History shows that culture is a form of power, which does not always transform itself in a process of social development. The Mayas, which disappeared mysteriously in a relatively short period, used complex ideograms, whose meaning is still unknown, even though there are more than 1 500 archaeological sites in Central America, mainly in Guatemala. This vulnerable culture lost its power, even though it attains a high degree of development. Another example along the same line are the Incas and the lost city of Machu Pichu, in this case destroyed by the Spanish colonialists.
As an instrument of power we can mention that Emperor Tamerlane used to follow the practice of gathering scientists, technicians, artists and specialists in the capitals of Samarkanda and Bujará, in Central Asia, with the purpose of developing culture and knowledge. One characteristic was diversification of origin, languages and information. Paper money, shipbuilding and the promotion of new weapons, was the result of cultural advance, even if forces by terror. Today, still five enormous buildings covered with white and blue tiles, dedicated to Islamic studies, can be seen in these places.
There are other ways of power, which come near our age, like the Louvre Museum, created by Napoleon after the conquest of Italy. Another example of plain robbery of works of art from European countries was ordered by Hitler and Goering, and still today some valuable articles, mostly from Jews private collections, can still be found.
Culture, power and development appear to be related in different moments of world history, since far away ages, like the Babylonian tablets. From this sort of experience came afterward the use of the alphabet, delivered by the Phoenitians to the Greeks and Romans. In time, from this experience came western philosophy, poetry and the urban complex of the Romans, experts in civil constructions. One example is the Caracalla public bath, which can be seen in Rome.
It is a miracle that these contributions have lasted so much in the middle of continuous wars, some of them simply destructive, provoked by constant aggressions, most of them for colonial reasons or predatory strategies, also many of them in Latin America. Still today those affected by foreign violence denounce and protest against inequality and injustice.
Few countries can gather at the same time these crucial elements: culture, power and development; and much less if they are from a Third World region. The Cuban case is an exception. It can be said that the first component is the dynamic condition that mobilize the other two references. It was the first country in the world to eradicate illiteracy, even though it had more than 25% of adults who could not read or write. In that very same year, 1961, it was also the first country in the world to attain a military victory against American imperialism in Playa Giron in 72 hours.
The Cuban Revolution had resisted every aggression and sabotage organized by the United States through fifty years. Two conditions join together to reach this result and they are culture and development, along with popular unity and the struggle of ideas. Cuba has been also the first country in the world to fight a regional war for solidarity in favour of Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Ethiopia, for sovereignty and against apartheid, deciding the military strategy as far as 10 000 kms., on a daily communication interchange. Nearly 400 000 Cuban volunteers participated in these incredible actions. There were also other expressions of brotherhood with Argelia, Mozambique and other countries in Africa and the Mid Orient.
These expressions of fraternity are today reinforced with Operation Miracle, which has mobilized nearly 30 000 doctors and paramedic personnel in more than 100 countries in every region to help recover optical vision through the elimination of cataract and other visual conditions. This attention has been covered from India and Pakistan to Africa and Latin America.
Cuba counts actually with more than half a million high level graduates but the crowning jewel are the 10 000 specialized students at the University of Information Sciences, dedicated mostly to software development and who also participate in scientific exchange. This can only be seen in a country with political union and the power to mobilize all the country and its people.