Incarnation

Thus far I have noted the affinity between messages about the future and appeals to history. Within this thematic set, I have discussed the code of education—specifically the prevailing dialectical model that posits that the Revolution has provided education, which in turn lays the groundwork for more revolution.

Now I need to identify another categorical cluster within the future/history thematic set.

Upon further coding and sorting, I have come up with the notion of Incarnation. This code applies to messages that depict the younger generation embodying revolutionary leadership.

One billboard reads: “Fidel es un pais”; and features six smiling young boys and the famed rebel vessel, the Granma. The message contains at least three distinct yet related meanings: (1) The country is loyal (to its revolutionary history, particularly Fidel Castro) (2) Fidel Castro is a country (that monumentally important, and containing multitudes); (3) The entire country (including these boys) is like Fidel Castro.

A poster has the silhouetted profile of Fidel Castro superimposed over the flag. Within the positive space of the silhouette is a crowd of young Cubans marching in a demonstration. It reads “Somos Uno.” This also has several interconnected meanings: (1) We are all part of Fidel; (2) We are united as one; (3) Fidel represents all of us.

The theme of incarnation becomes very literal in another poster that shows an army of young Cubans, each with the face and rifle of a young Fidel Castro. It reads “The Youth, We Will Not Fail.”

The clear message is two-fold: that the revolutionary leadership is a role model to emulate; and that the younger generation has a responsibility to follow the historicos’ example.

The notion of historic role models for the future appears in a billboard with Che Guevara that reads “Con tu ejemplo comunista”; and in a mural with the youthful faces of the by-gone Che, Camilo Cienfuegos, and Julio Mella, which reads “De estos hombres se hace un pueblo”—from these men makes a people.

So within the future/history thematic set, the two subsets are Education and Incarnation. A stylized model functions along these lines:

• Revolution provided education, which instills the abilities and values to further the Revolution.

• Historic leaders made the Revolution, setting an example for the Youth to follow.

From Billboards

From Billboards

From Billboards

From Billboards

From Billboards

From ¡Que País!