TV Martí airs “Hacia la Democracia II,” featuring Lech Wałęsa
On Sunday, November 10th, 2013, TV Martí aired the second edition of Hacia La Democracia (Towards Democracy), a half-hour program focusing on the transition from totalitarianism to democracy. The episode, which featured analysis by former Polish president and human rights activist Lech Wałęsa, examined the opposition movement in Cuba and the work yet to be done by civil society to bring about a democratic change.
Srđa Popović, a former member of the Serbian Parliament and now co-founder of the Center for Applied Non-Violent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS), spoke about the importance of sharing nonviolent strategies and tactics for bringing about change.
The program also included interviews with active members of Cuba’s nonviolent opposition movement, including blogger Yoani Sánchez; Emmy-nominated, Cuba-based independent producer Antonio Rodiles; Rosa María Payá, daughter of the late opposition leader Oswaldo Payá; blogger and artist Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo; journalist Guillermo Fariñas; and European Sajarov Award recipient and leader of the Lady in White Organization, Berta Soler.
The first episode of Hacia La Democracia aired on July 10, 2012, and focused on the writings of Dr. Gene Sharp, a world-renowned activist and the founder of the Albert Einstein Institute. The Emmy-nominated special explained how Sharp’s philosophy of non-violent opposition could be applied to Cuba and examined what Cubans living on the island could do to bring about democracy in a peaceful way.