Solidarity

Solidarity / Regina Coyula
Posted on October 26, 2013

The issue of solidarity among artists is complicated. Each guild has its
own characteristics. A case that comes to mind is that of the painter
Bejerano, who lost a lot of solidarity; I remember there was even
mention of a maneuver by the CIA and the Miami mafia before Bejerano was
declared guilty.

Angel Santiesteban

In the case of the writer Ángel Santiesteban, the immense majority of
his colleagues within the guild in Cuba preferred to look the other way;
only the Ladies of UNEAC — the Cuban Writers and Artists Union — joined
forces to turn him into a negative symbol of the campaign against
violence against women (no one dared to defend his innocence, but I say
they could have at least asked for a fair trial).

Robertico Carcassés divided opinion within the musicians, angry voices
in favor of his requests for few, although some hit a high note; the
majority of those who scolded him did it not knowing how to find where
along the space-time curve they should position themselves on the
"updating of the socialist model."


Robertico Carcasses

But far beyond the déjà vu of those twenty (?!) years known as "The Five
Grey Years," things with Robertico soon returned to normal; it's that he
raised questions like they fell from the tree, so to speak, which — save
the one about the girl María, who nobody knew who she was, and the evil
thoughts related to another thing — almost the whole world thought it
good that he asked, even those who don't have a permission letter to buy
a car.


Miguel Ginarte

I was surprised by the reaction around Miguel Ginarte, accused of
corruption, embezzlement or whatever crime "of-the-day" thought up by
the Comptroller General of the Republic. The actors guild, through the
social networks, has been set in motion; Ginarte is so beloved, that
he's considered a priori an object of dark manipulation, when those of
us who live in Cuba know how thin the line between legality-illegality
usually is, so much so that sometimes just an out-of-place comment is
transposed; and an unwise comment from Ginarte (close friends with his
neighbors as was common knowledge — and well-regarded in the area of his
little farm), could cost him the hard times he's now experiencing.

25 October 2013

Source: Solidarity / Regina Coyula | Translating Cuba -
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