Havana.
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| Fidel Castro dedicates the YCC headquarters |
On the other hand, government leaders like Raúl Castro and Ramiro Valdés have warned of dangers the Internet poses.
 |
| Raúl Castro and Ramiro Valdés |
- Venezuela Cracks Down On The Internet
The tension between the benefits of the Internet and it's power as a political communication tool has been with us since the early days of the Internet. When the Internet came to Cuba, the government debated this Dictator's Dilemma and decided...
- Cuba Publishes 2012 Ict Indicators
The National Office of Statistics and Information has published their annual report on information and communication technology. (We have summarized the 2010 and 2011 reports in earlier posts). The current report presents telephone, postal, telegraph...
- Two Videos Say Internet Access In Cuba Is Rare And Difficult -- Duh
Havana Times has a review of "Ojos que te miran: Entre redes" (Eyes That Look at You: Among the Networks), a 13 minute documentary on Internet access in Cuba. The documentary points out the well known limitations on Cuban Internet access and questions...
- Guest Post On Learning About Computers In Cuba
This 1991 note, in which Fidel Castro writes that he feels envy, hangs in a frame on the wall of the Youth Computer Club (YCC) headquarters in the one-time Sears building in Havana. Fidel dedicated the headquarters and supported the Youth Computer Clubs,...
- Gathering Data From Within Cuba
I interviewed an anonymous Internet user for my report on the state of the Internet in Cuba. I was curious about control over access to information and services at various locations. He told me that domestic email and Web pages can be accessed from all...