Community work in the management of Popular Power in Cuba at the provincial level

Abstract

The community intervention in Cuba is organized from the functions of local governments and the structures of the Popular Councils. Although more than ten years of practical experience are accumulated, in the province of Pinar del Río problems were detected in its realization. The study was based on the hypothesis of relationships between the problem and the perception of government representatives; therefore the objective was to explore these perceptions in the unit of their discourse and their experiences of community work. To accomplish the purpose, the qualitative methodological approach and the methodology for the investigation of Paulo Freire's “generating themes” were used. Participants' perceptions were grouped into four analysis’ units: psychosocial, physical-geographic, cultural and complex, which revealed the transversality of the first, from a vision of the collective in the community setting. It was concluded that the research hypothesis was not true, and that the problem was in the design of community work based on academic knowledge, and not on the knowledge and experience of its key community actors.