Remembering Václav Havel, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and nonviolent action

 "A single idea, if it is right, saves us the labor of an infinity of experiences." - Jacques Maritain

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and President Václav Havel in Prague (2002)

Twenty three years ago on December 17, 2002 Oswaldo Paya addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg at a ceremony awarding him the the Sakharov Prize where he outlined his nonviolent vision for change in Cuba.

"The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: ‘You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together.’"

 Václav Havel passed away fourteen years ago today, on December 18, 2011. His nonviolent resistance and dedication to truth in successfully resisting totalitarian rule in Czechoslovakia remain powerful legacies and examples that are relevant today. In 2002, President Vaclav Havel addressed the Cuban people and offered words that should be heeded now:

"Our world, as a whole, is not in the best of shape and the direction it is headed in may well be quite ambivalent. But this does not mean that we are permitted to give up on free and cultivated thinking and to replace it with a set of utopian clichés. That would not make the world a better place, it would only make it worse. On the contrary, it means that we must do more for our own freedom, and that of others."

Nonviolence requires recognizing these extreme injustices and the justifiable anger that it generates but at the same time channeling it into creative and productive means to end the injustices. Some would argue that one must remove their anger, as one takes off a back pack, but that is profoundly mistaken. Martin Luther King Jr. offered a different approach that has proven more powerful: 

"The supreme task [of a leader] is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force." 

Mohandas Gandhi spoke in 1920 of learning "through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power that can move the world."
 
This is not hating but harnessing a powerful spiritual energy and channeling it productively. Blowing up and screaming at someone is a waste of that energy that can be channeled into creative solutions to end the injustice.

Nonviolence theoretician Gene Sharp also recognizes that there is a moral dimension that cannot be ignored without dire consequences (as efforts to normalize relations with the Castro regime in Cuba demonstrated): "It is unreasonable to aim for a 'win- win' resolution. Brutal dictators and perpetrators of genocide do not deserve to win anything."

Today we mark the anniversary of the passing of Václav Havel, the president who led Czechia back into the community of free nations and whose name continues to be respected around the world. pic.twitter.com/VuCGIN9BzG

— Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@CzechMFA) December 18, 2025

Nonviolent thought can be divided into two general categories: strategic nonviolence and principled nonviolence but although emphasizing different perspectives they need not be in conflict.
Strategic nonviolence takes a pragmatic approach that is based on being more effective then violence. 

Non-violent resistance is an armed struggle but its weapons are not deployed to do violence or kill. These arms are psychological, social, economic and political weapons. Gene Sharp argues with much evidence "that this is ultimately more powerful against oppression, injustice and tyranny then violence. Historical studies are cited that demonstrate the higher success rates of nonviolent movements when compared against violent ones. 

University Academics Maria J. Stephan and Erica Chenoweth in their 2008 study "Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic on Nonviolent Conflict" compared the outcomes of 323 nonviolent and violent resistance campaigns from 1900 to 2006. They found that major nonviolent campaigns have achieved success 53 percent of the time, compared with just under half that at 26 percent for violent resistance campaigns. Finally there study also suggests “that nonviolent campaigns are more likely than violent campaigns to succeed in the face of brutal repression.”

Principled nonviolence looks at the spiritual dimension, and the power of an individual to change and in doing so impact the world. Mohandas Gandhi described it as follows on September 8, 1913 in Indian Opinion:

"We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do."

The advantage of principled non-violence and taking it up as a daily practice in ones life is that it gives one the strength to resist provocations and builds up the character of the practitioner that assists in carrying out a strategic nonviolent plan.

Critics of nonviolence often argue that nonviolence works well against democracies but not brutal regimes, often citing the Nazis. Nevertheless in 1943 in Germany on Rosenstrasse street German wives married to Jewish men, who had been taken to concentration camps, organized a series of strikes and protests that forced the Nazis to return their Jewish husbands back from the death camps. Those men survived the Holocaust thanks to their wives courageous and nonviolent action.  

