The Cuban singer and actress Lucrecia Pérez Sáez celebrated May 20th this Wednesday as a historic milestone for Cuba, in an interview granted to CiberCuba on the same day that the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formal charges against Raúl Castro for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996.
"This is a historic day. But when I say a historic day, I’m already talking about history. About history," the artist affirmed with an emotion that, in her own words, would prevent her from sleeping that night.
"I know that after the interview is over, I will be almost sleepless all night. Out of excitement. It's a wonderful feeling," he said.
Lucrecia, who remains banned in Cuba precisely for portraying in her music the plight of the rafters fleeing the regime, sees in this accusation the confirmation that "everything falls into place" and that Cuba can "rise again like a phoenix."
"All Cubans are waiting for that moment of freedom, because we are in the ashes here in Cuba," concluded the artist, describing it as one of the most exciting days of her life.
Journalist Tania Costa explained why she called Lucrecia for May 20th, the date in 1902 when the Republic of Cuba was proclaimed: "Not everything can be about looking at the garbage bins. People know the garbage bins are on the corner. People know they are in the dark. But it’s about selling that peace, that idea of we are going to be free. We are already there."
The artist, who has been living in Barcelona since 1993 and is banned in Cuba for composing the soundtrack to the documentary "Balseros," emphasized that the event was not just news, but a moment that will be remembered in the history books.
"I truly feel proud to be able to speak calmly. It may resonate with whoever it reaches in their own way, but it is being said with calmness and the hope that it will be beneficial for our people," she expressed.
The indictment of Raúl Castro, aged 94, includes seven federal charges: one for conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, four for homicide, and two for the destruction of civil aircraft, related to the downing on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
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