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Art and violence

by Dixie edith

Gender violence can be faced, but also legitimized, from artistic expressions such as literature, film, music or painting.

Practically all forms of art have promoted, either consciously or unconsciously, gender stereotypes that have helped build a violent behavior model.

After a media silence for many years in Cuba, an increasing number of local artists are making it visible in their works.

Gender violence is now being reflected in written materials, paintings, films and theatrical plays, Zaida Capote told WNS. She is a writer and literary critic working at the Cuban Institute of Literature and Linguistics.

There has been a successful staging of La puta respetuosa (The respectful whore) by El Público theater group. "The way the other characters treat this woman is really repulsive," she added.

"At the end, the actress says her actual name and makes reference to a personal experience that further compromises the identity of her beaten body. It is splendid as a drama and symptomatic of a non-theater reality as a representation of gender violence", she indicated.

Not all efforts, however, have taken the right course and some have ended up promoting aggressive behaviors.

There are more cultural products presenting the issue out of context than giving food for thought, thereby leaving the impression that current realities can not be changed, Dr. Julio César González Pagés told WNS. He is a professor at the University of Havana and coordinator of the Iberian-American Network on Masculinity.

"Everything depends on the commitment of painters, writers and filmmakers to the issue", he stressed.

The two experts believe that contemporary creators are not fully aware of the fact that they can be held responsible for legitimizing violence in art.

"They often argue that the audience demands violence", said González Pagés.

"Murders, rapes, accidents and/or catastrophes are tirelessly repeated to nurture a thirst for violence. Love has been replaced with sadism, cruelty, vulgarity and clumsiness. Such a replacement is intended to denounce, advance or show a human feeling that is doomed to disappear", he added.

On the other hand, Capote does not favor the idea of asking artists to make corrections. Art provides ways of re-visiting reality. "That can not be prevented by decree", she emphasized.

Other specialists feel that lack of knowledge and information at the time of embarking on any creative process is critical to the future impact of artistic works.

Iyamira Hernández Pita, a psychologist working at the Mental Health Center in Playa municipality (Havana), is of the view that film, television and music often invite people to resolve conflicts through violence.

Against this background, many scholars highlight the need for the so-called cultural industry to develop new behavioral paradigms that can help remove gender inequality.

"We have been making progress along these lines here, but I think non-violent messages for people, especially children, are usually conveyed in a subliminal manner and are thus difficult to digest", she commented.

She finds it imperative to pay closer attention to this issue because artistic expressions can transmit moral values, principles and non-violent messages very fast.

A Workshop on Gender Equality and Violence in the Media will be held in late March in Havana. The idea is to promote experience sharing among audiovisual producers.

Organized by the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), the Women's Chair at the University of Havana and the Mirta Aguirre Chair at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism, the event is sponsored by the Government Council on Culture and the International Cooperation Agency in Andalusia (Spain).

Isabel Moya, director of Women Publishing House, said that the aim of the Workshop is to raise awareness and provide training in the application of the gender approach.

Parallel to the event, there will be a related film exhibition that its organizer hope to continue holding on a regular basis.

The participant profile includes psychologists, jurists and psychiatrists who have been directly related to women-violence cases.

Both Moya and González Pagés will present papers at the event.

"Changing media discursive practices is a fundamental task that needs to be undertaken by artists", González indicated.

"Gender issues should be an integral part of social justice programs with culture and media playing a key role", he concluded.

Shrinking population

By Dixie Edith / Photo: Carmona

The local population has been decreasing in the last couple of years. The number of inhabitants moved from 11,239,043 in 2006 down to 11,236,790 in 2007. This accounted for a 2,253-inhabitant drop, according to data of the National Office of Statistics (ONE)'s website.

The number of births, however, grew by 1,149 last year as compared to 2006, and there was a slight increase in the Global Fertility Rate (GFR), which is the average number of children born to every woman. This rate has moved from 1.39 to 1.43 in the last two years.

The size of Cuban households began to shrink in the late 1960s. After 1978, reproductive-age women have left practically no daughters to replace them in their reproductive role.

There are many causes behind low fertility rates. Experts indicate that such causes include a new social status, high educational level and appropriate health care. Material problems also have a bearing. They involve housing shortages, inadequate number of day-care centers and household support services, and emigration.

A study by Nodalys González and Grisell Rodríguez, who are researchers at the University of Havana's Population Study Center (CEDEM), showed that the average age of women procreating had moved from 25.2 years in 1990 to 26.5 years in 2002. Most of them are either in the 20- to 24-year or the 25- to 29-year brackets today.

Although the rate in 2007 was not statistically significant, it was in tune with specialized estimates. Dr. María del Carmen Franco, an expert at ONE's Population and Development Study Center (CEPDE), conducted a research work showing that local women have their first child when they are 23 years old, on average.

There is thus an opportunity to take future actions. Women here become mothers when they are still very young, and they usually have more than one child, she said.

Surveys have corroborated that the ideal family size would be a bit bigger than at present.

