Reflections from the island on emigration

A comment at the end of this article (about emigration from Cuba) struck me today as wonderfully insightful. The editorial, called “La emigración: un fenómeno alarmante,” was published in an online magazine called Vitral: La Libertad de la Luz, compiled by the diocese in Pinar del Río (Cuba). The author recognizes that external actors, e.g. the international community and the United States, have done much over the years that has hurt Cuba and its economy, thus driving migration. But he/she urges Cubans to take what action they can to improve Cuba’s prospects from the inside, which would encourage doctors, scholars, artists, etc. as well as common citizens to stay. This is a call that would resonate with many, I think.

A rough English translation of the final paragraph of the editorial:

It is time in Cuba to create new opportunities and take hold of the reins in our own lives, so that we—Cubans and others in the world—might be able to find in Cuba the pathway to our own personal fulfillment and national achievement, in order to come to see the world as an extension of our own country instead of a place where, by abandoning our home, we can achieve our dreams. The solution is in our hands, from the State to the common citizen, and does not depend on any foreign power. Cuba is and should remain a home to all.