We Are All Luis Manuel. Todos Somos Luis Manuel.
¨I love art and freedom above everything else and you are taking away those two things from me … To the dictator on duty, I call upon him to yield. To yield within his macho structure because in the end reason is on our side. This is not a struggle between machos. We are artists under surveillance by a dictator who refuses to yield due to a machista and patriarchal structure that prevents him from recognizing that the opponents are right.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in an audio recording on his Facebook page. Abril 27, 2021.
Photo of contemporary cuban artist Lus Manuel Otero Alcántara in a hunger and thirst strike. Photo via journalist Maria Matienzo
On the Hunger Strike of Luis Manuel Otero and the State of Siege of Artists and Human Rights Activists in Cuba
Democratic Spaces expresses its greatest alarm over the delicate situation of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, contemporary Cuban artist and leader of the San Isidro Dissident Artist Movement who started a hunger and thirst strike on April 25, 2021 against the repressive practices of the Cuban dictatorship. We are equally concerned about the broader State of Siege imposed by the Cuban regime against independent artists, journalists and human rights activists across Cuba who are subjected to constant police surveillance, arbitrary detentions and forced house arrests. We hold the Cuban dictatorship responsible for having led to this extreme by its repression against Luis Manuel Otero and more broadly against the San Isidro Movement, the Patriotic Union of Cuba and civil society across Cuba.
On April 17, Luis Manuel along with artist Afrik Reyna were violently and arbitrarily arrested in Otero’s home in Damas 955 in the San Isidro neighborhood in Habana, Cuba. During the arrest, the State Security arbitrarily seized and badly damaged several of Luis Manuel´s art pieces. Evidence of this violent arrest was captured by a cell phone camera thanks to the courageous solidarity of residents of the San Isidro neighbourhood. Luis Manuel Otero loves life, art, and freedom. Therefore, the civic action he initiated is a measure of last resource against the extreme repression he has been subjected as an artist, activist, and human being.
Democratic Spaces calls upon the Government of Canada and the international community of democratic nations to raise a voice in solidarity with artists and human rights activist in Cuba who fight for basic freedoms facing a dictatorial regime. It is time for the Cuban dictatorship to accede to the fair and reasonable demands of Luis Manuel Otero and the San Isidro Movement, who are doing nothing but claiming basic rights and freedoms for the human condition, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in the legal instruments of the Inter-American System.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara´s demands:
1- End the police siege, he has been under since November 2020 and the State of Siege that prevents the free movement of artists, journalists, and activists
2- Return of the art pieces stolen to Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and offer him financial compensation for the damages incurred on his artwork.
3- Respect the full exercise of artistic freedoms for all Cuban artists.
Luis Manuel Otero in a Garrote Vil performance. April 16, 2021. The garrote was among the art pieces seized (stolen) by the regime when the artist was arbitrarily arrested on April 16.
GARROTE VIL PERFORMANCE.
Starting today, I will remain seated in the garrote vil for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, at a time when I am under siege by the State Security. I call upon authorities to twist the stick of this garrote and publicly execute me.
Today, more than ever, activists and Cubans in the opposition live in a state of vulnerability. Every day we are more exposed, and this vulnerability has been brought upon us by a dictatorship in power for 62 years. This dictatorship has borrowed their repressive methods from many other dictatorial regimes and security forces, such as the one in Russia and other parts of the world.
This performance is the result of a series of videos in which we denounce the arbitrary manner in which activists and members of the opposition are prosecuted in Cuba. Arbitrary laws range from Law 88 which imposes up to 20 years in prison as it was seen during the Black Spring of 2003 to the crime of contempt, under which Denis Solís is currently imprisoned. Luis Robles has also been imprisoned for exercising his right to free speech. The “insults to symbols of the homeland” is another law criminalizing free speech. These are crimes fabricated by the State Security.
This performance is based on the garrote vil, a weapon used to kill activists or criminals during the Spanish colonial period and also under the Franco dictatorship. It serves as a wake-up call about what this dictatorship can be capable of doing. Just imagine that if Luis Robles was sentenced to 6 years in prison for expressing himself with a placard, what could it happen to an activist that gathers millions of followers for the cause of freedom in Cuba?
¨I love art and freedom above everything else and you are taking away those two things from me … To the dictatorship on duty, I call upon him to yield. To yield within his macho structure because in the end reason is on our side. This is not a struggle between machos. We are artists under surveillance by a dictator who refuses to yield due to a machista and patriarchal structure that prevents him from recognizing that the opponents is right.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. Abril 16, 2021.
