Rag Radio: Radio Journalist Pedro Gatos on Castro and Cuban Revolution

Thorne Dreyer’s guest on Rag Radio is radio journalist and Cuba expert Pedro Gatos. We discuss Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution in a serious attempt to separate fact from fiction.

We address the significance of the Cuban Revolution to Latin America and the disenfranchised around the world, the history and impact of U.S.-Cuban relations on the revolution, Cuba’s healthcare system and the principle of internationalism, Cuba’s role in defeating South African apartheid, and the issue of political prisoners and human rights violations — and more.

For the past 15 years Pedro Gatos has hosted a weekly national and international news and analysis show, Bringing Light Into Darkness, on KOOP Radio 91.7-FM in Austin. His work at KOOP began with shows focusing primarily on Cuba-US Relations. In 1998 Pedro founded the Pedro Gatos Institute on Addiction, Health & Social Theory. Since 1990 Gatos has made numerous presentations and facilitated workshops on issues ranging from “Discovering Cuba: Knowledge is the Key to Understanding” to “Cultural Factors in the Failing War on Drugs.”

A frequent visitor to Cuba as a reporter and researcher, Pedro Gatos has interviewed former President of the National Assembly and UN Ambassador Ricardo Alarcon and Center of Immunology director, Dr. Carlos Lage, and has also interviewed sports and radio journalists, musicians, and Cuban citizens – as well as CIA officer Philip Agee and Cuban double agents. His most recent trip was a research project to study Cuba’s healthcare system and its principle of Medical Internationalism, as an alternative to neo-liberal policies, and during which he attended the weeklong International 2015 Cuba Health Convention.

Rag Radio is produced in the studios of KOOP 91.7-FM, an all-volunteer, cooperatively-run community radio station in Austin, Texas, in association with The Rag Blog and the New Journalism Project, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The host and producer of Rag Radio, Thorne Dreyer, is a prominent Austin-based activist and writer who was a pioneer of the ’60s underground press movement. The show’s engineer and co-producer is Tracey Schulz and the staff photographer is Roger Baker. The syndicated show is broadcast (and streamed) live Fridays, 2-3 p.m. (Central) on KOOP in Austin, is streamed live at Radio Free America, and is later rebroadcast and streamed on WFTE-FM in Mt. Cobb and Scranton, PA., on Houston Pacifica’s KPFT HD-3 90.1-FM, and by KKRN, 88.5-FM in Round Mountain, CA — and is a featured podcast at VT. All Rag Radio podcasts can be found at the Internet Archive. Contact: ragradio@koop.org.

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Rag Radio with Thorne Dreyer

Rag Radio is produced in the studios of KOOP 91.7-FM, an all-volunteer, cooperatively-run, solar-powered community radio station in Austin, Texas, in association with The Rag Blog and the New Journalism Project, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The host and producer of Rag Radio, Thorne Dreyer, is a prominent Austin-based activist and writer who was a pioneer of the ’60s underground press movement. Visit the Rag Radio Archives.

Contact:ragradio@koop.org

www.theragblog.com/rag-radio