In a series of Twitter messages published by the activist and Lady in White Sara Marta Fonseca Quevedo in her account (@SaraMartaCuba) this Thursday, 27th of December, she explained that in the Carlos Valino Sugar Mill, located near the municipality of Santo Domingo, in Villa Clara province, has had 3 significant situations in which they have had to stop production during the sugar harvest which just began this past 18th of December, something which the dissident assures did not happen prior to 1959, when the current communist dictatorship was installed. Two of these situations were due to lack of sugar cane, while the other was attributed to the rupture of various equipment.
In addition, Fonseca detailed in her tweets that the workers were being treated “like slaves”, without any rights to fair treatment, something which she attributes to just one culprit: the Cuban regime.
“The only thing which the Castro brothers have achieved has been destruction“, expressed Fonseca Quevedo, comparing the current situation of the sugar mill with times before, in which things happened differently, according to what her parents and grandparents have assured her.
“This 27th of December, there was much discontent among all the workers of the mill, and I was witness of this, firsthand“, said the Lady in White, who resides in Havana but who was in the central province of Villa Clara visiting her family, “the workers have been complaining because they don’t have any water, neither to drink or even to wash their hands, and they also hadn’t had lunch…they are simply being kept in slave conditions. They have told me themselves that they do not have rights to complain or to demand justice“.
It was reported during the afternoon hours of Wednesday, December 26th, that there was no water in that mill, and when Fonseca Quevedo offered these declarations it was already late afternoon of the 27th, and the water problem was still not fixed.
“We are talking about workers which need to go to their homes at least to shower and to rest a bit, so they could go in to the next work shift with a clear mind. The job is very risky and very dangerous“, added Sara Marta.
The activist cited various stories of her father, Maximo Roberto Fonseca, about how the situation was prior to 1959 in the Carlos Valino Sugar Mill, previously known as the Ulacia Mill.
“According to my father and my grandfather, the former owner of the mill was Francisco Blanco, and he would be sure to take care of his workers if they needed anything“, said Fonseca about those times before the Castro dictatorship. “Francisco gave a Christmas bonus to his workers, and with it, they could cover some of their necessities and clear their minds a bit for Christmas Eve and the end of the year“.
In turn, now, Fonseca explains that “based on what I have seen this ‘Nochebuena‘ (Christmas Eve), there was a very high level of sadness in all the homes around the Carlos Valino Mill. Nowhere could I see happiness. There were no family feasts, just a haunting misery, which is the only thing the Castro brothers have achieved“.
“The only thing they’ve achieved is to destroy traditions, businesses, and the lives of all Cubans in our nation. One can’t even walk down these streets here. They are really just dirt roads, full of dust, animal excrement, filth, etc. No one is in charge of cleaning. However, in times when the Mill had an owner, my father tells me that the roads were cleaned daily so that the dust would not bother any neighbors“, she added.
Another significant problem which affects that central area, as well as the country in general, is inefficiency in transportation. The nearest hospital to Carlos Valino is at least 12 kilometers away, so citizens and workers a like are not protected in case of an emergency or accident. In order to get to the hospital during an emergency, people must travel aboard a truck, a wagon pulled by a tractor, or wait for hours until a rented vehicle drives by. In the latter of cases, the price to board such a vehicle is very high.
Fonseca Quevedo highlights that in pre-revolution times, the situation in Cuba was in no way perfect, considering that there was also a dictatorship, but the current tyranny (which has also been the longest) has utilized absolutely all its resources in repressing, separating families, and attacking Cuban traditions.
“I repeat: destruction is the only thing which the Castro brothers have known how to do. They have destroyed our nation, our businesses, everything. That’s why we must come together more every time and continue fighting to topple this dictatorship and to bring in a system where rights are respected, where people are respected, and where peace, democracy, and harmony may reign for Cuban families“.
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For more information from Cuba:
Sara Marta Fonseca Quevedo – Cell Phone: +5353-379-011 // Twitter: @SaraMartaCuba
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