The disturbing questions that should arise are: What would have happened if instead of the violent Antifa movement, that fought the Nazis in street battles throughout the 1930s that escalated violence, opponents of the Nazis had followed Gandhi's advice at the time and resisted them nonviolently? What would have happened if the Weimar Republic instead of attempting to silence the Nazis by repeatedly prosecuting them for violating hate speech laws had challenged their evil ideas in the court of public opinion?

Since the founding of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights in 1976 there has existed in overall terms a general strategy of change that can be summed up as: " Carrying out a nonviolent struggle in defense of human rights for the freedom of Cuba."

Looking at another definition of strategy that divides it into three parts gives a better idea of the challenges facing the democratic opposition in Cuba:

1. Diagnostic: A totalitarian dictatorship with dynastic elements with the political will to hang on to power.
2. Guiding policy: nonviolence
3. Action plan: There exist different areas of emphasis by the opposition and civil society that is also something found in nonviolent struggles.

Strategic nonviolence takes a pragmatic approach that is based on being more effective then violence: 

Non-violent resistance is an armed struggle but its weapons are not deployed to do violence or kill. These arms are  psychological, social, economic and political weapons. Gene Sharp argues with much evidence "that this is ultimately more powerful against oppression, injustice and tyranny then violence." 

The reason for the greater success rate of nonviolent resistance is that it is easier to mobilize large numbers of people to take nonviolent action than to engage in violent action. Success is not only defined by overthrowing the existing regime, but having a transition that ends in a democratic regime. The methods used in nonviolent struggle translate better to democratic practices then violent resistance because they involve nonviolent discipline, the mobilization of large numbers and the encouragement of civic virtue.  

Vaclav Havel talks about the Communist dictatorship in Cuba and the position he was in to promote free thought and other freedoms Cubans are still deprived of in their own country. ( Recorded 2007) https://t.co/EuwaqttG7E #Cuba #CzechRepublic #VaclavHavel #DeathAnniversary

— Center for a Free Cuba (@cubacenter) December 18, 2025

Furthermore the use of humor is not to be underestimated. Václav Havel in an address to the Central European University on June 24, 1999 at a difficult moment on the international scene made the case for laughter.

"The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world."

Following his death in 2011, every year on the anniversary of his passing admirers of Václav Havel the world over wear short trousers in his memory. 

On December 18th roll up your trousers to honor Vaclav Havel

Organizers explained its historic significance along with its particular Czech sensibility.

The “Short Trousers for Václav Havel” initiative started in 2012 to honor the memory of Václav Havel with a gesture that was unique, memorable and easily achieved by supporters of this exceptional person in modern Czech and European history.  Short Trousers is a reference to Havel stepping into political life in 1989 and his inauguration to the presidency in visibly short trousers. He explained vainly that rather than a tailor’s mistake it was his habit to pull his pants up at every dramatic situation. To this, one might say global mythology of his short trousers, he added with a smile: "I must say that I am glad of it, more or less. From my point of view it’s a pretty gentle way of mocking myself."  An effort to honor such a respectable person by a gesture that points to this humorous episode might appear, at first sight, as a contradictory act. But the opposite is true. We believe that rolled up trousers on the anniversary of the death of Václav Havel is a gesture which is Czech, slightly satirical and which can be easily joined by anyone who wants to honor the memory of the last Czechoslovak and the first Czech president Havel in a cheerful way.

This method of spontaneous remembrance contrasts dramatically with how dictators forcibly demand that they be remembered on penalty of imprisonment for dissenting as has been the case following the 2016 death of Fidel Castro.  

Marking Vaclav Havel's 14th death anniversary wearing short trousers.

Remembering Václav Havel, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and nonviolent action

 "A single idea, if it is right, saves us the labor of an infinity of experiences." - Jacques Maritain

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and President Václav Havel in Prague (2002)

Twenty one years ago on December 17, 2002 Oswaldo Paya addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg at a ceremony awarding him the the Sakharov Prize where he outlined his nonviolent vision for change in Cuba.

