Political Prisoners

Photos from the NYC protest

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Early photos are in, a sampling: 

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 My favorite is this one of the inimitable Paqutio D’ Rivera playing the Cuban Hymn:

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 And  here, flashing a t-shirt that makes a statement: 

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See these and more at:

 

The Real Cuba

Cuba Independiente

Cuba Companioni

 

Listen to live coverage via Blog Talk Radio here; I was privileged to be invited on the show, and a good part of the time, I could barely keep my emotions in check.  Hearing the chants of libertad, libertad, drowning out the yelling of the counter protesters  from across the street  is spine-chilling.  I hope the Interest Section thugs were on site, and listening.

 

Special thanks goes to Jose Reyes at Cubanology for keeping me up to date on the event’s happenings.

 

Remembering Cuba’s True Heroes

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Myriam Marquez hits another one out of the park with this column.

A historical snippet from a Cuban government website on anti-communist guajiros, God-loving country folks fighting Fidel Castro’s men in the Escambray mountains:

March 28, 1964 — Thanks to [the] effective work of Cuban State Security Agent Alberto Delgado, bandits Julio Emilio Carretero and Zoila Aguila ”La Niña de Placetas” (the Placetas girl) were both captured.

Bandits?

The victorious get to rewrite history, turning truth to lie.

Zoila Aguila Almeida was no bandit. But the regime took from her a husband — killed by firing squad — and two baby daughters. The girls are believed to have died hungry and thirsty in the hills where their parents valiantly tried to restore the democratic dream denied their generation.

Aguila was a dreamer in a violent place and time.

She took up arms against dictator Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s. She had to do it all over again when Fidel Castro’s revolution proved to be a communist sham that would quash all creativity and initiative as evil bourgeois excesses.

Read the rest here.

Oscar’s Cuba

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Jordan Allot, a man with a passion for a free Cuba, recently visited the island.  Not to vacation, but to film dissident testimony for a very powerful documentary, “Oscars Cuba.”  

The films premise:

“Oscar’s Cuba is a feature-length documentary video that will help spread the message and story of Dr. Oscar Biscet, a prisoner of conscience currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in Cuba for his promotion of human rights. Oscar’s Cuba will highlight the courage, faith and hope of Dr. Biscet and others working for democracy on the island. The goals of Oscar’s Cuba include raising public awareness about the plight of the Cuban people, helping individuals to stand and work in solidarity with those unjustly imprisoned and, ultimately, helping to secure the release of Dr. Biscet and all of Cuba’s prisoners of conscience.”

The film maker on what drives the passion for his work:

“My focus, through the documentary project I am working on, as well as the writing projects I am involved with, is to help engage those individuals not of Cuban background to understand the plight of Cubans, the courage of the many political prisoners there and the fight for freedom and democracy that is far from over. I stand in solidarity with all those Cuban-Americans and others fighting for justice. I truly believe that once people hear the truth about the situation in Cuba they will understand the responsibility they have to help bring about a free and democratic Cuba.”

We know the kinds of Cuba themed films Hollywood produces, so it goes without saying that no studio is funding Jordan’s work.  Follow the link below, and watch the 13-minute sneak peek of the documentary and see for yourself the powerful artistry of Oscar’s Cuba.  I’m confident that you’ll agree that this documentary is important, and that you will want to join the effort to see the film completed.

Watch the video and read more about the project by clicking here.