I sit and look upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and
shame...
I see the workings of battle, pestilence, tyranny, I see martyrs and
prisoners...
I observe the slights and degradations cast by arrogant persons upon
laborers, the poor, and upon negroes, and the like;
All these - all the meanness and agony without end I sitting look out upon,
See, hear, and am silent
Dear Colleagues:
Please don't adopt the "nothing can be done" attitude described so movingly
by Walt Whitman. We can make a difference, and there is still time to send a
holiday card to an independent librarian in Cuba. This simple act, an
expression of warmth and solidarity, will send a much-needed message to the
brave people who are suffering persecution because they refuse to accept the
censorship imposed on government-funded libraries in Cuba. For the full
details of IFLA's shocking report on this subject, please refer to
(http://www.faife.dk) in the "news and events" section. Amnesty
International has adopted the co-founder of the library movement, Ramon
Colas, as a prisoner of conscience.
Cards may be sent to:
Alfredo Dennis Camps
Callejon de America 25
entre Barnadas y San Agustin
Santiago de Cuba
CUBA
Mr. Camps, an English teacher of Irish descent, has been arrested on many
occasions because of his peaceful dissent from government policies. He has
opened the Frank Pais Garcia Library in his home, with an emphasis on
after-school programs for children. His library collection has been
confiscated and he has been threatened on the street by unidentified men
dressed in civilian clothes. The children who visit his library have been
followed home by members of the State Security police, who issue warnings to
the parents. Cards in any language are fine, but do not write the word
"biblioteca" or "library" on the envelope or it will not be delivered.
Happy Holidays,
Robert Kent
Friends of Cuban Libraries
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