Cuban Propaganda: Fidel Castro Speaks to Semester at Sea Students

Regardless of the United States' opposition to Fidel Castro and his political dogma, the Cuban leader maintained political control for nearly fifty years and continues to be revered by many people in his country. A great deal of this authority can be attributed to Castro's control of the Cuban media, including television, radio, newspapers, and other published literature. Speeches are another major form of propaganda used frequently by the Castro's government to spread "information" and unite its people.

Although the majority of the speeches and literature available to the Cuban people are openly critical of the United States and its embargo policies toward Cuba, the speech Castro delivered to Semester at Sea students in Havana in January of 2003 was different. The speech was modified to downplay the negative interaction between the two countries, and reflect the attitudes of the American students.

For example, on several occasions Castro stopped in the middle of his speech to insist that he did not want to "name names" or lay blame on any specific person or source in the United States. When speaking to the American students, he often cited conflicting ideologies, rather than clashing governments. This passive vocabulary was certainly missing from the speech Castro delivered on November 17, 2001. In referring to the embargo of the Cuban Adjustment Act, Castro called the law, "murderous... ill-fated and insane" and cites the "erratic behavior and arbitrary interpretations of U.S. officials and authorities" as being responsible for the deaths of thousands of Cubans trying to reach the Florida coastline.

Castro is undoubtedly a master politician, and knows intuitively that voicing messages that appear to come from within his audience, rather than from outside it, are the most effective. Garth Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell write extensively about this tactic in their 2006 book, Propaganda and Persuasion. (Jowett/O'Donnell p.290) By delivering a message of tolerance for the U.S. government rather than blatant hatred, Castro is more likely to resonate with an American audience.

Jowett and O'Donnell cite source credibility as another important factor contributing to the success of propaganda. People have a tendency to look up to authority figures for knowledge and direction (Jowett/O'Donnell p.291) Although many Semester at Sea students may not believe in Castro's political ideals, the impact of listening to Castro was much more powerful than it might have been listening to one of his aides. As a leader of the Cuban Revolution, president of Cuba, and an impressible public speaker, Fidel Castro commands a great deal of respect and admiration no matter what an individual might believe about the U.S. imposed blockade.

Fidel Castro's physical and emotional presence should also not be overlooked. Although a great deal of his speech was lost in translation, it was obvious that Castro spoke with great passion. Speaking for four hours without the aid of notes or a TelePrompter is truly impressive. His gestures and body language also helped add enormous significance to his words.

While Castro's ideology may be consistent whether addressing audiences of Cubans or American college students, the change in target audience calls for a considerably different approach. Once again, according to Jowett and O'Donnell in Propaganda and Persuasion, the purpose of propaganda is to influence people to adopt attitudes that correspond to those of the propagandist or to engage in certain patterns of behavior (Jowett/O'Donnell p.281) For a Cuban audience this may mean joining groups or demonstrating for a pro-socialist cause. This may be asking too much of Semester at Sea students who are largely pro-capitalism and pro-democracy. Castro seemed to realize that creating an overall positive image of Cuba may be a more realistic goal when addressing this type of American audience.

Sources:
Fidel Castro: The Cuban Adjustment Act is a Terrorist Act - November 27, 2001 (text of speech)
Fidel Castro: Semester at Sea Welcome Ceremony - January 24, 2003 (live speech in Havana)
Jowett, Garth and Victoria O'Donnell. Propaganda and Persuasion. Sage Publications: California. Copyright 2006.