As the World Turns On Its TV

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The reaction to the Cuban institute was immediate. Television reporters interviewed us, and the next day we were famous in Old Havana. In Cuba, the telenovela is still entertainment par excellence, in part because of the limited state television programming. The absence of political criticism was evident, although from time to time broadcasts were allowed of telenovelas that criticized other governments. One was the Colombian show Betty la Fea, which caused a worldwide sensation and has been remade in the United States as Ugly Betty. In one episode, Betty, who works in an office, commented about the country’s economy and criticized the finance minister. The next day, Colombian newspapers began an attack on the minister, analyzing Betty’s criticisms. The character reached the level of a national political figure.

The institute organized roundtables, performances, publications, dramatic lectures, and exhibits within exhibits, as in the case of the photographs of Stefan Ruiz (some of which accompany this article), who documented the strange false reality in the telenovela studios at Televisa.

Eventually, I closed the institute doors to pursue other interests, conscious of the fact that it would be a life’s work to continue traveling to ever more remote countries to study their complex reactions to television melodramas. The telenovela has also evolved, acquiring new dramatic formats and updating itself, incorporating subjects like cloning and 9/11.

Of course, as in the world of telenovelas, there is always the possibility of a sequel, or a remake.

This article was translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell. Excerpted from Vice(Vol. 15, #6); www.viceland.com.

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