The Cuban filmmaker Ian Padrón, son of the cartoonist Juan Padrón, responded to the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel after the use of the character Elpidio Valdés in a tweet where the leader congratulated the creation of the cartoon.
"I open social media and see that today we celebrate the 54th birthday of Elpidio Valdés, colonel of the Liberating Army with whom many generations have grown up. Fiancé of María Silvia, rider of Palmiche, brave mambí with whom we have shouted many times ¡Viva Cuba Libre! Elpidio is #Cuba," wrote the designated leader.
His words caused a stir on social media, including the response that Ian Padrón made on his YouTube channel.
Dressed in a coat depicting the figure of Elpidio Valdés, Ian repeated something he has said on other occasions: "I tell him he is my older brother, the oldest son, that is, my older brother and the oldest son of my father Juan Padrón."
The filmmaker mentioned that he did not plan to make a program but felt "forced" to respond to Díaz-Canel after referring to Elpidio.
"I wasn't planning to do a show today because, as you know, I am preparing my new documentary about my trip to Venezuela. A few days ago, I showed you a preview of my trip to Venezuela and what I was able to film there during the protests against Nicolás Maduro and the election fraud," he revealed.
Ian lashed out at the Cuban ruler, accusing him of using the image of Elpidio "to turn it into propaganda."
He assured that the president knows he is unpopular and uses a cartoon character that is one of the most popular in the country for his messages.
"First, remind Díaz-Canel and all the powerful people of Cuba that they grant themselves the right that everything belongs to them, it’s not like a farm, a feudal lord’s mindset that everything their subjects do is theirs, and that’s not how it is, in other words, Elpidio Valdés is a creation of Juan Padrón and his heirs."
The filmmaker pointed out that his family (mother and sister) has tried not to politicize the figure of the animated mambí, which is why he feels irritated when it is used by the Cuban government.
"The heirs of Padrón are the ones who can decide, because our father gave us that authority. We are the ones who can decide the use of that character and we have done everything possible to prevent it from being politically mixed," he added.
He also pointed out some inconsistencies regarding the date when Elpidio's comic was first published in the magazine Pionero.
"I have been preparing this book for a long time, this book that already has many pages, about 500 pages, a kind of encyclopedia about Elpidio Valdés, and in that research, I discovered, relatively recently, that August 14 is not the anniversary of the first publication. It was first published on August 4, 1970," he clarified, although he said it is not an exact date.
Ian also referred to intellectual property as a weapon in defense of his father's creation, although he assured that in Cuba it does not receive the respect it deserves.
"That disrespect towards individual property, that disrespect towards individual creations, even the lawyers who might be watching this know that Cuba's copyright law is quite harsh, and does not protect the true rights of creators," he accused.
During the recent parliamentary elections held in Cuba in 2023, the ruler also made use of the figure of Elpidio Valdés to call on Cubans to vote, knowing that there is no plurality of candidates on the island and that all respond to the same Communist Party. This action also prompted a response from Ian Padrón.
A few years ago, the filmmaker demanded "respect" for his father due to the use of the image of his popular character.
"We must respect the use of Elpidio Valdés and its author, my father Juan Padrón," he asserted in a video posted on the social network Facebook.
The statements came as a result, according to him, of various comments from close individuals who asked for his opinion on the use of the figure of Elpidio Valdés in the Cuban government's political propaganda to ensure a positive vote in the constitutional referendum on February 24, 2019, something that they themselves guarantee in advance.
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