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The Cuban actor residing in Miami, Lieter Ledesma, expressed in a post on Facebook his hope that the change in Cuba "is as least traumatic as possible" for those suffering under the regime's yoke.
"Cuba is a country hijacked by a military elite for nearly 70 years. The saddest part is that there is a population held captive, which means that many of us who have managed to escape fear and worry about their well-being. This divides opinions in the exile community, because no one can be asked not to care for a child or not to visit a parent," he wrote.
Ledesma, 44 years old, who starred in highly acclaimed dramatizations on the island for both children and adults, described himself as a free man, a man of peace, Christian, and conservative.
"I don't usually speak with slogans from either side; I don't like them," he noted, and he leaned towards being "on the side of Cuba as a nation, of the people who are its citizens, of all Cubans who want a better country, whether they live on the Island or abroad."
For this reason, he rejected the stances of those, both on the Island and beyond, who burden the people and profit from their suffering and dire economic hardships.
For this reason, he called for the release of political opponents who languish in the regime's prisons and expressed his hope that living in Cuba would never again, per se, be a punishment.
"Long live free Cuba!!! Free for everyone!!! Truly free!!! (…) May we all be able to see and enjoy the long-awaited change. Down with the dictatorships... ALL of them," he concluded.
Ledesma's post received several expressions of support on social media.
"One of them, probably from the Island, appreciated your words 'without offense to those of us here, without inciting us to worsen our situation, with the same wishes we all have for change but with as much peace as possible. 'Those on the inside and those on the outside' thank you for your support.'"
Another follower residing in the U.S. disagreed with the actor's approach: "I don't like your way of thinking regarding opinions against the dictatorship. Your stance on the show 'La familia Cuba' never convinces me; you are like Ulises Toirac in your views. I repeat: I am a follower of both you and Ulises, but I don't think like you. And I believe you are good people."
For her part, a resident in Naples urged a more radical stance. "Do you know what your issue is? You need to take a stand. I remember your reaction when the Cuban baseball team came to play here; it has nothing to do with what you’re suggesting today."
"We agree that there is a dictatorship. We all want to see a bright Cuba, free of scarcity, cleansed of everything that tarnishes it, but don’t play more word games, because it’s very ugly to go with the flow," he said, and concluded: "Be careful. It’s very difficult to live in Miami and navigate your world. Try to always maintain your stance."
Of course, there were no shortage of clarias, several with fake or restricted profiles, who invited him to openly censure the U.S. government's policy against the Havana regime.
"Tell Trump to lift the blockade," "You fell short when it comes to Trump's threats of tariffs on anyone who sends oil to Cuba. What happened with that?" or "I feel very confused by your good faith and your desire for your liberators to sweep us away. What a nice way to be a man of faith!" were some of the reproaches he received.
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