I failed to impress the Cheltenham Literary Festival’s Writer in Residence, Kapka Kassabova. She did not agree with the dangers of trying to install democracy in fragile societies, nor did she believe that Western democracies need to answer directly the achievments made by authoritarian societes for the very poorest people in the world. Kapka’s view is that Cuba’s  high health and literacy levels are all part of the baggage of ‘unreconstructed Western idealists ‘ — of which I presume I am one. 

I like Kapka’s poetry of which here are a few lines from her poem I want to be a tourist:-

…give me the open sewers, the stunted dreams,
the jubilation of ruins, the lepers, the dogs,
give me signs in a funny language that I never
have to learn. Then take my money and let me go

Click here: Democracy Kills                                   http://www.kapka-kassabova.com/