Franqui, Carlos, 1921-2010

Al cantío de un gallo was a radio program broadcast by Cuban exiles Carlos Franqui and Alfredo Melero into Cuba, largely from Puerto Rico, Florida, and Central America, via a clandestine radio station called La Voz del CID. La Voz posited itself as the “voice of the opposition” (to Fidel Castro). The radio program, generally critical of Fidel Castro and his government consisted of news (political, economic, cultural, and social), commentaries, interviews, and some music. The program was produced by the Huber Matos’ Cuba Independiente y Democrática (CID). Carlos Franqui and Huber Matos were both part of the revolutionary movement that helped Castro overthrow the Batista regime. They became disenchanted with Castro, objecting to his authoritarianism and shift to communism. In 1959, Matos was charged with treason and jailed by Castro, eventually released in 1979. He went into exile in the United States, where he founded CID and became one of the most important participants in the opposition to the Castro regime. Carlos Franqui (1921-2010) was a journalist, writer, poet, and prominent member of the revolutionary movement. He ran Radio Rebelde, was the editor of Revolucíon, and, later, was a major contributor to Lunes de revolución . After becoming critical of Castro and the revolutionary government, Franqui was exiled from Cuba in the 1960s and lived first in Europe and then Puerto Rico, where he died in 2010. His many publications include the periodical Carta de Cuba (with Alfredo Melero); Diario de la Revolución cubana ; Cuba, la revolución, ¿mito o realidad? ; Retrato de familias con Fidel ; and Vida, aventuras y desastres de un hombre llamado Castro . In addition to his work on Al cantío de un gallo, Alfredo Melero was co-founder of Carta de Cuba and a coordinator of Cuba Independiente y Democrática (CID). Al cantío de un gallo ran from the late 1980s through the 1990s.

From the guide to the Al cantío de un gallo, radio program audio recordings, Circa 1988-1999, (Manuscripts and Archives)