The hijacking of the nation and its symbols: The sterile imagination of Díaz Canel and Ortega

Today, it is the activists, the opponents, the networks formed by the diasporas and the Nicaraguans and Cubans who defend human rights in their countries who have the capacity to imagine inclusive and democratic projects and to create the sense of community that nation building requires.

Venezuela: Drop charges against Milagros Mata-Gil and Juan Manuel Muñoz

On March 31, 2021, Mata-Gil and Muñoz were arrested and imprisoned in the state of Anzoátegui, El Tigre, for allegedly committing the crime of "promotion and incitement to hatred", linked to a message shared via the mobile messaging application WhatsApp. Milagros Mata-Gil (1951) is a novelist, journalist and essayist, and a member of the Venezuelan Academy of Language; Juan Manuel Muñoz (1947), is a poet, chronicler, activist, and cultural promoter. We reiterate our call to Maikel José Moreno Pérez, president of the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela to drop the charges against the writers and return their work belongings.

Arts and visions of the future within the pandemic «new normal»

In the framework of the talk cycle <> organized by Artists at Risk Connection together with PEN América, CADAL participated in the talk Arts and visions of the future within the pandemic 'new normal', where outstanding artists and cultural managers spoke about how their activity has changed during the pandemic. Through their works of art and projects, they provided their visions of the future which let us imagine new possibilities for creatives and human rights defenders. The conversation was joined by: Alejandra Labastida, MUAC associate curator; Gabriel Orge Argentine visual artist, photographer, and teacher; and Cecilia Noce, professor and researcher at the University of Buenos Aires, associate researcher at CADAL. The event was moderated by Julie Trebault, ARC Director.

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Urgent Call to Preserve the Lives of the Strikers Concentrated in Movimiento San Isidro’s Headquarters

On November 9, 2020, Denis Solís González was brutally detained by agents of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in the Habana Vieja municipality, a few blocks from his home. Since then, there has been no communication with the musician, and attempts to gather information on his whereabouts through official channels were unsuccessful. According to international standards, Solís González has been forcibly disappeared.

Cuba: alert from Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara arbitrary detention and the increasing attacks against freedom of artistic expression

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was arbitrarily taken to prison on March 1st. He was transferred to Valle Grande, where he awaits a trial charged with “insult to the symbols of the homeland”. The court hearing was going to take place today, March 11th. Because of the claim of artists, intellectuals and human rights organizations, it was suddenly postponed, with no new date. In Cuba there is a prior censorship system regarding cultural activities and other ways of expression. Through a joint statement, several prestigious organizations demand a reaction from all democratic governments.