Independent Artists and Galleries Join a Biennial Outside Official Institutions

14ymedio, Havana, 27 February 2018 — The organizers of the Havana #00 Biennial, an independent event whose celebration is scheduled from May 5-15, have won the support of several artists and independent spaces on the island, according to Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, one of the promoters of the initiative, speaking to 14ymedio. Among the artists who have confirmed … Continue reading “Independent Artists and Galleries Join a Biennial Outside Official Institutions”

Cuba: The Devotion to Saint Lazarus / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 18 December 2017 — On the night of Thursday, 14 December at night, after fifteen hours on the road under a copious downpour, from Sagua de Tánamo, in Holguín, province 530 miles northwest of Havana, in an old General Motors truck from the 1950s, Erasmus and his wife arrived in Havana ready to fulfill … Continue reading “Cuba: The Devotion to Saint Lazarus / Iván García”

Cuba: Faces Of The Year 2017

14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2017 — As we do every year, we have selected a list of 14 people who have stood out over the last twelve months within the Island. People who, through art, music, activism, a sports discipline, politics or from any another sphere, have left a mark. With their drive and determination … Continue reading “Cuba: Faces Of The Year 2017”

My First Encounter with State Security

14ymedio, Adonis Milán, Havana, 6 December 2017 — For the past two years I have been directing an independent group called Persephone Theater. We recently premiered the play Hamlet Machine, by the German author Heiner Müller, with a staging that shows the overwhelming parallelism between the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and present-day Cuba. I traveled with this … Continue reading “My First Encounter with State Security”

Cuban Regime Frees Activist Lia Villares

Diario de Cuba, Havana, 23 December 2017 — Activist  Lia Villares was released this Friday morning after being detained since Wednesday, activist Rosa María Payá Acevedo said in her Twitter account. Villares, in addition, was fined 500 pesos by the authorities, according to Martí Noticias. During the arrest, “her interrogators told her that she had committed crimes, and in order … Continue reading “Cuban Regime Frees Activist Lia Villares”

Cuba Releases at Least Five of the Artists Arrested for Attending a Performance

14ymedio, Havana, 20 December 2017 — At least five artists have been released in recent hours after being detained by the police on Wednesday while trying to attend a performance at the independent art gallery El Círculo, as a part of the Endless Poetry Festival promoted by the Group Omni Zona Franca, which is celebrating … Continue reading “Cuba Releases at Least Five of the Artists Arrested for Attending a Performance”

Cuban Government Focused Repression Against Independent Candidates

14ymedio, Havana, 4 December 2017 — In November, the Cuban authorities carried out 302 temporary arbitrary detentions, a figure that according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) is the second lowest since the beginning of 2017. The organization attributes this decrease to the fact that, during the past municipal elections, the … Continue reading “Cuban Government Focused Repression Against Independent Candidates”

The Art Of Turning Artists Into “Enemies”

14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, 10 November 2017 — He scribbled on a wall and they detained him for several months; he founded an opposition party and they accused him of buying some sacks of cement; he opened an independent media outlet and they denounced him for treason. Every step taken to be free ended with a disproportionate … Continue reading “The Art Of Turning Artists Into “Enemies””

Dissidence Museum in Havana Pays Homage to Poet Juan Carlos Flores

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 22 October 2017 – Damas Street in Old Havana awoke Friday to the terrifying image of a man hanging from a balcony. After their fright passed, the residents realized that it was an artistic installation by Amaury Pacheco in homage to the poet Juan Carlos Flores. The body that hung from … Continue reading “Dissidence Museum in Havana Pays Homage to Poet Juan Carlos Flores”

Cuban Artists Warned Not To Stage An Independent Biennial

14ymedio, Havana, 12 October 2017 — In a note published on its website and distributed through institutional emails, the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) warns its members that “some unscrupulous people” are organizing an independent Biennial after the postponement of event originally planned for 2018. The XIII Havana Biennial was postponed to 2019 … Continue reading “Cuban Artists Warned Not To Stage An Independent Biennial”

Cuban Artist Poses with Sledge Hammer Before Exclusive Store Window

14ymedio, Havana, 12 August 2017 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has places the Manzana Kempinski Hotel in the center of its actions. This time he was photographed with an enormous sledge hammer poised a few inches from the window of the Giorgio G. VIP store in the gallery located on the ground floor of … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Poses with Sledge Hammer Before Exclusive Store Window”

Cuba is Not a Country for Young People

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 16 May 2023 — I’ve rewatched the brilliant Coen brothers’ film No Country for Old Men. The 2007 thriller tells the story of a hunter who finds two million dollars and decides to run away with the money, while being pursued by a relentless hit man. The plot is completed by the county sheriff, who ends up … Continue reading “Cuba is Not a Country for Young People”

Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida, Wins Freedom of Expression Prize from Index on Censorship

14ymedio, Havana, 14 November 2022 — The Cuban artist Hamlet Lavastida has been awarded the Freedom of Expression in the Arts prize, presented by international organisation Index on Censorship. The award recognises the creator’s work in documenting human rights abuses on the Island. “Our winner in the Arts category is Hamlet Lavastida, who is pleased … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida, Wins Freedom of Expression Prize from Index on Censorship”

The Ordeal of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia

Ivan García, Desde La Habana, May 2022 — For the act of writing this article, the regime – were they to deem it pertinent to do so – could prosecute me and slap me with up to twenty years in prison, according to the current Law 88 which was approved in February, 1999. For collecting … Continue reading “The Ordeal of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia”

Cuba: Repressors Identified / Cubalex

Cubalex, 6 November 2021 — Cubalex exposes repressors as part of our commitment to make the perpetrators visible. We expose them in solidarity with those who are imprisoned today for exercising a right, and also with their families. Help us to share, help us to denounce. Denounce the aggressor! With your voice you can prevent … Continue reading “Cuba: Repressors Identified / Cubalex”