The regime inaugurates the first International Biennial of Political Humor; but warns that "there are limits" regarding the topic of Cuba and its leaders.

The First International Biennial of Political Humor was inaugurated this Friday in Havana with the participation of cartoonists from 24 countries, but authorities warned that there were "limits" when it came to the topic of Cuba and its leaders.

Organized by the National Council of Plastic Arts and the Ministry of Culture, the event has in competition 225 works from 60 contestants from the invited countries, as reported by Martí Noticias.

However, Arístides Hernández, a member of the organizing committee, stated at a press conference that "there are always limits in humor," and in the case of Cuba, these are "related to the historical figures of the Revolution and the foundational concepts of the Cuban national identity; there will be room for social critique and satire as long as those points are not touched upon in a disrespectful or degrading manner," he said.

Ismael Lema Águila, a cartoonist, director of the official humor magazine "Palante," and a member of the organizing committee of the Biennial, said that the main focus of the event is the contest featuring over 200 works by 66 creators from 24 countries.

However, the journalist, writer, and comedian Jorge Fernández Era, who is constantly pursued by the regime, drew attention to the fact of organizing "a political humor festival in a country where no political humor is allowed that deviates from established norms."

The same goes for comedians as for writers: if you don't defend the line drawn by the party and the government, you are an outcast, and that's what has been happening to me for over a year. That's where the great irony lies, and it seems to me to be a huge mockery," he said in statements to Martí Noticias.

Also, Enrique del Risco, a university professor, writer, and Cuban humorist exiled in the United States, said that a humorist like Fernández Era is persecuted daily for expressing himself freely. "If something the humorists in Cuba should do is to stand up against a colleague being persecuted, and that, of course, is not done," he emphasized.

He recalled that Cuban authorities censor, keep under house arrest, and prevent Fernández Era from leaving the country, despite the fact that in July 2023, more than 200 comedians, artists, and writers denounced, in a public letter, the "campaign of harassment and discredit" against the artist, who is "a reference for Cuban humor for four decades," editor and author of books, and "awarded numerous national and international awards throughout his career."

On the island, where the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta, and other political figures are constantly the subject of memes and jokes both inside and outside of Cuba, several people have been jailed for mocking their figure and that of other leaders on social media.

According to the organizers, in addition to the competition that will award three prizes, the event will feature graphic exhibitions, panel discussions, theatrical performances, audiovisual presentations, and musical performances at the gallery located at 23 and 12, its main headquarters, as well as at the Pabellón Cuba and the Yara Cinema, all located in Havana.

The theme of the festival will be "The Fight against Neofascism," an ideological movement characterized by the subjugation of citizens to the State, a totalitarian regime, and the rejection of political rights and civil liberties.