The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: ‘You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together.’

 Václav Havel passed away twelve years ago today, on December 18, 2011, and his nonviolent resistance and dedication to truth in successfully resisting totalitarian rule in Czechoslovakia remain powerful legacies and examples that are relevant today. In 2002, President Vaclav Havel addressed the Cuban people and offered words that should be heeded now:

"Our world, as a whole, is not in the best of shape and the direction it is headed in may well be quite ambivalent. But this does not mean that we are permitted to give up on free and cultivated thinking and to replace it with a set of utopian clichés. That would not make the world a better place, it would only make it worse. On the contrary, it means that we must do more for our own freedom, and that of others."

Nonviolence requires recognizing these extreme injustices and the justifiable anger that it generates but at the same time channeling it into creative and productive means to end the injustices. Some would argue that one must remove their anger, as one takes off a back pack, but that is profoundly mistaken. Martin Luther King Jr. offered a different approach that has proven far more powerful: 

"The supreme task [of a leader] is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force." 

Mohandas Gandhi spoke in 1920 of learning "through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power that can move the world."
 
This is not hating but harnessing a powerful spiritual energy and channeling it productively. Blowing up and screaming at someone is a waste of that energy that can be channeled into creative solutions to end the injustice.

Nonviolence theoretician Gene Sharp also recognizes that there is a moral dimension that cannot be ignored without dire consequences (as the recent drive to normalize relations with the Castro regime in Cuba demonstrated): "It is unreasonable to aim for a 'win- win' resolution. Brutal dictators and perpetrators of genocide do not deserve to win anything."

Václav Havel | October 5, 1936 - December 18, 2011. We will always remember. pic.twitter.com/V4x8xICrAZ

— Forum 2000 (@Forum_2000) December 18, 2023

Nonviolent thought can be divided into two general categories: strategic nonviolence and principled nonviolence but although emphasizing different perspectives they need not be in conflict.
Strategic nonviolence takes a pragmatic approach that is based on being more effective then violence. 

Non-violent resistance is an armed struggle but its weapons are not deployed to do violence or kill. These arms are  psychological, social, economic and political weapons. Gene Sharp argues with much evidence "that this is ultimately more powerful against oppression, injustice and tyranny then violence. Historical studies are cited that demonstrate the higher success rates of nonviolent movements when compared against violent ones:

University Academics Maria J. Stephan and Erica Chenoweth in their 2008 study "Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic on Nonviolent Conflict" compared the outcomes of 323 nonviolent and violent resistance campaigns from 1900 to 2006. They found that major nonviolent campaigns have achieved success 53 percent of the time, compared with just under half that at 26 percent for violent resistance campaigns. Finally there study also suggests “that nonviolent campaigns are more likely than violent campaigns to succeed in the face of brutal repression.”

Principled nonviolence looks at the spiritual dimension, and the power of an individual to change and in doing so impact the world. Mohandas Gandhi described it as follows on September 8, 1913 in Indian Opinion:

"We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do."

The advantage of principled non-violence and taking it up as a daily practice in ones life is that it gives one the strength to resist provocations and builds up the character of the practitioner that assists in carrying out a strategic nonviolent plan.

Critics of nonviolence often argue that nonviolence works well against democracies but not brutal regimes, often citing the Nazis. Nevertheless in 1943 in Germany on Rosenstrasse street German wives married to Jewish men, who had been taken to concentration camps, organized a series of strikes and protests that forced the Nazis to return their Jewish husbands back from the death camps. Those men survived the Holocaust thanks to their wives courageous and nonviolent action.  

The disturbing questions that should arise are: What would have happened if instead of the violent Antifa movement, that fought the Nazis in street battles throughout the 1930s that escalated violence, opponents of the Nazis had followed Gandhi's advice at the time and resisted them nonviolently? What would have happened if the Weimar Republic instead of attempting to silence the Nazis by repeatedly prosecuting them for violating hate speech laws had challenged their evil ideas in the court of public opinion?

