The Discovery Place museum in Charlotte, NC has partnered up with the Castro dictatorship’s Cuban National Museum of Natural History to put on a ‘¡Cuba!’ exhibit highlighting all the wonderful sights and sounds of communist Cuba. According to the museum’s website, the ¡Cuba! exhibit will show you a Cuba “like you’ve never seen before”:
A vivid boulevard welcomes you to begin your journey through ¡Cuba! the exhibition–a fully bilingual experience in English and Spanish. Discover Cuban culture through music, games and a variety of interactive experiences that will paint a picture of Cuba like you’ve never seen before.
It appears, however, the Cuba they’re showing is the same propaganda the Castro dictatorship has been touting for decades. Missing from the exhibit is any mention of the reality of life on the island prison, where 11-million Cubans suffer misery and violent repression under the socialist Castro dictatorship.
This egregious omission was brought to the Discovery Place’s attention by our good friend George Utset (TheRealCuba.com) on the museum’s Facebook page:
What is next for Discovery Place? A propaganda film for Nazi Germany? This Cuban presentation is is pure Castro dictatorship propaganda. Shameful.
So how did the museum respond to a Cuban challenging their exhibit? They pretty much told George he needed to experience the exhibit so he could understand Cuba:
Hi George. One of our goals at Discovery Place is to offer our visitors a greater awareness and understanding of the world around us. Bringing ¡Cuba! to Discovery Place Science is an opportunity for us to create an authentic representation of the people and the place as understood through science and culture. The exhibit focuses a great deal on Cuba’s biodiversity, showcasing the island nation’s unique ecosystems. These range from the planet’s most biologically diverse island site and its millions of acres of wetlands to its unique honeycomb of caves and untouched coral reefs. We hope you have an opportunity to experience ¡Cuba! while it is here.
It seems they failed to realize George is Cuban and Cubans don’t usually sit idly by while non-Cubans explain Cuba to them:
I don’t have to experience your Castroite propaganda of Cuba, because I EXPERIENCED THE REAL CUBA! The one that you are not aware of, or have simply chosen to ignore. The Cuba that has been suffering for more than 60 years from a brutal dictatorship, with thousands of people executed for wanting to live in freedom and tens of thousands who have died trying to flee the hell that Discovery Place Science is trying to portray as a beautiful “island with a honeycomb of caves and untouched coral reefs.” Are you showing the wall (paredón) at La Cabaña Fortress, where thousands of young Cubans were executed for demanding the freedom that the directors of DPS enjoy? Are you aware that the Castro’s brothers biggest source of income is exporting slave doctors and other professionals all over the world and keeping 85 – 90% of the salaries they receive for their services? Are you mentioning the Ladies in White who are beaten and detained every Sunday for simply trying to attend Mass? Since it seems that you don’t have the slightest idea of Castro’s genocide against the Cuban people that has lasted more than 60 years and are willing to parrot their propaganda, I’m adding some photos to educate you and the other directors of Discovery Place Science.
If you want to contribute your own Cuban “experience” to the Discovery Place, please feel free to visit their Facebook page and share it with them.
Gee, this sounds SO familiar, and so excruciatingly “normal.” And they won’t “get it,” no matter what the evidence. I believe it’s called collaborating with evil, but as I said, that’s totally “normal.”
At least this show is not overtly political, but a tourist travel brochure sort of thing. Still, even when a show basically promotes the Che myth, for instance, those responsible will refuse to admit fault, let alone guilt, even when confronted with the obvious. I’m getting ready to post a wrap-up of just such a situation, which has already been covered here, but the bottom line is simple: like the phone company in the old Lily Tomlin “Ernestine” skits, the perps don’t care because they don’t have to.
Alas, offending “those people” is as safe as houses. We’re simply not a “proper” minority.