The Issue of Race in Cuban Society Today: The Letter and Spirit 323
Compliance with every law requires equal attention to its letter and
spirit and cannot be limited to a mechanical interpretation of its con-
tents—a limitation that at times may work against better performance.
We are aware that the existence of legislation against racial discrimina-
tion is not enough in itself to transform the habits and customs
closely linked to daily life. It is necessary to explore other ways of
achieving increased compatibility, between the dynamics of national
reality and the law, and a balance between what, in legal parlance, is
established “de jure” and taken for granted “de facto.”
As to economic practice and its social repercussions, the situation
of racism seem highlighted when the impact of Cuban state policy
against racism is evaluated. Cases of elementary orthodoxy in which
political criteria were directly extended to economic performance
yielded negative results, for example when access to employment,
housing and other options were implemented in an egalitarian manner
without taking into account the diversity of conditions of the mem-
bers of society. Liberal positions which exaggerate the moral excel-
lence of some economic mechanisms have a negative effect.
Taking these general factors into account, I will discuss a series of
achievements and shortcomings of the policies intended to eradicate
racial discrimination.Achievements- Helping human beings feel dignity is one of the largest achievements and an essen-
tial value in Cuban society during the period of the revolution that started in Janu-
ary 1959; - The establishment of a system of guarantees for genuine access to all levels of
national programs in education, health, culture, sports, and social security, among
others—including something as complex as stable food supply (especially for chil-
dren from zero to fourteen years of age)—in conditions of full equality for the
entire Cuban population; - The promotion of artistic and literary values with an African origin and emphasis
of their contribution to Cuban cultural identity. The publication of books about