Since the founding of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights in 1976 there has existed in overall terms a general strategy of change that can be summed up as: " Carrying out a nonviolent struggle in defense of human rights for the freedom of Cuba."

Looking at another definition of strategy that divides it into three parts gives a better idea of the challenges facing the democratic opposition in Cuba:

1. Diagnostic: A totalitarian dictatorship with dynastic elements with the political will to hang on to power.
2. Guiding policy: nonviolence
3. Action plan: There exist different areas of emphasis by the opposition and civil society that is also something found in nonviolent struggles.

Strategic nonviolence takes a pragmatic approach that is based on being more effective then violence: 

Non-violent resistance is an armed struggle but its weapons are not deployed to do violence or kill. These arms are  psychological, social, economic and political weapons. Gene Sharp argues with much evidence "that this is ultimately more powerful against oppression, injustice and tyranny then violence." 

The reason for the greater success rate of nonviolent resistance is that it is easier to mobilize large numbers of people to take nonviolent action than to engage in violent action. Success is not only defined by overthrowing the existing regime, but having a transition that ends in a democratic regime. The methods used in nonviolent struggle translate better to democratic practices then violent resistance because they involve nonviolent discipline, the mobilization of large numbers and the encouragement of civic virtue.  

Vaclav Havel talks about the Communist regime in Cuba and the position he is in to promote free thinking and other freedoms that Cubans are deprived of in their own country. ( Recorded 2007) https://t.co/EuwaqttG7E #Cuba #CzechRepublic #Havel

— Center for a Free Cuba (@cubacenter) December 18, 2023

Furthermore the use of humor is not to be underestimated. Václav Havel in an address to the Central European University on June 24, 1999 at a difficult moment on the international scene made the case for laughter.

"The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world."

Following his death in 2011, every year on the anniversary of his passing admirers of Václav Havel the world over wear short trousers in his memory. 

On December 18th roll up your trousers to honor Vaclav Havel

Organizers explained its historic significance along with its particular Czech sensibility.

The “Short Trousers for Václav Havel” initiative started in 2012 to honor the memory of Václav Havel with a gesture that was unique, memorable and easily achieved by supporters of this exceptional person in modern Czech and European history.  Short Trousers is a reference to Havel stepping into political life in 1989 and his inauguration to the presidency in visibly short trousers. He explained vainly that rather than a tailor’s mistake it was his habit to pull his pants up at every dramatic situation. To this, one might say global mythology of his short trousers, he added with a smile: "I must say that I am glad of it, more or less. From my point of view it’s a pretty gentle way of mocking myself."  An effort to honor such a respectable person by a gesture that points to this humorous episode might appear, at first sight, as a contradictory act. But the opposite is true. We believe that rolled up trousers on the anniversary of the death of Václav Havel is a gesture which is Czech, slightly satirical and which can be easily joined by anyone who wants to honor the memory of the last Czechoslovak and the first Czech president Havel in a cheerful way.

This method of spontaneous remembrance contrasts dramatically with how dictators forcibly demand that they be remembered on penalty of imprisonment for dissenting as has been the case following the 2016 death of Fidel Castro.  

 

Marking Vaclav Havel's 12th death anniversary wearing short trousers.

On December 18 wear short trousers for Václav Havel

"The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world." -  Václav Havel, Central European University (24 June 1999)

On December 18 roll up your trousers and show it on social media to honor Havel

We are living through difficult and dangerous times that require that good citizens be equipped with the tools of discernment to detect the absurdity all around us today. Václav Havel was a great moral leader who has departed this mortal coil whose ideas and example still live on leaving good works. There are those who would like to ignore his example but they do so at their own and civilization's peril.

Let me briefly explain who Václav Havel was and why he should be not only remembered but studied as an exemplar of not only how to approach politics but life in general. He was born in Czechoslovakia in 1936 and his earliest memories of childhood would have involved the Nazi occupation of his homeland and World War II. When he was nine years old communism took over his homeland. Most of his life was spent as a dissident who at times would end up in prison for his beliefs. Havel was a prisoner of conscience who came to understand that the power of the powerless was to be found in living in truth and not going along with the lies that the regime tried to impose by force.

