English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
EFE/14ymedio, Miami/Havana 17 April 2022 — An exhibition dedicated to the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, one of the leaders of the San Isidro Movement, who has been imprisoned in Cuba since last July, will open this week in Miami with the help of various institutions. “Alcantara, Artist imprisoned in Cuba,” shows the works … Continue reading “Miami Hosts an Exhibition by Imprisoned Cuban Artist Otero Alcantara”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 April 2022 — The Cuban Prosecutor’s Office has informed, after months of waiting, of the sentence request that they will make to the court that judges Maykel Castillo — the rapper known as ‘Osorbo’ — and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara: ten years for the first and seven for the second. The information … Continue reading “Cuban Prosecutor’s Office Asks for Seven Years in Prison for Artist Otero Alcantara and Ten for Rapper Osorbo”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 March 2022 — “Enough of allowing a dictatorship to set the rules,” said art curator Anamely Ramos, who announced last Friday that she was camping out in front of the Cuban embassy in Washington. “It is my right to return to Cuba. My home is there.” Ramos, who was prevented by the … Continue reading “Anamely Ramos Stands with Photos of ‘Osorbo’ and Otero in Front of the Cuban Embassy in Washington”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2022 — Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a prisoner at the maximum-security prison of Guanajay being held without trial since his arrest eight months ago, is weak after ending his hunger strike which lasted over two months. As of now, curator Claudia Genlui, who published news of the artist on Wednesday … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Otero Alcantara, Very Weak After Ending His Hunger Strike in Prison”
14ymedio/ EFE, Washington/Madrid, 3 February 2022 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who had been held incommunicado since January 18, called his family on Wednesday. According to art curator Claudia Genlui in a Facebook post, the leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) “is alive, but very weak and damaged.” The artist “maintains his hunger strike as … Continue reading “US Urges its Partners to ‘Join in the Demand’ for the Release of Cuban Artist Otero Alcantara”
#DiarioParaLuisma day 70 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 28 January 2022 — Luisma and Pepe, it is January 28 and the situation seems so dark that I can only imagine them together and committed. I put in writing in this diary some images that come like flashes to my mind while I keep hearing … Continue reading “The Political Prison in Cuba, From Pepe to Luisma”
14ymedio, Havana, 19 January 2022 — Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has rejected the rights he has as a prisoner because he considers that he should not be one, according to art curator Claudia Genlui, who was able to speak with him in what he says was “his last call.” “He called to communicate, briefly but … Continue reading “‘The Cuban Government is Slowly Assassinating’ Otero Alcántara in Prison”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 12 January 2022 – When, half a year ago, the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party said in response to the popular demonstrations against the dictatorship, that the combat order had been given, he was not uttering his worst phrase. No. The worst thing was when he said “They have to … Continue reading “Cuba: Is Otero Alcántara More Dangerous Today Than Frank Pais Was in 1957?”
14ymedio, Havana, 11 January 2022 — The Prosecutor’s Office has rejected the request for a change in the precautionary measures for the artist and member of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, considering that he is a “social danger.” In a statement released this Monday through Facebook, the group reports that the … Continue reading “The Cuban Prosecutor’s Office Says that Otero Alcántara is a ‘Social Danger and Must Remain in Prison’”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 26 November 2021 — A padlock permanently closes the two wooden panels of the 955 Damas Street door in Old Havana, which in the past was almost always open. According to many in the neighborhood, at the home of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and headquarters of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), … Continue reading “Damas Street in San Isidro Street, a Year After the Violent Eviction of Otero Alcantara”
14ymedio, Havana, November 19, 2021–Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara reaffirmed that he “would not, under any circumstances, accept exile as an option” to leave Cuba, as he made known to art curator Claudia Genlui Hidalgo, following a visit from his family at the prison where he has been held since the July 11th nationwide protests. … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara Has Been Invited to Art Activities Outside Cuba”
14ymedio, Julio Llopiz-Casal, Havana, 1 November 2021 — Me, I like to run away from common places (because what I want is to be happy and to not be pedantic), an idea has come to mind. The most interesting artist of the 60s and 70s in Cuba is not Umberto Peña, it is not Servando Cabrera … Continue reading “My No to the Havana Biennial is for the Freedom of Luisma and All Cubans”
14ymedio, Havana, November 3, 2021–Art curator, Claudia Genlui, a member of Movimiento San Isidro (MSI), arrived Tuesday in Miami for an indefinite period, although she assures that her motives are personal. State Security was with her in the airport “the entire time” until the moment she boarded the plane. “There is something important that I … Continue reading “Cuba: ‘I brought all of Otero Alcantara’s work to the United States’”
14ymedio, Havana, 15 September 2021 — The American magazine Time has names the Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara as one of 2021’s 100 most influential people of 2021, in the feature’s opening section labeled “Icons.” The most visible face of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), who is now once again imprisoned since the protests of July 11, appears with, among … Continue reading “Time Magazine Names Cuba’s Otero Alcantara as One of 2021’s Most Influential People”
14ymedio, Havana, August 5, 2021 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who as of this Thursday has been detained for 26 days, received a visit from his lawyer Clemente Morgado in the maximum security prison of Guanajay, in the province of Artemisa. This Friday, the lawyer will present a request for a change of … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara’s Lawyer Visited Him in Prison and Will Ask for a Change of Measures”
