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A testimony shared on social media has brought to the forefront a complaint regarding alleged racial and national discrimination that occurred in one of the most iconic cultural spaces in Havana: the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC).
Alejandro Bridon Mesa reported that on the night of December 26, around 10:00 PM, he was denied entry to the venue along with two friends, without any explanation, under the pretext of the so-called "right of admission."
According to his post on Facebook, the group went to the venue with the intention of celebrating the birthday of one of their companions. They chose the FAC because it is presented as an open, diverse, and plural space. However, what they experienced - he asserts - was an experience that highlights deep inequalities in Cuban society.
Bridon Mesa explained that they waited in line as usual. He noted that the people in front of them were either foreigners or white, and that all of them were able to access without difficulty.
When their turn came, a worker at the place—whom he described as a Black man—separated them from the others and informed them that they could not enter, citing "the right of admission." He offered no reasons or arguments to justify the refusal.
In the absence of explanations, Bridon Mesa inquired about the reasons behind the decision and tried to clarify that it was a birthday celebration, asking for at least one reason for the denial. He received no response.
At that very moment, she recounts, another Black woman was initially denied entry, but was allowed access after clarifying that she was not Cuban, reinforcing the perception of differential treatment based on skin color and nationality.
The most painful thing for the young man was not just the denial of entry, but the way it happened: as if he didn't even deserve an explanation. "As if our presence was uncomfortable, unwanted, invisible."
In their opinion, that silence is a form of humiliation and a denial of dignity. It is not just an individual gesture, but the reproduction of a system that normalizes exclusion.
The so-called "right of admission" is a concept that, in theory, should protect safety and order in a public or private space. However, in practice, it becomes an arbitrary mechanism that legitimizes discrimination. When no explanation is provided, what remains is the suspicion that entry was denied due to being Black or Cuban, Alejandro emphasized.
"What happened that night demonstrates how, even in spaces that are presented as cultural and open, colonial and racist logics are reproduced. The foreigner is favored, the white person is privileged, and the black Cuban is marginalized," he added.
Bridon Mesa warns that the attitude of that Black worker is more than an individual gesture: it is the reproduction of a system that teaches Cubans to deny the other, even when both belong to the same race. "It is the violence of exclusion disguised as administrative norm."
The publication concludes with a call not to normalize these practices and to regulate the use of the "right of admission" transparently, so that it does not become an excuse for discrimination.
Moreover, it advocates for culture as a space that should dignify, embrace, and include, rather than a privilege for some and exclusion for others.
"What we experienced that night at the Cuban Art Factory is a reminder that we still have a lot to transform as a society. It's not enough to open physical doors if the doors of respect and dignity are being closed," he concluded.
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