Václav Havel was a writer, philosopher and as a dissident leader who in 1989 played a leading role in what became known as the Velvet Revolution. He would go on to be the tenth and last president of Czechoslovakia only to resign the post in protest when the Czechs and Slovaks decided on their Velvet Divorce 1992 in  partitioning the country into two new ones: The Czech and Slovak republics. He would go on to be the first president of the Czech Republic in 1993 and serve in that post until 2003.  Throughout his entire life he demonstrated a consistent solidarity with victims of repression the world over, sought with Forum 2000 to encourage a civilizational dialogue focusing on key challenges and warned against making small moral compromises. Havel passed away on December 18, 2011.

With President Václav Havel & Forum 2000 Executive Director Oldřich Černýin 2009

I had the opportunity on several occasions to meet President Havel, the first time was at Florida International University in Miami in 2002 and the last time was at Forum 2000 in Prague in 2009 and was able to see first hand his decency, humility and solidarity with Cuban dissidents and prisoners of conscience. In 2012 I took part in the first "Short Trousers for Václav Havel" initiative here in Miami  and continued the tradition.

Photo from 2014. Will you join me this year?

The tradition of wearing short trousers for Václav Havel started on the one year anniversary of his passing and the organizers explained its historic significance along with its particular Czech sensibility.

The “Short Trousers for Václav Havel” initiative started in 2012 to honor the memory of Václav Havel with a gesture that was unique, memorable and easily achieved by supporters of this exceptional person in modern Czech and European history.  Short Trousers is a reference to Havel stepping into political life in 1989 and his inauguration to the presidency in visibly short trousers. He explained vainly that rather than a tailor’s mistake it was his habit to pull his pants up at every dramatic situation. To this, one might say global mythology of his short trousers, he added with a smile: "I must say that I am glad of it, more or less. From my point of view it’s a pretty gentle way of mocking myself."  An effort to honor such a respectable person by a gesture that points to this humorous episode might appear, at first sight, as a contradictory act. But the opposite is true. We believe that rolled up trousers on the anniversary of the death of Václav Havel is a gesture which is Czech, slightly satirical and which can be easily joined by anyone who wants to honor the memory of the last Czechoslovak and the first Czech president Havel in a cheerful way. 

One of Havel's great insights was to distinguish that absurdity or "the loss of meaning" was not the same as "a loss of faith" and explained it as follows in one of his letters to Olga, his wife:

..."the sensation of absurdity is never - at least not as I understand it - the expression of a loss of faith in the meaning of life. Quite the opposite: only someone whose very being thirsts for meaning, for whom "meaning"is an integral dimension of his own existence, can experience  the absence of meaning as something painful, or more precisely, can perceive it at all.  In its tormented absence, meaning may have a more urgent presence the when it is simply taken for granted, no questions asked - somewhat in the way one who is sick may better understand what it means to be well than one who is healthy."

We have two options when confronting the absurd to despair and abandon the pursuit of meaning or recognize the irony and parody for what it is while continuing the pursuit of meaning rooted in reality in all its infinite variety.  This way may lie the path to rescuing our human civilization and Havel understood this:

"The only real hope of people today is probably a renewal of our certainty that we are rooted in the earth and, at the same time, in the cosmos. This awareness endows us with the capacity for self-transcendence. Politicians at international forums may reiterate a thousand times that the basis of the new world order must be universal respect for human rights, but it will mean nothing as long as this imperative does not derive from the respect of the miracle of Being, the miracle of the universe, the miracle of nature, the miracle of our own existence. Only someone who submits to the authority of the universal order and of creation, who values the right to be a part of it and a participant in it, can genuinely value himself and his neighbors, and thus honor their rights as well."

