A group of future students of the Journalism career offered statements to the National Television News (NTV) in which they highlighted the educational value of their time in mandatory military service.
"Young people from Guantánamo, the easternmost province of Cuba, who will study journalism are currently fulfilling Active Military Service," highlighted NTV in its report, avoiding the term "mandatory" in this case.
At the end of January, the news broke that young Cuban women who choose to study for a Bachelor's degree in Journalism must complete a year of Mandatory Military Service beforehand. The measure will come into effect starting the 2024-2025 academic year.
So far, military service is mandatory in Cuba for males, who are called up from the age of 16. However, the regime insists on denying its obligatory nature, despite the fact that the National Defense Law establishes in Chapter VIII, Section Three (Article 77), that "male citizens, during the year they turn sixteen years old, are obliged to formalize their registration in the military registry."
The regulations also establish that “once registered in the military registry, citizens are obliged to comply with activities aimed at preparing them for incorporation into the Military Service and to keep their status duly updated.”
"Serving in the Border Brigade, the first anti-imperialist trench of our country and Latin America, has been a huge commitment and a great mission that the revolution has posed to us. Firstly, to protect the dream of millions of Cubans and have in our hands [the responsibility] to guard the perimeter of the Border Brigade. It is a tremendous commitment to the revolution, to socialism, and to the homeland," said David Alejandro Medina Cabrera to NTV.
"This prepares us to climb mountains, to go through several difficult moments without having to feel what an obstacle is," stated Nayare Mozos Cobas. "I believe it contributes to my growth in physical, mental, biological, and political development regarding my personality and the situation the country is going through, which will be something very productive," pointed out Arisniubis Zabala Lara.
According to the report from the official media, "these young people decide to make a revolution through journalism" and for this reason "they fulfill the requirement of active military service, something new for the girls, whom they see as a positive thing."
"I believe that fulfilling this great honor of preparing ourselves to defend the homeland, which is fulfilling active military service, will contribute greatly to our future formation as journalists of our country since we will acquire a responsibility and a discipline that will truly be useful for our career and for doing the journalism that our country and our revolution currently need," said Ana Laura Campello Pérez.
For her part, María Carla Leyva Herrera emphasized that military service is “a formative stage for every soldier who goes through it, and for us -the women of journalism- this new duty will contribute greatly to our careers because we will be on the front lines of the anti-imperialist trenches and can learn from there everything our revolution has to offer, all the things our revolution has gone through. For us, as journalists, more than an honor, it is a responsibility, it is a duty that must be fulfilled and that will give us so much, both as individuals and as professionals.”
"Undergoing active military service gives us training to face any situation, meaning it instills responsibility, discipline, and care in us... Furthermore, we, as women, are being shaped as the true Marianas of this revolution, and it helps us and reminds us that dreams do come true," concluded Angelina González Labrada.
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