VIDEO: Luis Manuel Otero in a message to the Government of Canada and the International community. Video Submitted to Democratic Spaces on Jan 18, 2021
Michael Lima Cuadra´s Tweet published by the NGO FREEMUSE in support of artistic freedoms worldwide. April 27, 2021.
Solidarity campaign initiated by José Daniel Ferrer García leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba and the San Isidro Movement called ¨Todos Somos Luis Manuel” (We are All Luis Manuel)
About Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
Luis Manuel Otero is a greater than life human being, contemporary artist, activist, and community leader. He embodies key civic values essential in the construction of a democratic nation. Based on numerous conversations with Luis Manuel, Democratic Spaces believes he has contributed to the struggle for freedom in Cuba by using art and culture as powerful and important channels to foster civic education, create new values and bring about democracy in Cuba. To this end he has led numerous artistic performances and civic actions in the past years to raise awareness about social, economic, political, and cultural issues affecting Cuban society. In retaliation for these actions, he has been arbitrarily arrested dozens of times in the past three years, subjected to a public and on-going campaign of character assassination, and arbitrarily charged with insulting national symbols (based on a Cuban law that stands contrary to basic human rights such as freedom of speech). Since December 2020 he has been the target of electronic police surveillance with the installation of four security cameras, set up in front of his home and across the street where he lives. In addition, he has been surrounded by State Security agents and force to house arrest.
¨ … Through culture, I will keep working to bring about the democratization of Cuban society and pressure those in power to leave. Art and culture have been important elements among many others that have proven how things can move along faster. I believe art is a strong element of civic education. It seeks to connect with people, educate them with positions of civil disobedience and creative ways
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in a conversation with Michael Lima, founder of Democratic Spaces. May 3, 2020.
On the cultural contribution of the Patria y Vida (Homeland and Life) song he said:
… Castroism is a culture. It might be a dictatorial culture, but it is nevertheless a culture. Through these cultural initiatives we are reaching out to everyone including an elder person bound to a wheelchair in San Miguel del Padrón who begins to hope after listening to the song. This is a responsibility we are assuming right now.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in a conversation with Michael Lima, founder of Democratic Spaces. Feb 18, 2021.
Arbitrary arrest of Luis Manuel Otero wile protesting against Law Decree 349. Habana, Cuba. July 22, 2018.
As a community and civic leader, he along with art curator Yanelys Nuñez co-founded the Museum of Dissidence, the 000 Habana Biennial, and the San Isidro Movement. As leader of the San Isidro Movement, Luis Manuel joined forces with other key artists and rights defenders across Cuba to invigorate the struggle for rights and freedoms, attract the younger generations and work in alliance with LGTB activists, animal and environmental defenders and other civil society groups. Broadening the scope of members in the struggle for freedom is one of the key achievements of San Isidro along with leading a national crusade against Law Decree 349 which codified censorship in Cuba. One of the key achievements of the San Isidro Movement has been to force the Cuban regime to publicly acknowledge the implementation of Law Decree 349 has been a mistake.
Through the protest against [Law Decree] 349 the most important thing we accomplished was to get the regime would publicly acknowledge it had made a mistake. I believe the Cuban regime has never publicly acknowledged in national television or in a public space that it had made a mistake or that errors had been made and say they would look into this matter. This was a great victory thanks to the pressure exerted by a group of artists, intellectuals, civil society, Cubans, and human beings.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in a conversation with Michael Lima, founder of Democratic Spaces. April 7, 2021
Photos of the police blocking he entrance to the Damas 955 home where Luis Manuel Otero lives in San Isidro, Old Habana, Cuba. Since November 2020, the dictatorship has deployed a police operative to surround all adjacent streets where Luis Manuel Lives. Photos via journalist Maria Matienzo and art curator Anamely Ramos.
A State of Siege in Cuba: A New Black Spring Under a Different Disguise.
Recently, Cubalex, an NGO monitoring human rights violations in Cuba and providing legal counselling to activists published two reports. They are titled:“What Happened to Civil Society in Cuba during the 8th Communist Party Congress?” and “Report on Government Measures from April 19 to April 25.” Both reports account for approximately 192 repressive actions carried out by the Cuban regime against dissident artists, human rights activists, members of the opposition, and independent journalists from April 15 until April 25, 2021.