The local population decrease will not be absolute or sustained, experts anticipated. Slight increases and decreases will probably be seen in major indicators like birth, death and migration rates, stressed Juan Carlos Fraga, CEPDE director.

The population aging process, however, will follow its course. The number of people over 60 years of age moved from 15.9 percent of the population in 2006 to 16.6 percent in 2007. This is certainly posing a demographic problem in the island.

If the current trend is not redressed, Cuba will rank eleventh on the list of oldest countries in the world by 2050, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

Havana, a clamorous city

By Ilse Bulit

Two neighbors make comments about the television soap opera on the air, from one balcony to another. A reggaeton coming out of a family house hammers the eardrums of pedestrians, while another song makes the wooden structure of a rundown house shake. An old record player close to a street window joins the concert with a cha-cha.

An erotic salsa springs up from an old American car being used as a taxi. The driver feels he is the master in town and gets desperate because a "bicycle taxi" does not allow him to pass. A couple of foreign tourists "enjoy" some Celtic music over the ride.

An illegal street vendor publicly announces his merchandise and disturbs some domino players who throw the pieces to the street as if they were discus throwers.

This is Havana, full of folklore, captured by the cell phones of many international travelers.

Ordinary people feel that this variegated city is being affected by sound contamination which, according to the World Health Organization, is a major cause of stress. Fifty decibels are more than enough to cause cardiovascular diseases, studies have shown.

The situation described at the beginning is not only present in downtown Havana, but also on the outskirts of the city, where strident music also disturbs neighbors and cracks peaceful coexistence.

Sound contamination reveals another, even more dangerous phenomenon: moral contamination. Everyone has individual laws of survival and conception of happiness.

This is the breakdown of morals, of respect for other people. While national governments and social systems have opposed each other, adversity has made people in small villages and towns get closer together.

Havana provides an example of something that is also seen in many other Latin American cities.

Environmental pollution is just a clear evidence of the realm of individualism. This is shown at its best when a young boy "tortures" an old neighbor with deafening music, when products are mercilessly announced over loudspeakers, and when quite squares and plazas are turned into ballrooms.

Back in the 19th century, traveler Samuel Hazard often complained about the terrible noise made by church bells in the city. If he were alive, would he still complain or simply shout?

Domestic violence

By Raquel Sierra / Photo: Carmona

A couple is at home. They begin to talk, then to argue and finally resort to physical aggression.

Lidia and Gonzalo decided to get married after a two-year betrothal. Despite ups and downs, they had children and shared frustrations and happy moments.

She initially believed her husband when he told her: "It will not happen again". As physical violence continued, she often experienced fear, had to move to her sister's and threatened him to get divorced.

Under these conditions, conflicts can arise any time, Lidia told WNS.

Violence provides "some relief" to contradictions over marriage, experts indicated.

Yudislaine Pier Ramírez, a psychology professor at the University of Las Tunas, emphasized that physical, psychological or sexual abuse is often seen in couples under conflict situations. "Women are usually abused by men," she added.

"Patriarchal traditions are internalized since we are three years old and are externalized in our couple relations at a later date", she explained.

"In this context, gender relations will be marked by domination or subordination, and acts of violence will often occur", she commented.

"Violence provides 'an effective tool' to control, humiliate and subdue", she added.

"A sexual partner, boyfriend or husband dares to resort to physical violence only after he has used psychological violence in the form of silence and other signs", she emphasized.

"Once an episode of violence occurs, this practice becomes a method for conflict resolution", she warned. Pier is a member of the Women's Chair at the local university.

Unforgettable damage

The phenomenon of violence had, until recently, been considered inexistent in the Cuban society. Academic studies have shown, however, that it should be thoroughly considered and followed up.

Bruises and death are the most visible and alarming signs of couple violence, but are not the only ones, experts indicate.

In her work entitled Couple violence: a result of the patriarchal system, Pier recommends analyzing the origin and dynamics of gender violence in many couples, as it creates a deep sense of unease from a biological, psychological and social point of view.

Women tend to suffer from psychological disorders and exhibit symptoms such as headache, anxiety, depression, dyspauremia (painful vagina during penetration), low self-esteem and difficulty to establish interpersonal relations.

"On the other hand, men also feel some indisposition, but they are not aware of it", she remarked.

Destructive love

Clotilde Proveyer, a professor at the University of Havana, recently delivered a lecture on violence in society, at an International Colloquium in the Cuban capital.

"Violence against women in couple relations is a form of gender violence", she indicated.

"The patriarchal culture is still present in our country", she stressed.

The outcome of such a phenomenon can be fatal. Recent studies have revealed that 52 percent of homicides involving women occur in the house of the victims.

Over 50 percent of them are killed by their husbands or sexual partners. Three women every one man are assassinated by their spouses. The women involved in these crimes kill the men while reacting to violence.

"There is thus a need to consider the structure of gender relations and the role of society in it", she commented.

"The problem is generated by sexist behaviors and women's subordination to men", she added.

The patriarchal culture is not spontaneously reproduced. It is taught and transmitted from one generation to another. Society trains men and women in different sub-cultures. "The former are expected to exercise power and the latter, to accept subordination and dependence, she stated.

