More than 300 personalities from the art world in different countries signed a document calling for an “immediate end to the abuses committed against Cuban artists”. The document was created by PEN International (International Writers Club) and the NGO Human Rights Watch.
The signatories are calling for respect for freedom of expression and the release of arbitrarily detained artists, as well as the dropping of criminal charges and permission for exiles to return to their country.
“The Cuban regime systematically persecutes singers, visual artists and playwrights across the country. The simple fact of singing ‘Patria y Vida’ [canção que foi trilha sonora de protestos em julho] it is now considered a crime in Cuba. Today, through this letter, hundreds of artists are demanding an end to this brutal repression,” he told the leaf Juan Pappier, da Human Rights Watch.
Among the artists and intellectuals who signed the declaration are actress Meryl Streep, artist Tania Bruguera, filmmaker Isabel Coixet, cartoonist Art Spiegelman, historian Simon Schama, writer Paul Auster and Nobel Prize winners for Literature Orhan Pamuk e JM Coetzee​, among others.
Among the Brazilians, writers Gregorio Duvivier, Adriana Carranca, Beatriz Bracher and Antonio Prata signed the document. Also participating are the leaders of collectives repressed by the Cuban regime, such as the “San Isidro,” the “27N” and the “Archipiélago”.
“The level of injustice and repression that the Cuban government imposes on its own people is reaching ever higher levels,” says Cuban artist Tania Bruguera. “The government not only exercises constant censorship against artists, but in its actions to prevent and criminalize peaceful protests and dissent, it has now made the entire people of Cuba an enemy of the state. As an artist and as a Cuban, I am very afraid of the future of my country. “
The document recalls that at least 50 artists are imprisoned for participating in protests against the communist dictatorship, including two of the authors of the song “Patria y Vida”, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo. Both face protests for “betrayal of the motherland”.
“We artists all over the world are in solidarity with our colleagues in Cuba,” said Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska.
“As a journalist and writer, I believe in denouncing and opposing governments. I believe that if an intellectual, writer or artist stands up against a government, he is doing an indispensable task. It is not surprising that some want to silence us when we witness the voices, beliefs and experiences of those who otherwise would not be heard. They are afraid of the truth because, once revealed, it can no longer be hidden,” said Poniatowska.
In July, the island was the scene of rare protest demonstrations against the communist regime, due to the economic crisis and shortage of medicines, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The acts were severely repressed by the government, and resulted in at least one death.
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