Although the fantasy of “cultural exchanges” with the Castro regime has been exposed as fallacious time and again, the usual suspects continue to impugn their own credibility and motives by repeatedly describing one-sided propaganda assaults on the U.S. by the Castro regime as an “exchange.” Since we here at Babalú have never been averse to pointing out the mendacity of these “cultural exchange” claims, we will continue to expose them for the prevarication that they are.
Geandy Pavon (aka “The Nemesis”) is a talented and courageous Cuban artist who has publicly challenged the Castro regime by projecting an image of the murdered Cuban prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, on Cuban diplomatic offices in the U.S. and Europe. Geandy is a staunch opponent of the dictatorship, and through his OZT project and his other works, he has earned critical acclaim, becoming one of the well known Cuban artists in the world. However, when Geandy attempted to enter the art symposium titled Cuba Futures: Past and Present at the City University of New York’s Bildner Center, which features works from artists supported and endorsed by the regime, he was refused entry.
The “cultural exchange” between Cuba and the U.S., it seems once again, is purely one-sided. And as long as no one challenges the tyranny of the Castro dictatorship, and their propaganda can continue to flow freely into the U.S., the so-called “exchanges” can take place. Otherwise, you can forget about it.
The blog Belascoaín y Neptuno has the story in Spanish (my translation):
Do Not Enter: Truncated Cultural Exchange
I just spoke with my friend Geandy Pavon. He told me that a few hours ago, when he tried to enter the art symposium Cuba Futures: Past and Present being held today through next Saturday at the Bildner Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), the organizers refused him entry. Besides being an artist, Pavon is known a the Bildner Center as someone capable of asking questions that the representatives of the Cuban regime find uncomfortable. Starting at the 4:05 mark of this video you can see Miguel Barnet getting troubled during a recent visit to New York.
The Barnet event took place two months ago, and apparently the Bildner Center has taken note of Geandy’s name and face. Today, when Pavon asked the for the reason why the doors were being closed on his face, they responded: “We cannot allow anyone else to enter. If more people come in, the heat it will generate will cause the film projector to turn off.”
I had to laugh when he told me about it (admit it, the excuse is risible). But this is very serious. Here is an example of how, once again, the long tentacles of Castroism coerces even the public institutions of New York.
If this happens in New York, you can imagine what the Cubans on the island are subjected to.
