Ramon Humberto Colas, Founder, Independent Libraries Movement, Cuba

Bio: Ramon Humberto Colas worked as a child psychologist in Cuba until he was accused of rebellion and fired because of his political beliefs in 1994. In 1998, after hearing Fidel Castro declare at the International Book Fair in Havana that, "In Cuba there are no banned books, only lack of funds to purchase them," Ramon and his wife Berta Mexidor created an independent library in their house in Las Tunas, Cuba. They opened up their home and personal book collection, including books and magazines that the Cuban government considered enemy propaganda and had banned, to their neighbors and the local community. This first library was named in honor of the historic Cuban independence activist Felix Varela. Ramon and Berta encouraged others to join the effort to provide the Cuban people uncensored access to literature and information, and within nine months of the inception of the project there were 13 Independent Libraries in Cuba.

Today, 135 libraries across Cuba meet the basic requirements of the Independent Libraries Movement, and others continue to work to accumulate the minimum number of 300 books that is required to officially join the network. Among the most popular books in the libraries' collections are books on democracy, politics, human rights, history, books by exiled Cuban authors, and children's books. In addition to providing their community with access to banned books, the libraries have become community centers- places where young and old can come together to discuss anything from politics to art to music to daily life.

The growth and success of the project is a testament to the bravery and dedication of Ramon and Berta, the executive director in Cuba Gisela Delgado, hundreds of other librarians, and over 240,600 regular patrons. However, the participants and the project continue to be harshly persecuted by the Cuban government. Ramon, Berta, and their young children were forced into exile in 2002 after a series of arrests and repeated harassment. In the March 2003 crackdown by the Castro government, 20 librarians were arrested and 17 remain in jail. Many librarians who remained free have lost their jobs and/or been harassed by government sponsored mobs because of their participation in the project.

Remarks: Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to be among such distinguished guests. I am especially grateful to share this moment with Mr. Vaclav Havel, who is a champion of human rights and an icon for democracy supporters around the world, along with my personal hero Nelson Mandela.

Thank you as well to the U.S. Library of Congress for welcoming us in this room, which is an example of respect for intellectual freedom and access to information. I hope for a similar place one day in Cuba, where many books and authors are now censored and those independent librarians that offer information are judged in summary trials and sentenced to long years in prison.

Thank you also to NED because, as always, it continues to highlight Cuba and the Cuban people.

Cuban civil society is emerging to fight against the intolerance of a totalitarian regime that restricts all freedoms. Its presence in Cuban society responds not only to a historic, but also a human, need as more than 11 million Cubans in the island live under the imposition of a stubborn dictatorship that is determined to remain in power against the sovereign will of the people.

The Independent Libraries of Cuba emerged despite high levels of repression and adverse conditions, when Fidel Castro in a moment of improvisation said that "In Cuba there are no banned books."

That window allowed us to identify loopholes in the system and establish an alternative cultural project, whose fundamental vision is to inform Cubans without worrying about the censorship that the communist regime has traditionally imposed in my country.

These uncensored cultural and educational spaces have broken the authorities' absolute control of information, becoming civic centers where the future of Cuba is discussed, where democratic values are debated, where Cubans dream and even plan the best path to achieve a peaceful transition.

The Independent Libraries are small centers where one can live in freedom, and those that go in search of a book find in it a viable alternative that demonstrates that a transition is eagerly awaited by most Cubans. And that such a transition is an inevitable process.

Despite fears of repression, the people on the island welcome these changes as the best alternative to overcome almost half a century of backwardness and demagoguery. No one should question these genuine aspirations, and any solidarity invested in the Cuban people is capital that will produce a democracy capable of becoming a moral point of reference in our continent.

I am optimistic that this historic process is near. The greatest challenge for any democrat in the world is to stand by the Cuban people who are the true leaders in this transformation.

The design of a coherent policy towards Cuba must include global solidarity, where international actors accompany Cubans from all corners in leading the democratic changes that Cuba needs.

Uncensored books and information must be at the center of this global solidarity with the Cuban people, because the Independent Libraries can take on the challenge of teaching Cubans how to live in a democracy.

Thank you very much.