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Pavel Molina Ruiz, son of the late Cuban actor Enrique Molina, published an extensive message on Facebook in which he stated that his father “would not have remained silent” in the face of the injustices that, in his opinion, are occurring in Cuba.
In his post, Pavel directly addressed the ideological differences that characterized many of his family conversations. “My father was a communist at heart. He loved and defended socialism with all his soul,” he wrote. He then made his own stance clear: “I, on the contrary, advocate for the capitalist system because I believe it to be the fairest way to live among millions of people and to properly manage the sweat and sacrifice of human beings.”
Far from presenting those differences as a fracture, he explained that the discussions were frequent but respectful. “We argued a lot when we talked about politics, but in a healthy way, without disrespecting each other,” he pointed out. In one of the most emphatic passages of the text, he emphasized that the actor never tried to silence him: “My father never, ever asked me to lower my voice during my most fervent moments of criticizing the government, regardless of the fact that the shouting came from the same roof under which he lived.”
When referring to the context of July 11, he recalled that his father had just undergone surgery for a pacemaker and that a month later he fell ill with COVID-19, an illness that caused his death on September 3, 2021, in Havana, at the age of 78. Regarding those events, he expressed: “My father would have stood by the people, at least not leaving all those brave artists who spoke out outside the ministry alone. Undoubtedly, he would not have supported the imprisonments and the thousands of injustices that occurred during those days.”
"My father, without a doubt, and it came out in lowercase, I correct myself... MY FATHER, without a doubt, would not have remained silent like hundreds of thousands of people who are as guilty as those who govern Cuba," he stated in the post.
The post by Molina Ruiz, who according to the information available on his social media lives in Italy, has generated numerous comments and reactions, where the majority highlighted the integrity of the actor and the mutual respect between father and son despite having different opinions.
Several users agreed that many Cuban families experienced similar conflicts due to generational political differences. Others emphasized that Enrique Molina was “a great human being,” “a man of integrity,” and “one of the best Cuban actors,” regardless of his ideological stance.
There were also those who stated that, although they did not share the same views on communism, they respected the actor for his character and professionalism. Some recalled personal anecdotes, everyday encounters in neighborhoods of Havana, or shared experiences in the artistic field.
The impact of the message not only reignites the debate about the role of artists in relation to the realities of the country, but also places Enrique Molina's figure at the center of a broader conversation: that of personal coherence, dignity, and the right to think differently without sacrificing respect. His son's testimony does not seek to rewrite his history but to reclaim the nature of a man who, in his own words, never asked for silence and who—had he been able—would not have kept his own.
Enrique Molina passed away in September 2021 due to complications related to COVID-19. He was one of the most recognized figures in Cuban theater, film, and television, with an extensive artistic career that made him a role model for several generations.
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