Ways

Gender studies, especially those on couple relations, usually identify the problem, but recommend no actions. People often wonder what to do and how to devise solutions, Pier indicated.

"A compatibility analysis should be conducted to define the so-called better half", she stressed.

"We should not look for him/her to enjoy a better economic situation or overcome material limitations", she recommended.

"He/she should share our interests because life projects are at stake", she added.

"It is really difficult to leave behind hegemonistic models such as that of masculinity and make men understand that they should behave differently and forget about the I-am-the-one-who-gives-orders attitude", she commented.

"Sexual violence can not be seen as something normal. When men want, they take the lead and women should just play a passive role. Such a statement is unacceptable", she said.

"There is a need to expand women's support networks and promote equitable gender relations. The mass media can play an active part in this connection. And a new gender approach needs to be adopted", she added.

"Although some progress has been made, there is still a long way to go", Proveyer concluded.

Feminism: a damn word?

By Dixie Edith

Fully involved in social life, Cuban women make up a majority among highly skilled staff and have their sexual and reproductive rights widely recognized. There are some, however, who do not like to be called feminists.

"I left home and began to work when I was 17, despite my parents' opposition. I do not agree with male chauvinism, but I am not a feminist", Aurora Matos told WNS. She is a 69-year-old retiree who joined the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) in the early 1960, when it was established.

She also faced her husband some years later, when she decided to become the president of an agricultural cooperative.

"I asked him to learn how to cook because he would have to prepare dinner for our small children while I was out, working. And he did learn. I do not think I am a feminist", she stressed.

"I am a feminist if the term means fighting against women's discrimination. I have always opposed gender prejudices and inequality, but I do not personally adhere to radical feminism. It seeks to supplant men completly", said writer Aida Bahr. She is the director of Oriente publishing house in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

She is not very pleased with the term, although her works often show women's problems.

"I find it absurd to replace a form of discrimination with another. The idea is not to take men's place, but share, according to individual possibilities and capacities", she added.

Sociologist Marta Núñez Sarmiento indicated that feminist trends had, for years, been strongly criticized in Cuba. "There are still some prejudices against them", she noted.

Born in the early 20th century, the local feminist movement played a revolutionary role when it made important claims in a very early period. They were later reflected in major laws such as those related to guardianship (1917), divorce (1918), and women's suffrage (1934).

Outstanding intellectuals like Vicentina Antuña, Mirtha Aguirre and Camila Enríquez Ureña, whose works are still being taught at school, were all openly feminist.

"The first articles I read about feminism were written by Camila in the late 1930s", Dr. Luisa Campuzano told local media representatives. She is the head of the Women's Study Program at Casa de Las Américas.

But why does the term generate non-conformity and rejection?

By 1959, the local feminist movement was of the bourgeois liberal type. The Cuban Revolution removed the class structure existing at the time. It was only natural that this feminism would be criticized, historian Julio César González Pagés told WNS. He is a professor at the University of Havana and the coordinator of the Latin American Network on Masculinity.

"A historical mistake was made when the entire movement was associated with bourgeois feminis", he added.

"This made the FMC move away from it. As this women's organization represented peasants, workers and housewives, a class confrontation occurred", he recalled.

"Despite the Revolution, the patriarchal culture has remained. In feminist language, it means male chauvinism", Campuzano commented.

Iliana Benítez Jiménez, a researcher working with the Sociology Department at the University of Oriente, said that the term feminism has been rejected in Cuba for historical and cultural reasons. "This has been so despite many similarities between the humanist principles of the feminist movement and those of the Cuban social project", she added.

Local feminists in the early 20th century were criticized by society, especially by the press, because they attacked men's power and emphasized that women were not mere objects of beauty and submission.

The issue of feminism has been dealt with in quite an orthodox manner even in recent history books, such as Julio Le Riverend's The Republic and Jorge Ibarra's Cuba: Social processes and structures in the 1898-1958 period.

The Cuban feminist movement is usually associated with "women's male chauvinism". This makes it very difficult to approach masculinity from a gender perspective, experts feel.

Rejection of the term has become so evident that Benítez Jimémez, who has a master degree in advanced techniques for comprehensive community development, has proposed a review of such a concept.

"Its authenticity has not been recognized, and the term is rejected by men as well as women. It would be very useful to think of new conceptual proposals", she suggested.

González Pagés is of a different opinion. If we do not approach the term from social science, politicians will not have any means to do so, he commented.

He defined himself as a feminist man and highlighted the fact that the FMC has always been a feminist organization.

"When we defend women's sexual and reproductive rights and equal opportunities, we are being feminist", he stressed.

"Feminism is a philosophy that has always been present in the island", he recalled.

"After 1959, the local feminist movement has been leftist, revolutionary and/or socialist. It is up to us to label it", he concluded.

The Women's News Service from Latin America and the Caribbean, International News Agency, offers this weekly service. No reproduction without authorization. Any comment o suggestion please contact us: semlac@redsemlac.net