Connect Cuba's video

A couple of months ago, the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FHRC) used the crowd-funding site Indiegogo to raise $35,000 for a campaign to "connect Cuba".

One of the things they promised to use the funds for was a campaign video, which is now online in both English and Spanish.



Video in Spanish

You can judge for yourself, but I had mixed feelings watching the video. It accurately depicts the sorry state of Cuban connectivity, shows and promotes the use of flash drives to circulate information within the island and I am on board with the goal of improving Cuban connectivity.

But, I was put off by the heavy handed presentation. The plot -- a woman takes pictures of some prostitutes and hands them on a flash drive to a colleague who writes a blog post about sex tourism in Cuba -- is not very subtle and the video feels like "made in the USA" propaganda. It was shot in Cuba, but I doubt that the actors were from Cuba. (If they are Cubans, they are in trouble). It even crossed my mind that some of the scenes in which the actors appear may have been shot on a set.

Regardless, it is for a good cause.

The FHRC has established Spanish and English Web sites for the Connect Cuba campaign. They are soliciting signatures for a petition and promise to work on the distribution of flash drives in, out and within Cuba.

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Update 11/5/2014

Connect Cuba has a second video, showing their logo being stenciled on walls in Havana:

Activismo para Conecta Cuba en La Habana from Connect Cuba on Vimeo.

The also have a YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/user/FHRCuba

They said they would be running a sneakernet -- distributing information in Cuba using flash drives. If anyone knows more about their sneakernet activity, please let me know.