Sunday, April 04, 2010

UN commemorates slavery but ignores Cuba

The United Nations commemorates slavery - the slavery that is historic and ended 140 years ago. But they conveniently ignore what is going on in their host country - Cuba. NY Post
Last Wednesday, a replica of the famed 19th-century slave-transport vessel Amistad concluded a 10-day tour through Cuban waters. Alas, it was not to bear witness to the political and economic repression that’s a daily reality for the Communist nation. Rather, the highlight of the UN-sponsored “educational” jaunt was the March 25 global “Day of Remembrance” for victims of the Atlantic slave trade — a date that also marked the 10th anniversary of the schooner’s launch out of Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport. During its visit to “Fidel’s Paradise,” Amistad hosted a three-hour simulcast on the history of the slave trade, connecting students in Cuban classrooms with counterparts across the Atlantic and in UN headquarters here. Well, the UN may consider itself historically aware. Too bad it’s also irony-challenged — commemorating centuries of slavery and oppression, while turning a blind eye to its modern-day manifestation just 90 miles from Florida. Sure, students learned about the slave trade — including the unknowable numbers who died during the Middle Passage transport from Africa. But how much did they learn about the countless Cubans who’ve suffered — and those who died — in the 50 years since Castro’s acension to power?
Answer, of course, is they learned nothing about what is happening today. No one has freedom and conditions are so bad that people risk their lives trying to escape. The UN always claims the moral high ground. But they ignore what is happening in front of their faces - in Cuba.

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