However wearing short trousers to honor Havel, although humorous, is not absurd but has deeper meaning important for democrats and the organizers of this event explain it as follows:

We strongly believe that this initiative makes sense and that it is not only about respect for Václav Havel. By this seemingly superficial gesture, we want to encourage positive civic pride to demonstrate certain values​. This civic participation, without which there is no democratic society, can take various forms, whether we engage in rolling trousers up, a reminder of one of Havel’s works or just a reflection of the values accepted by today’s society.  We believe that the great interest that we saw on December 18, 2012 was not a one-time event and that it will continue this year too, not only in the Czech Republic but also in the other countries around the world. Personalities, who until the last minute reminded all that democracy can not be sustained without developing a civic intervention no matter of its form, need to be remembered.

This is why on December 18, 2015 here in Miami, Florida I will be wearing my trousers short for the day in memory of Václav Havel and invite others to join me. We will be gathering to view the documentary narrated by Jeremy Irons called The Power of the Powerless. Location and time are available upon request. 

Guillermo Alvarez Guedes: Comedian and Cuban Exile Icon R.I.P.

“I always try to make all Spanish-speaking people laugh. Some laugh more than others, but what’s most important to me is that people get enough ‘stuff’ to improve their health.” - Guillermo Alvarez Guedes, 2010 interview with El Nuevo Herald

Guillermo Alvarez Guedes

Heard the news earlier today, career that spanned eight decades of bringing laughter and joy has come to an end. Met Guillermo Alvarez Guedes on three occasions. He was gracious, honorable, and extremely funny each time we crossed paths and the world is a lesser place without him in it. The first and last time where in marches protesting the Cuban dictatorship in Little Havana on Calle Ocho, but it is the second occasion that will be shared here.

When I was a college student at Florida International University, in the early 1990s, a friend of mind from high school who was studying at Tulane University was taking a psychology of humor class at FIU during the summer and invited me to sit in on one his classes because Guillermo Alvarez Guedes would be presenting a lecture on humor.

The audience of students where nearly all non-hispanic and Alvarez Guedes made a presentation on the psychology of humor and used a bit about the basic Spanish vocabulary, Americans would have to adopt to survive in Miami. He also said in his introduction that he would speak Spanish with an American accent to assist them in this process.  He then went on to do a bit of the following routine that begins at around 1 minute and 33 seconds in the video below:



He had the entire class taking part in an interactive experience repeating the Spanish words with an exaggerated American accent. We were laughing non-stop for the entire class but at the same time he managed to dissect the essence of humor and the necessity of observation and truth. The truth can be painful but it can also be very funny at times.

A prayer from Guillermo Alvarez Guedes (original Spanish)

Lord, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I can not change,

the courage to change the things I can not accept,

and wisdom to dodge

all those who try to ruin my day

Grant me the peace of mind to listen

to every idiot who comes to talk to me,

of each crappy suggestion that they come up with,

and every creative way to screw me over.

Also, help me to take care

of those who I had to send to hell today

as these can be well connected

to the ass that I have to kiss tomorrow

Help me to give 100% of my work:

12% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday,

20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday

And Lord, when having a bad day

and it appears that people have agreed to screw me over

help me to remember that it takes 42 muscles to smile,

and only four to extend my finger

and tell them to go to Hell.

"God! Kill me before letting me become an old man in diapers." - Alvarez Guedes, twitter profile

Alvarez Guedes did use strong and sometimes foul language in his routine but it is language that many Cubans are extremely familiar with and with the horrible experience of the past century of totalitarianism a few bad words were not out of order and extremely funny. Let us remember this giant figure of Cuba and Miami who although a family man who quietly helped many in need; was always willing to poke fun at himself. 

Guillermo Alvarez Guedes  is an icon of the Cuban exile quarter and is greatly missed.  

Short trousers to honor the memory of Václav Havel

Václav Havel died a year ago yesterday, and it is a fitting tribute to this profoundly decent man that his admirers honor him in a way that also recalls not only his sense of humor but also the importance he placed on humor in the defense of a free society. Candles arranged as hearts have been positioned near places he used to frequent, moments of silence held and in Brussels a large neon heart is on display in his honor, but back home Czechs have also launched a campaign to remember this great man in a way that he would have appreciated.

