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Vol. 89, Issue 6 | Feb. 7 - Feb. 9, 2011
.com
THE MIAMI HURRICANE
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Will China become the next Egypt?
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PHOTOS COURTESY CUBAN HERITAGE COLLECTION, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LIBRARIES; GRAPHIC BY ALLISON GOODMAN
“CULTURA:” The Cuban Heritage Collection at Richter archives materials that tell the history of the Cuban people.
A history of Cuba recorded Richter Library’s Cuban Heritage Collection focuses on aging exiles BY COREY FUJIKAWA | CONTRIBUTING NEWS WRITER
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he stories and struggles of Cuban immigrants are being locked away in history for future generations to see and hear. The Luis J. Botifoll Oral History Project is a digital archive of Cuban history being collected at the Cuban Heritage Collection in the Richter Library. The oral history project aims to preserve Cuban heritage by recording the undocumented history and experiences of Cubans through audio and video interviews. The project, which was launched in April 2008, will provide access to the personal experiences of Cuban immigrants during and after leaving the island, as well as a window into firsthand accounts of the culture, history and exile experiences of those who witnessed the Cuban revolution.
In one interview, Bernardo Benes, a Miami banker born in 1934, recounts how he felt when he arrived in Miami during the Cuban exile. “I remember when I arrived in Miami, I came alone on the airplane. I was already married with an 18-month-old son. It was a Friday and it was a terrible day: the terrible anguish of not having anyone, not being able to speak with anyone, having left everything behind,” Benes said in Spanish. Benes is best known for leading a group of Cuban immigrants to participate in the 1978 dialogue between the Castro regime and exiled Cubans.
SEE CUBA, PAGE 4
TASTY TRUCKIN’
BOUNCING BACK
CHECK OUT FIVE FOOD TRUCKS WORTH FOLLOWING PAGE 7
MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM WINS CONSECUTIVE GAMES AT HOME PAGE 9
ill the “Internet revolution” occurring in Tunisia and Egypt happen in China? Not for decades. The primary QINGSHU MENG reason is that Chinese people have to face the opportunity cost. They need to choose from two options: making money or having a revolution. The growing “economic pie” of China has benefited millions of people in different ways such as income, health care and education. To this extent, everyone in China is more a beneficiary, even though some might be dissatisfied beneficiaries. Nowadays, those who are discontented are focused on the lack of a fair chance to get their share of “the economic pie.” The Chinese people must hope that the mechanism for wealth distribution would be just, that the people’s will would be respected and that corruption would be eliminated. But the bottom line is that everyone should still have an equal chance to get his or her share of “the economic pie” while these problems are being solved. However, if the Chinese choose to have a revolution, the “economic pie” may be destroyed and we will be left with nothing. The Chinese people are not confident that we can build a better administrative and legislative system that keeps growing the economy if we choose to revolt. It is far more likely that China would not be able to reorganize itself nor operate efficiently after a revolution. This is the opportunity cost if we choose revolution and obviously, we do not want to pay the price.
SEE CHINA, PAGE 6