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The Deputy Director General of the United States Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX), Johana Tablada de la Torre, celebrated the return to Cuba of the duo Buena Fe and compared them to the troubadour Silvio Rodríguez.
“We are millions who are happy that Buena Fe does not give up, does not get poisoned, and cannot and will not be silenced. Like Silvio, you illuminate and invite with your music and poetry to embark every day on the path of virtue, the hardest and the most beautiful,” said the official in the comments on a social media post by Israel Rojas.
The diplomat, recently included in the list of repressors by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FDHC), thanked them for “keeping the fire alive and nurturing the inspiration that distances humanity from selfishness and barbarism.”
Back from a troubled tour in Spain, where Cuban activists mobilized to denounce and protest the duo's performances, leading to the cancellation of several of them, the leader of Buena Fe was also included in the list of repressors by the FDHC.
Accused of repressing journalist and lawyer Roberto Quiñones Haces, of inciting violence against the demonstrators of July 11, and of collaborating with Castroite propaganda, the musician and graduate of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) was added to the list after Tablada de la Torre.
Additionally, following the attack on two activists at a concert held in Madrid -by alleged officials from the Cuban Embassy in Spain-, Rojas claimed to be unaware of the existence of political prisoners in Cuba.
"As far as I know, no. And I am not going to talk about something I am not familiar with. If someone lets me know… They may say that I don't know it because I don't want to. That's not the case. I'm not everywhere…" the musician remarked in an interview.
For its part, Tablada de la Torre has been dedicated to "spreading official propaganda by distorting Cuban reality," according to the file created by the Cuban Repressors program.
Cited for defamation and persecution for political reasons, the official was added to the FDHC list following a meeting with visiting Americans on the island, where she stated that in Cuba, unlike in the United States, the hotels belong to the people.
In a meeting with over 150 leaders of movements and social organizations from that country, he stated that the money spent by foreigners in Cuba goes towards public services, which distorts the reality of the country.
"The military-business group GAESA owns 118 hotels, five marinas, and ten stores for tourism, and its revenue, which is not audited, is disproportionately invested in building more hotels and tourist facilities," the FDHC stated in its argument.
"In 2022, 15,832.7 million pesos were allocated to these activities, whereas a total of 2,730.4 million was assigned to education, health, and agriculture," the Foundation noted as an example.
Determined to turn a blind eye to the evidence and distort the reality of Cuba, Tablada de la Torre took advantage of Buena Fe's return to comment on Rojas's post and continue her propaganda campaign at all times and in all places.
Thanking "all the people and friends from always" from Spain -the country where her husband, Eugenio Martínez, was an ambassador while she served in Portugal-, Tablada de la Torre referred to the Cubans who protested against the Buena Fe concerts as "poor souls."
“They have neither the courage nor the empathy to be moved and oppose the assault on art and truth, and the abuses and suffocating measures imposed by the U.S. government that harm our people. Since the perfect siege measures were enacted in 2019, on top of the most severe blockade and in the midst of the pandemic, it has led to the largest exodus of Cubans and has deteriorated the well-being of millions to inhuman levels, even affecting health services,” the diplomat stated.
If it weren't for the weight that their functions give to their words, one might think that, more than in the list of repressors, Tablada de la Torre should be depicted in the style of Bosco, navigating the shadows of a blackout and playing some instrument alongside Silvio, Miguel Díaz-Canel and Buena Fe in "The Ship of Fools".
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