Related videos:
The historian and Cuban activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández shared a reflection in which she reviews her evolution as an intellectual and citizen in Cuba, in the context of the 103rd anniversary of the Protest of the Thirteen.
In a post on Facebook, the academic recalled that since March 2023 she began going every 18th of the month to the Liberty Park in Matanzas as a form of non-violent civic protest, a practice she continues to this day. “Demonstrating every 18th was my way of expressing that I disagreed with how this system crushed our rights,” she stated.
Her message focuses on the personal journey that led her from academic analysis to public action. “I am an intellectual and a citizen who understood that remaining silent was not an option,” she wrote.
According to his account, this change occurred after a summons from State Security in October 2022, which he refused to attend, subsequently leading to a judicial process and a conviction for "disobedience" in November 2023. "Writing was no longer enough. They were coming for our voices," he stated.
In his reflection, López insists that the fundamental problem in Cuba is not solely economic, but political. “Our rights are irreconcilable with a system that has been based, from its inception, on political exclusion,” he stated.
He also questioned the lack of recognition for citizens within the country, in contrast to the government's willingness to engage in dialogue with international actors. "It can negotiate under pressure with a country it considers its 'historic enemy,' but it is unable to accept Cuban citizens as interlocutors," he wrote.
In that same vein, he criticized the fact that fundamental demands are not included in discussions about potential changes. “What the international press has not mentioned are words like amnesty for political prisoners; cessation of repression; respect for rights; end to political exclusion,” he stated.
These ideas align with her recent stance on the national situation, where she has cautioned that economic openness and the influx of capital, even from the diaspora, will not resolve the crisis without profound political transformations, as she expressed in a reflection on economic reforms in Cuba.
Meanwhile, his immediate surroundings have reflected similar tensions. A few days ago, in his neighborhood in Matanzas, a graffiti with the word "Freedom" appeared, which was removed just a few hours later; however —as he pointed out— the aspiration it expresses remains, as shown in a publication about the censorship of that message.
As part of that ongoing practice, López announced that on March 18, he will return to the Parque de la Libertad at 10:30 in the morning, where he will demonstrate "against the violation of our rights" and to demand "amnesty for our compatriots imprisoned for political reasons."
He also questioned the official statements regarding the absence of repression against peaceful dissent. “They all lie without any shame,” he stated.
The intellectual also left open the possibility of facing new repressive actions. "We'll see if they order my arrest again tomorrow," she wrote.
Her action is part of the commemoration of the Protest of the Thirteen, which took place in 1923, when a group of Cuban intellectuals publicly denounced the political corruption of the time, an episode that she upholds as a benchmark of civic commitment in the country.
Filed under: