Eugenio Pedraza Ginori, Cuban television director in Galicia, Spain. Courtesy of PG
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Pedraza Ginori worked thirty years in Cuban television. From 1965 to 1995 he decided to stay on a business trip he made to Galicia, Spain.
Very few know him for Eugenio, but for "Yin" or simply Pedraza Ginori. A man of Cuban television who led for three decades to musicians, actors, comedians and dancers is.
He recently published "Cuban Memories. Eugenito want TV" and "Cuban Memories. Quietecito not me , " both for sale on Amazon.
Pedraza Ginori worked thirty years in Cuban television. From 1965 to 1995 he decided to stay on a business trip he made to Galicia, Spain.
In the small screen he led Cuban Theater ICRT, Young Young (1983-1986), Live Germán Pinelli and Veronica Lynn, among others.
Based in the Iberian Peninsula, Pedraza set out to write a digital diary from 2013, where he gave free rein to memory without space restrictions imposed by armed newsrooms blog Pedraza Ginori.
A few hours before traveling to Miami gave this interview Marti Noticias. Ginori spoke of censorship in Cuba, from its beginnings in television that gave ideological face and Cuban artists who enjoyed great popularity as Mirtha Medina, Alfredo Rodriguez or teachers who integrated Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro the revolution.
Tell your story, -your Tv cubana- as a fade out, who went from being a breakthrough in Latin America to become a mechanism of propaganda and indoctrination. How can you work in such an environment?
Cuban television was born in 1950 and very quickly became the first Spanish - speaking. The courage of the Cuban businessmen who bet seriously by the new audiovisual media, the talent of our technicians, artists and performers who turned on it and the massive support of the population were fundamental factors for the incredible development that managed the Cuban TV 50s the quantity and quality of its programming placed second in the world, behind the powerful American industry.
While the large European countries emitted only a few hours a day or simply did not have TV (in Spain was opened in October 1956), Cuba marked the passage in Latin America with three major networks covering all regions of the island and generated each day from morning to night, a high number of live programs: CMQ TV Channel 6, National Television Channel 4 and Telemundo Channel 2. the offer is completed with stations limited in scope, basically dedicated to convey simple, series and movies as the habanera CMBF TV (Channel 7), Channel 10, Channel 11 and to a station, Channel 12, which made Cuba the second country in the world after the United States, have color television programming daily.
After the triumph of the revolution, the TV was nationalized and placed at the service of the new regime. But make no mistake, it was always a propaganda mechanism. Before 1959 sold detergents, cigarettes and beer. Then ideology. I think the big mistake of the Socialists administrators of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) was its narrowness, the considered only as a means of disseminating political messages. This made them lose the historic opportunity presented to them to exploit the possibilities of the medium and develop it as a powerful instrument of cultural diffusion and social improvement.
Where P. Ginori begins and where it ends on Cuban TV?
After several years working in Radio Progreso and the Musical Theater of Havana, in 1965 I joined a training course organized by the ICRT directors. A few months later, I started a long time as director, screenwriter and producer who lasted until 1992.
You were always closely linked to music, your memories start with a tasty anecdote with the great Carlos Embale.
Music has played a key role in my personal and professional life. As an author I have composed nearly a hundred works, mostly as a lyricist. Most of my programs were music and that gave me the opportunity to work with great performers and creators, many of whom became my friends. So it makes sense that music occupies a prominent place in my written reports.
The book is crossed by the diabolical mechanism is the Ideological Department of the PCC, which resulted in layoffs, jail, ostracism, censorship and even acts of repudiation. What is your lesson to see how such a phenomenon work?
I did not know in detail how it worked internally upper structure that led to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT).But many times I suffered the consequences of their political line, based primarily on establishing mechanisms of censorship and repression. It was very difficult to work within narrow but could be coordinated. Every system, closed enough, generates its own gaps and sneaks them one if you have ability to do so.
In many years doing television saw some artists flourish and decline others. Who remember closest to you and how was that relationship?
The parameter that made me closer to an artist was his professionalism, the seriousness with which developed his career.Therefore, I felt very comfortable working with Mirtha Medina, Alfredo Rodríguez, Amaury Pérez Vidal, Miguel Angel Masjuán, Georgia Galvez, National Septet, Juan Formell and Van Van, Osvaldo Rodriguez and others who regret not remember at this time.
One of your stories describe the actress Ana Lasalle as "Doña scissors" personally responsible for censorship. From what I see are of many that you witness his reputation as "militia".
Ana I devote a whole chapter of my memoirs. It was a many - faceted character, respected as an actress, which unfortunately became a fundamentalist militant full - time, dedicated to pursue what she considered damaging to the revolution.
Spend your end to the controversial actress and Vidal Consuelito pages. What is your picture of such a controversial figure?
Consuelo I worked many times, she was present at many of my best programs and events. And that led us to become great friends. Personally, I keep very good memories of her and her figure has my respect. From a professional standpoint, I think it was the largest Cuban presenter of all time.
Chapter of "blacklists" is an example of official censorship in Cuba. Is it true that you never saw a redacted list where prohibited Meme Solis, Olga Guillot and Celia Cruz? Who then communicated the verbal ban on televising not an artist, how long durabas on the 'blacklist' and who decided when out of it? What you listed remember?
If there was a blacklist written on paper, I did not see. The leaders were responsible for verbally communicate the names of directors who could not be programmed. In the case of the Cuban performers who chose to leave the country, censorship was total and indefinite. The period of prohibition of a resident artist in the country could be longer or shorter, but never explainedto us the reasons taken into consideration for imposing a sanction or end.
You call them "listed" we told them "pressed". I remember, including rock groups that moved outside the official circuit, Bobby Jimenez, Bobby Leonard, Celeste Mendoza, Frank Dominguez, Jose Valladares, Rolo Martinez, Marusha ...
How do you get to Spain and why are you leaving?
In 1992, in the Special Period, I was presented with an opportunity to work as a teacher in an institution image and sound of Galicia and took it . The atmosphere in Cuba was even more stifling than had been and decided to go out and breathe fresh air.Since then, I live outside the island.
We appreciate this interview to Cuban writer Rafael Saumell. Follow Luis Felipe Rojas in @alambradas
Eugenio Pedraza Ginori published his memoirs of Cuban television
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Luis Felipe Rojas / Martinoticias.com
Luis Felipe Rojas Rosabal, 1971. Narrator, poet and audiovisual. He has published poetry collections Secrets monk Louis (2001), Animal Sewer (2005), Songs of malvivir (2005) Front of the beloved beast (2006) and To feed the dog fight (2013). His stories appear in various literary magazines. He is author of the blog Crossing the fences. Photographer freelancer.
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