The Cuban Research Institute and the Florida International University Libraries are pleased to announce the donation of an extensive archive on Cuban civil society and the creation of the Cuban Dissidents Index. Donated by human rights activist Ariel Hidalgo, the collection includes Cuban newspapers and newspapers clippings from the 1980s to the early 2000s, audio interviews with Cuban dissidents, over 300 radio programs from Cuba en vivo y en directo, over 4000 items written by jailed dissidents in Cuba, television programs from Cuba, and over 800 photographs of Cuban dissidents. One of the founding members of the Liga Cívica Martiana in Cuba and the Miami-based Information Bureau of the Human Rights Movement in Cuba, Hidalgo is currently indexing the contents of the archive, which will be housed in the Special Collections Department at FIU.

"This is an invaluable source to tell the story of opposition and resistance in Cuba," said CRI Director Damián Fernández. "We are grateful to Mr. Hidalgo for the generous donation of this significant collection." According to Catherine Marsicek of the Latin American and Caribbean Information Center at FIU, "This extensive collection of materials will prove to be extremely valuable to researchers looking to document civil society and dissent in post revolutionary Cuba. The dedication of the donor to documenting contemporary civil society in Cuba is apparent through the varied collection of resources he has been able to amass over the years. Most significant among these materials will be, certainly, the unique primary source materials, such as interviews, letters, and personal accounts."

The archive will soon be accessible during the regular hours of the Special Collections department (Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm), located on the fourth floor of the University Park Green Library. For more information about the collection please call the Cuban Research Institute at (305) 348-1991 or LACIC at (305) 348-3142.