When he received the Open Society Prize on June 24, 1999, Havel made the following observation about the importance of a sense of humor:

"There are no exact guidelines. There are probably no guidelines at all. The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world. In other words, I can only recommend perspective and distance. Awareness of all the most dangerous kinds of vanity, both in others and in ourselves. A good mind. A modest certainty about the meaning of things. Gratitude for the gift of life and the courage to take responsibility for it. Vigilance of spirit. Those who have not lost the ability to recognize that which is laughable in themselves, or their own nothingness, are not arrogant, nor are they enemies of an Open Society. Its enemy is a person with a fiercely serious countenance and burning eyes. "

 An example of this ability to make fun of himself, while at the same time making a serious point was a story Havel told about how he was systematically followed by the secret police in the video below taken from a documentary.



On one occasion when he was going to a sauna, the two state security officials were a bit on the elderly side and asked Havel to wait because they were afraid to follow him into the sauna with their bad hearts. So, Václav Havel waited until "a pair of athletes showed up."

The organizers of the campaign explain the logic behind their "short trousers"campaign:

We were looking for a way to honour the memory of Václav Havel, in a way that would be distinctive, memorable and simple so that it can be followed by the largest number of well-wishers. We were inspired by “Towel Day” in honour of Douglas Adams. Each year, the memory of the late author is honoured by thousands of people around the world when they carry a towel, a symbol of his most famous book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. We were therefore looking for similarly distinctive gesture to honour Václav Havel’s legacy. We were inspired by an episode from the beginning his presidency, when he appeared in public several times wearing noticeably short trousers. Havel was often interviewed about it and he regarded the episode as quite humorous.

We believe that we have found a gesture that can be followed by everyone. A gesture that is humorous, non-violent but significant and perhaps even very Czech like. It can be easily explained, you can support the initiative at any time throughout the day, and if you are reminded by someone else wearing rolled up trouser legs.

Therefore the campaign "Short trousers for Václav Havel" was a great way to honor this man's life and to do so with humor on the one year anniversary of his passing. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of an annual tradition to remember this great son of the Czech Republic. The Facebook page already has over 5,000 followers.

The power of music and art to resist totalitarian deadness

Photo taken by Pedro Luis Castro

Over half a century into a brutal totalitarian regime that banned and censored The Beatles and rock n roll in the 1960s along with some of the best traditional Cuban music ever produced because it did not accord with their "revolution" the cultural landscape has been laid waste. However symbols of resistance have arisen on the cultural front and despite repression and censorship continue to have an impact in the island.

Successful cultural resistance to repression, especially in totalitarian regimes, revolve around wit, humor and irony. The arts have also played and are playing an important role. In Belarus today there is Belarus Free Theater, an outlawed underground theater group, whose creativity is a threat to the tyrant there. You can help them here in the Zone of Silence.



In Cuba a while back a group of performance artists organized a non-violence performance in the streets of Havana with signs that said "No + Violencia" (No more violence) and shocked the regime. Although they were quick to say it was not a protest but a performance art piece.



Also in Cuba a punk rock group, Porno para Ricardo, that has challenged the tight boundaries of censorship inviting prison to the lead singer along with detentions and interrogations to the rest of the band but they courageously continue to rock on. Below is a video of one of their concerts in Ciego de Avila. The irreverent lyrics against the dictator are being sung by scores of young Cubans. Ironically, the video is titled "no tenemos coro" - we don't have a chorus because the crowd is acting as the chorus.



At the same time the dictatorship continues to try to censor, control and manipulate authentic cultural expressions. Most recently they seized a music festival called Rotilla from the founders to replace them with party apparatchiks in what is being called a kidnapping. This has led to a response both with direct language by the organizers and in the video below made by Coco Solo Social Club musical performance artists living in Cuba.



The best way to help these artists is to let others know about them and through the increased visibility provide them with a measure of protection.