14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, July 2, 2023 — Cuban slogans evolve and change with the times. The song title “Patria y Vida” (Fatherland and Life) became one of the most popular chants during the protests of July 11, 2021 but now there are new versions. There was a lot of commotion on Saturday in Juanelo, a neighborhood in Havana’s San Miguel del Padrón area, when the neighbors discovered graffiti on the wall of one local store which sells rationed goods.
Sometime shortly after dawn, someone scrawled three words, “Patria y Plomo” (Fatherland and Lead*), in giant letters on the shabby facade. The corner of Serafina and B streets, where the store is located, quickly attracted curious onlookers. Everyone wanted to see with his or her own eyes what the sign said. The more daring among them got out their phones and took photos in spite of the police presence that surrounding the site.
A government sympathizer quickly began painting over the graffiti, which elicited comments from customers who had watched the store’s facade, now covered in grime in some places and flaking off in another, deteriorate over the years. “For this they have paint but they don’t have the materials to fix this neighborhood,” complained a retiree who was born in the area.
The only person who seemed oblivious to what was going on was an elderly man, sitting near the entrance and waiting for it to open so he could buy two pounds of rice.
The only person who seemed oblivious to what was going on was an elderly man, sitting on the curb near the entrance and waiting for it to open so he could buy two pounds of rice, the June allotment, which went on sale on Saturday. The other customers, though eager to do the same, kept a cautious distance. “No one’s going to blame that guy for the sign,” grumbled a young man.
By mid-morning only the word patria remained. The word plomo had already been painted over to prevent anyone from seeing it. How the word vida in the famous expression morphed into a projectile is anyone’s guess. But everyone could understand the frustration that would move a person’s hand to create a new version of that slogan.
Translator’s note: Presumably a reference to the material from which bullets are made.
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
