CUBAN PROPAGANDA DESIGN

FIDEL CASTRO

Kelompok 9
Brian Alvin 023 2009 0016
Marcelina 023 2009 0035
Jeffrey Gozza 023 2009 0041
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.

Ringkasan Sejarah Latar Belakang Fidel Castro Propaganda

Fidel Castro awalnya menuntut Batista dengan tuduhan

pelanggaran pada konstitusi, namun kasus yang ia ajukan
dianggap sepele oleh pengadilan, merasa tidak
ditanggapi akhirnya Castro memutuskan untuk oposisi
dengan genjatan senjata. Sehingga pada tahun 1953 ia
melakukan pemberontakan. Castro gagal pada saat itu
dan nyaris terbunuh. Castro akhirnya ditangkap dan
dijatuhi hukuman 15 tahun penjara, namun 2 tahun
kemudian ia dibebaskan oleh Batista sebagai upaya
rekonsiliasi, namun Castro sama sekali tidak mau rekonsiliasi
dan pergi ke Mexico untuk melatih tentara baru. Pada
tahun 1956 Castro kembali dengan upaya untuk merebut
kekuasaan lagi, namun ia kalah lagi dan melarikan diri ke
pegunungan dimana ia melatih 800 orang dengan senjata
api. Castro mulai mencoba memenangkan dukungan dari
petani, pelajar-pelajar bahkan pendeta Katholik. Upaya
memenangkan dukungan inilah yang merupakan awal
mula dari kampanye propraganda Castro. Mulai dari saat
inilah desain propaganda Cuba mulai marak dengan
figure Castro.

Sumber dari: u-s-history.com