The Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara issued a direct warning about the future of Cuba in an interview with Tania Costa: "If the dictatorship survives this pivotal moment, it will be difficult because we will grow weary."
The co-founder of the Movimiento San Isidro, exiled in Miami since July 18 after serving five years in prison in Cuba, described the current moment as a historical window that must not be wasted.
Otero Alcántara rejected that his call for support for President Donald Trump is a partisan political gesture, equating it to the same type of request he makes to Europeans: "Just as I ask the Europeans, I am asking for help to accompany us in this crucial moment."
The activist emphasized that change in Cuba does not solely depend on external support, but rather on the Cubans themselves taking on their collective responsibility: "Right now, there are more than 9 million Cubans inside suffering, drowning, literally living in a pit, and that is not a life for any human being."
To illustrate the real impact of sustained efforts, he cited the case of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who publicly declared that he had been inspired by a group of Cuban artists. "If we had been working, sacrificing things, perhaps the situation would be different right now," he reflected.
Rubio officially welcomed Otero Alcántara on July 19, described the San Isidro Movement as a "beacon of hope," and demanded the release of more than 700 political prisoners in Cuba.
The activist also opened the door to the possibility of more direct international action against the regime, using the term "surgical intervention" to refer to an operation aimed at removing its leaders, although he clarified that "they are the ones who know who they need to take away."
Behind the political warning lies a personal motivation that Otero Alcántara did not hide: the fear that he and his generation will grow old without witnessing change. "We will also see ourselves getting old. I don't know what will come next," he admitted.
His hope is that the transformation happens in time: "I want it to remain in my generation so that my son can live in a peaceful place and have a desire to live in Cuba."
Otero Alcántara insisted that he does not believe in messianic solutions or savior leaders: "I have no faith that an all-powerful god is going to come, open the heavens, and send down a lightning bolt. I believe in work."
The activist, who stated "I was expelled from Cuba" upon arriving in Miami, also warned about the risk that, after the dictatorship, Cuba could fall into the hands of "another Fidel Castro," and advocated for strong institutions that transcend individuals as a guarantee of a real democratic transition.
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