Politics and Civil Society in Cuba

The Impact of the Expansion of the Religious Media in Contemporary Cuba 199

ties in the capital are Adath Israel and the Patronato. Their publica-

tions, such as the bulletin JAIM are primarily focused on elucidation

of texts from the Old Testament and the Talmud, as well as reports on

activities and services (www.adathcuba.org/boletin.html). More influ-

ence is exercised through study groups with all of the Jewish commu-

nities experiencing a resurgence, including among young people, a

good number of whom come from non-religious families.

Some publications and blogs claim a religious identity, but do not

have a formal affiliation with a particular domination. Among these is

the Revista Cubana Amanecer (www.amanecerdecuba.blogspot.com/)

which describes itself as serving both Jesus Christ and civil society in

Cuba. Its affiliated blog Desde Cuba is sponsored by the Consejo de

Relatores de Derechos en Cuba, which is highly critical of the Cuban

government. Launched in December 2004 Desde Cuba is associated

with the well-known bloggers Yoani Sanchez (Generación Y) and

Reinaldo Escobar. Over time it has been transformed into the blog

portal VocesCubanas.com. In late 2008 a Bloggers Cuba group was formed

in Havana and more recently there was established an Academia Bloguer

de Cuba to train individuals in the use of the internet to disseminate

information on and within Cuba. It is associated with Portal Voces

Cubanas. In response a number of blogs supportive of the government

have been established. To date the various religious denominations

have tended to maintain distance from both the pro and anti-govern-

ment blogs. What is notable is that the blogsphere and religious media

has grown substantially since the 1990s.

III.Conclusion

The religious media in Cuba currently provide the most substantial

alternative to the official media, other than academic and cultural pub-

lications such as TEMAS and those of the universities and research

centers. Given that the academic and cultural publications are pub-

lished by institutions technically within the state sector, the religious