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The renowned Cuban actor Luis Alberto García firmly responded to a social media user who accused him of “not having done anything for Cuba” and of “not being a man of science or technology,” after the artist published a critical comment about the political marches called by the regime amid a national crisis.
"Gaza and Caracas should not take precedence over Matanzas and Cárdenas. Right?" García had written days earlier on his Facebook profile, questioning the mobilizations in support of foreign governments while the country faces blackouts, epidemic outbreaks, and shortages of food and medicine.
His comment generated dozens of reactions, including one from a user who criticized him for not having "weighty criteria" for being an artist and not a scientist. "Artists have developed the right hemisphere, but the left, the one of logic and intelligence, is not. Their criteria are not of weight," the woman wrote, adding that García "has done nothing for the country."
But the protagonist of films like Clandestinos responded with an extensive text titled “God save the ‘Queen’”, in which he defended his career, advocated for the role of artists in society, and recalled his time at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Vocational School, from which he requested to leave because they would not allow him to study art.
"They asked me on several occasions if I really preferred to dedicate my life to being a CLOWN rather than a SCIENTIST. These are prejudices that are unfortunately rooted in a large part of our people," wrote the actor.
García explained that, after leaving Lenin, he completed his pre-university studies in El Cerro and then enrolled in the Higher Institute of Art (ISA), where he graduated "with honors" in his university program.
“Long before I graduated and to this day, it has been an honor to contribute the little bit of talent I was given to the service of audiovisual and performing arts in the country where I was born,” he stated.
In a tone that is both ironic and challenging, the actor mocked the idea that artists lack logical intelligence: “I am already scheduling an appointment with a neurologist. And then, with a psychiatrist. Is this defect of artists congenital, or do people like you decide who gets to avoid it?”.
Finally, García concluded his message with a phrase that resonated with his followers: “From my sinister hemisphere, I send my opinion on the aforementioned details. You are not the queen of thought. I will continue to express what I believe because this archipelago is mine.”
García, considered one of the most respected actors in Cuban film and theater, has become a critical voice against the regime in recent years. Through his social media, he has questioned censorship, the precariousness of public services, and the political use of culture.
His most recent posts, in which he laments the lack of empathy from authorities regarding the health and energy crisis, have garnered hundreds of supportive comments, though there are also attacks from users aligned with the government.
"It would be more patriotic to dedicate the platform or the parade to those who are sick and those who have died from the viruses in Matanzas," he wrote in another post. "The country is falling apart, and they continue to hold parades."
The comment was interpreted as a direct criticism of the recent "anti-imperialist rallies" organized by the Communist Party of Cuba, where thousands of workers are mobilized to show support for allied governments such as Palestine and Venezuela, while a significant portion of the country suffers from blackouts and water shortages.
Despite his biting tone, García maintains in his messages a defense of the right to free opinion and an openly Cuban stance. "I didn't leave, I'm still here," he has stated in several interviews, insisting that his presence on the island does not imply silence or complicity.
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