The most prevalent method of repression accounted in the reports has been the repeated use of forced house arrests through 24 hours a day/7 days a week police surveillance (Both through electronic cameras and physical police presence). The activists that have been targeted for repression have experienced weeks and months living surrounded by PNR and State Security police that arbitrarily arrest them if they step out of their homes and coerce people in the neighborhood to stop contacting them. The objective is to completely isolate civil society and pro democracy activist and prevent them from inspiring and convening others to take to the streets to peacefully demand fundamental human rights.
Groups such as the Patriotic Union of Cuba have experienced living under police siege since July of 2020. Similarly key members of the San Isidro Movement, the 27N movement, Ladies in White and other human rights and pro-democracy groups, members of civil society and independent journalists have been the target of similar actions. Overall repressive methods include: arbitrary arrests, forced house arrests, character assassination through national television and newspapers, fines, intimidation, interruptions of internet service, beatings, and the fabrication of judicial cases.
TRANSFORMING VIOLENCE INTO ART
Luis Manuel perceives his art as the means to leave visual evidence about the instruments of oppression used by the Cuban dictatorship to surveil its critics. When the regime installed a surveillance camera in front of his home, he used it as the theme in a series of drawings he title “Transforming Violence into Art.” This is what he told me with respect to its meaning:
These drawing series have a lot to do with my intimacy. I wonder, how is it possible that we live in a regime that violates your intimacy with such a level of impunity? In the history of art, painting has served to leave evidence to posterity through images. I remember when I visited Cambodia and the only graphic evidence left about concentration camps were the drawings left by a painter who survived the ordeal … I will leave evidence to posterity about the regime’s abuse and repression.
Luis Manuel Otero in a conversation with Michael Lima, founder of Democratic Spaces. February 10, 2021
Drawing on this own experience growing in a poor neighbourhood in the 1990s during the so called Special Period and in the experience of Cuban children today whose parents still cannot afford to buy candies, he drew a series of paintings inspired on candy plastic wrappings. It was based on his experience as a child whose only recollection of candies´ smell and taste cames through collecting candy wrappings. As explained in the video below those wrappings were collected from actual candies eaten by children of regime officials or children of foreign visitors. For the regime this series became a topic of irritation and obsession. It was featured on the ¨Defamation Segment of the NTV newscast¨ and deemed as a ¨provocation.¨Eventually the dictatorship confiscated Otero’s “Candies Without Saliva” art pieces and badly damaged it. Hiding poverty and social conflicts in Cuba and persecuting critics has been characteristics of the Cuban dictatorship.
Since July 2020, Luis Manuel Otero has directed a series of videos and photographic series mocking the judicial system in Cuba. It is titled Case No. 1 2019. Democratic Spaces has contributed with the English translation of some of the episodes. Here is a link to one of the most recent episodes published in Luis Manuel´s Instagram account.
The series uses humor as a powerful tool to criticize the anachronistic, Cold War/Soviet styled judicial system in Cuba.
In the words of one of Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, one of the leading artists/creators, the project intends ¨to show the world that [in Cuba] we live in such level of vulnerability that one day we can wake up facing a 20 year prison sentence or infected with the HIV virus.” [a reference to deliberate inoculation of the virus by the regime as in the case of Cuban scientist Ariel Urquiola].
The arbitrary methods tools depicted in each episode are not “far away from reality,” said Luis Manuel in reference to how easy the regime an prosecute anyone in Cuba based on manipulated photos, false accusations or any means necessary in the context of a judicial system that lacks complete independence from the ruling power elite and the Communist Party.
Luis Manuel Otero in a conversation with Michael Lima, founder of Democratic Spaces. July 27, 2020.
Luis Mauel Otero in an spontaneous peaceful protest against hand picked president Diaz Canel. He along with Maykel El Osorbo and others in the neighbourhood sing Diaz Canel Singao (Fuc___). Habana, Cuba. July 3, 2020
Luis Manuel records the moment when neighbours in San Isidro take to the streets to sing the Homeland and Life song (Patria y Vida). March 29, 2021.
Luis Manuel Otero in a public protest in front of the Capitol building in Old Habana, Cuba demanding the resignation of Alpidio Alonso, the Minister of Culture responsible for violently attacking a journalist on January 27, 2021.
The Imagine Protest in Cuba Performance below was part of an artistic initiative launched by Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in which people imagined what they would say if the woke up to a nation in the midst of rebellion with millions taking to the streets in demands of their rights and freedoms. Sept 16, 2020.
