Related videos:
Since he was very young, Antonio Arroyo clearly knew his calling: art. At the age of nine, driven by an impulse that he still remembers vividly today, he went to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television to ask how he could become an artist.
That day marked the beginning of a journey that would lead him to become a familiar face on Cuban television, with a solid career in theater, radio, film, and directing, including his role as the host of the program "Todo con Tony."
In this exchange, the actor, creator, and good friend shares his current situation with the readers of CiberCuba.
What are you currently doing? Has the television program you wanted to produce started yet?
I recorded the program. I am waiting for a verdict from the management of Cubavisión. There have been many setbacks. It seems that they don't want me there. I have an iron-clad advisor, Regla Borona, who has pushed things forward. Regla is one of the smartest people I know, and together we have formed an unbeatable steel team. We have designed and programmed the best possible project for Saturday nights. The rest is out of my hands.
I'm not everyone's cup of chocolate, but I do excel at my job. I have no shame or prejudice in saying that, and it seems some people don't like it. It's been a tremendous challenge to get this show on the air, and at this point, I don't even know if it's going to happen.
They are discussions that have nothing to do with the program itself, but rather with other matters... Nothing related to the outcome! This is what the artistic work is all about, to which I have devoted myself for 55 years.
Tony, you have become a chronicler of your time, of your environment. It is a pleasure to read and listen to you: you don’t exaggerate, you don’t overwhelm, you are precise in your observations. Have your writings ever gotten you into trouble?
I write and speak about what I see, what I hear, what I feel. It is a compulsive need to communicate that drives me to maintain a Facebook page, where on some days I write reviews, chronicles, discuss life, the day-to-day here in Cuba without any kind of bias because I am neither right-wing nor left-wing; I am simply a man with common sense. I lean more towards progressive stances, towards inclusion, and that is what my words, my thoughts, my reflections are about. And no... so far I haven’t had any problems! I hope not to have any.
How can sensitivity and imagination be cultivated beyond the superficial educational methods of today?
Education should focus on learning, on discovering, on teachers instilling in children the need to read, the need to research. That has been lost!
The teachers today, I don't want to generalize, but there are many who don't know where they stand. I know anecdotes of students who have had to correct their teachers, some of whom have been left in doubt because, I repeat, they don't know where they stand.
There is an issue worth studying because children are the generations that will govern the world in the future, in 15 or 20 years; in our case, this country.
I don't know if I'll be alive by then, but it will be a problem if they don't have the necessary and comprehensive foundations of culture to be able to live, even without going further.
Present and Future of Cuban Television
Our television is political; it is more focused on ideology than on culture, despite the segments that try to “balance” things out. The television of 15, 20, or 30 years ago, when I was more actively involved, had a cultural distinction. The decision-makers were cultured individuals with knowledge. They were people who radiated culture and distributed it in a thorough manner.
The television programs where cinema was discussed. I fondly remember Enrique Colina in “24 x segundo”, Dr. Mario Rodríguez Alemán, the soap operas, the theater segments, and the storytelling shows.
Technology has also changed, and television is no longer made with a backing and two black and white cameras.
Now television is in color, and that entails money that, unfortunately, the country does not have.
There is also the fact that they do not see television as a business. Brazil remains an important benchmark in terms of television production, accounting for 0.2% of GDP (gross domestic product). You realize that they, who did NOT invent soap operas, have taken what we created over 60 years ago, nearly 70. Cuba and Mexico were the leaders of Hispanic television.
Cuban radio plays and soap operas were exported very cheaply throughout Latin America. That has always pained me. I have tried many times to make a novela with those codes... but nothing, they've never allowed me! I wanted to create it, to try to sell it, to see if those profits could help continue producing, but no! Simply put, they're just not interested!
The novel currently captivating Cuban audiences has fortunately risen to the occasion, as the last two or three have struggled due to a lack of money, budget, and funding for quality production, which has hindered their overall completion.
Tamara (Castellanos), however, with the same amount of money, has managed to create a novel that meets expectations. Indeed, when there is talent and a willingness to work, great things can be accomplished.
What is your opinion of Tamara Castellanos?
She is the creator of “that novel” and I say it with emphasis and underline it.
Do you think that social media can overshadow radio and television?
The networks are already doing their part everywhere, even here in Cuba. There are people who don’t need to appear on television or be heard on the radio—artists, I mean— for their work to be recognized. I'm thinking of urban singers.
Right now, I am reminded of Musteerifa, a girl who raps and is finishing; finishing, finishing, finishing… with a message that has nothing to do with disgraceful or vulgar lyrics or misogynistic discourse.
She is a lesbian girl who has no qualms about embracing her sexuality. Her voice is amazing, she has a manager handling her social media, and I’ve seen her perform to a full house, so that gives you an idea of where things are headed.
The impact that social networks have had on the lives of people all over the world cannot be overlooked. In Cuba, it seems we are lagging behind, but signs of their importance are beginning to be felt. There is even a political strategy aimed at ensuring that social networks occupy a prominent space in our lives.
One way to overcome shame, sadness, and abandonment is through love and empathy. What is your opinion on the conflict among Cubans, which is currently so trending?
Throughout my life, I have found the confrontation among Cubans to be absurd. It shouldn't be that because I want to stay and you want to leave, that should create a distance between us. There is a distinctly economic interest at play because, when I lived in Argentina, the most significant Jewish community (outside of Israel, this community is the largest in the world) comprises over 200,000 Jews, and they all live in their neighborhood, in peace and harmony. They have their restaurants, their jewelry stores, and the services they provide within their community. And there, no one interferes with them.
Italians and Chinese in the United States, they all thrive in the community. It's us, the only place, the only country where people are questioned for wanting to emigrate. There is something we are not doing right, who cast the first stone?
It's a matter with which I do not agree, both from one side and the other. Respect must prevail. From respect and acceptance of the other comes communication. I have millions of friends, almost all of whom live abroad, and so what?... So what?!
That is not a problem for me at all. I have Trump-supporting friends. We don’t talk about politics; even when we discuss Trump, the joking prevails over the disasters that man is causing right now, but it’s all from a place of love and affection. I can’t understand how a friendship could end just because we think differently, and let me be clear, I am neither right-wing nor left-wing. I consider myself an inclusive progressive.
Tell me about your books
Well, I have written two: Mantilla, after La Palma and Bendita Habana. Both are available on Amazon, where they can be purchased at an affordable price.
A wish for the Cubans, for Cuban culture
I wish for Cuban culture to be an inclusive and integrative culture; a culture that sees Cuban identity not just as a geographical matter, but as something that goes far beyond our insularity. Cuba belongs to Cubans wherever they are, and if we build a dialogue from that perspective, I believe we will be much better, both ourselves and those who come after us.
For Cubans, for my people, I wish for prosperity, I wish that we can look at each other face to face, with joy, and give each other a big hug for being born on this magnificent island, no matter where we are.
It is truly an infinite pleasure to engage in dialogue with this man, an actor, director, and a person from the community, who has now taken on the task of creating a podcast that reflects the everyday life of Cubans: the almendrones, the potholes, the bread, the classes, the children, Rafael, the six-year-old boy adopted by a mother and her daughter... In short! It is an infinite pleasure to bring him to the pages of CiberCuba.
Filed under: