Caribbean Radio in Revolutionary Times

• In Event: Radio and Revolution in Cuba and Beyond

Abstract

During the final phase of the United States military intervention in the Dominican Republic (1965) ousted president Juan Bosch made a radio broadcast for the Dominican people fighting in the revolutionary effort against the U.S. Bosch spoke of the need for revolutionary change, but denounced the loss of life a prolonged struggle with the United States would cost. The broadcast was significant, as many Dominicans questioned Juan Bosch’s commitment to the war that was in part being fought to return Bosch to the presidency. Perhaps just as substantial was the fact that Juan Bosch’s messages to the Dominican people were broadcast through Puerto Rican radio where Bosch was in exile. Through the prism of Juan Bosch and the Dominican revolutionary period (1961-1966), this paper serves as a meditation on how radio impacted everyday interpretations for radical change. By analyzing Bosch’s political trajectory through radio in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, I will trace how radio served as both a tool of rallying support and creating distance for Bosch among Dominicans. Essentially, the paper hopes to explore how radio demonstrates unique Caribbean understandings of revolutionary freedom in the region.

Author

• Genesis Lara, University of California-Davis