The Cuban poetess Isabel Mendoza received a celebration for her 65th birthday amidst a situation of poverty, as reported on Facebook by activist Yasser Sosa Tamayo, who visited her home along with others, bringing a cake, music from Grupo NOVA, and material and financial support collected by citizens.
According to the testimony shared by Sosa, the visit coincided "exactly" with the day Mendoza was turning 65.
The activist stated that upon arriving at the writer's house, they brought "a humble cake," "the lively music of Grupo NOVA," and the "affection" of those who contributed support for the honoree.
It was also stated that the help did not come from "an institution" or "a fancy office," but rather from "common people who decided not to look the other way."
In his post, Sosa described Mendoza's home as "very poor" and noted that, in addition to the celebration, several people gathered material and financial aid (25,000 pesos) "to give Isabel a big hug."
The activist presented the gesture as a show of solidarity towards the precarious situation in which the poetess lives. "Poetry was embraced by the people," he wrote, referring to an event he described as a "little piece of collective happiness."
He added that, despite the poverty, “the dignity” of Mendoza remained intact and that “poetry was breathing again” in “a humble little house.”
Isabel Mendoza has been forced to beg on the streets of Santiago de Cuba to feed her sick husband.
That situation was documented by Sosa Tamayo, who presented it as an example of the neglect faced by elderly individuals and cultural figures on the Island.
"Today I saw poetry begging for alms. It's not a metaphor. It's Isabel Mendoza. Poet. Award-winner. A woman who has sown beauty in pages and contests," wrote the activist at another time.
It also described the writer walking in “clothes worn by time” and “counting coins to be able to feed her sick husband.”
Sosa does not present the case as an isolated incident. The activist stated that while “many share poems on social media,” the woman who writes them “counts pennies on the sidewalk,” and argued that this is “not individual poverty,” but rather “a collective failure.”
In addition to providing financial assistance and celebrating birthdays, Sosa recounted that during a previous visit, he brought Mendoza a bag of food and a rose, a gesture he described as a sign of respect.
"The rose was not an ornament. It was respect. It was saying: culture is not disposable", he/she wrote.
The story of Isabel Mendoza is a reflection of the vulnerability faced by artists, the elderly, and low-income individuals in Cuba, forced to rely on private solidarity due to the lack of state support.
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