Forget the mission of Cuba to the OAS or the moves by the Obama Administration to have a constructive dialogue with Cuba. Let’s face it, change needs to come from the people on the island. To see that change, we need to focus on the grassroots.

Like a breath of fresh air, things are shifting within Cuba. Non-violent civic movements are gaining attention and influence both on and off the island. Hope is being restored for the ever so desperate youth. With acclaim both on and off the island most people think of Yoani Sanchez as the guiding light for this hope. But like Yoani and her blogger colleagues, there are many other initiatives led by many brave and dedicated individuals across the island.

Finally things are getting organized. In the last week, a well thought out and tangible strategy has been launched. A multi-pronged effort called MANO (Maxima Acción No Violenta Opositora), which means hand and directly translates into Maximum Non-Violent Opposition Action, is meant to be a driving force for using non-violent means for the transformation of life for all citizens in Cuba. MANO uses the five fingers of the hand to represent five focus areas spanning the breadth of socioeconomic issues directly affecting the daily lives of Cubans. Straight at its core are fundamental human rights such as economic freedom, freedom of speech, the right to private property and the freedom of movement. The goal is to unite five active campaigns thereby maximizing the reach and influence of these individual efforts.

For many years, Cubans both on and off the island have been unable to organize themselves sufficiently to bring about any fundamental or meaningful freedoms for their suffering people. This has not been due to a lack of valiant efforts or dedication. It should be stated that there have been small victories against the regime. Nevertheless, the passion, pain, and fundamental distrust so deeply embedded in Cuban society has had a great influence on the effectiveness of these efforts and has allowed the regime to exhaust its nation into subsistence.

It is time to look beyond the past 50 years and towards the future, as the thought-leaders of MANO recognize. The collaboration of these efforts, primarily driven from outside of Havana, are what the entire exile and island population should be focused on. The strategy relies on strength in numbers. When speaking to relatives on the island, the exile community should speak about MANO. They should encourage them to show solidarity with this apolitical movement. The international community should support these efforts by recognizing that the system in Cuba is broken, that people are suffering, and that most importantly, the citizens want to transform their reality.

Throughout Cuban history, the Sierra Maestra and the province of Oriente has bred the revolutionary leaders which have built up enough popular support to topple governments. The difference this time is that the sound will be of the masses walking in the streets versus shots being fired out.      

Dr. Jorge A. Sanguinetty is the President of DevTech Systems and the founder of www.Cubafuturo.net
More information about MANO can be found online at: http://cubadata.blogspot.com/2009/06/mano-maxima-accion-no-violenta.html