The first conscious memory of Julio Llópiz-Casal begins in a crib in Santos Suárez. He looks up at the tiled ceiling, and suddenly, his mother enters the scene with a radiant smile and a question that would follow him throughout his life: «What do you think about life?».
That moment returned to his memory over and over again after the passing of Inés Casal. The Cuban artist and activist turned it into an emotional farewell posted on Facebook, written from the intimacy of a son attempting to answer, many years later, that question from his mother.
Llópiz-Casal recounted that he had relived that memory "in a loop seven hundred times" during the last few hours. He assumes that back then, still a baby, he must have responded with a smile.
Now he could respond with words, experiences, and accumulated certainties, but he preferred to do it the same way: with another smile, this time marked by the years and everything lived.
"It has been beautiful to arrive here especially because your sweetness never left me alone, because you taught me to better appreciate this life of ours", he wrote.
He also thanked his mother for the strength she gave him to face "the dark sides" and to protect "the treasures that God gives us."
The farewell ended like a promise of continuity beyond physical absence: "Light on the path, Inés of my soul. We continue, now in new ways. I love you."
Julio's words seem to complete a dialogue that his mother had left open just a few months earlier.
In February, when the physical distance imposed by exile kept them apart, Inés Casal dedicated another message filled with love and remembrance.
She remembered the first heartbeat of her child inside her, the sleepless nights, the fevers, the accidents, and that deeply maternal fear of not being able to sense any danger.
“From the first heartbeat of your heart, which I felt like a tiny snake moving in my belly, I knew that something wonderful was growing inside me that would be with me forever,” Inéz said in words that encapsulate the unconditional and infinite love of someone who feels like a mother.
All that unease, she wrote, vanished at the first smile, the small hands that held hers and the first steps, followed by those that would lead Julio "on the straight and honest path" until he became the man she admired.
«How naïve are those who think that separating us physically will break that bond! Your heart will continue beating with mine forever», Inés stated.
Reread after his death, those words take on a new dimension.
The heart she promised to carry with her now lives on in her son's memory, while that first question about life finds its answer in gratitude, smiles, and love.
The strength behind the sweetness
The sweet woman who appears in Julio's memories was also a Cuban with strong convictions, capable of critically reviewing her own history and raising her voice against abuses of power.
Inés Casal, a retired professor, had been a member of the Communist Party of Cuba for almost 30 years. She stated that she sincerely believed in the Revolution until she felt betrayed by a system to which she had dedicated a significant part of her life.
The defense of her son became one of her most visible battles. In February 2021, in response to the official campaign against participants of the 27N movement, she denounced the escalation of hate and slander that continued to divide Cubans.
Inés publicly defended Julio's honesty and rejected the accusations used by the regime to discredit him. She insisted that her son was neither a terrorist nor a criminal, but a Cuban artist who refused to accept restrictions on political, creative, and expressive freedoms.
Two months later, he addressed the authorities again. "I urge you to stop this media assassination," he demanded from the Cuban government, denouncing the smear campaigns against young people whose only "crime" was to think differently and express it.
Her maternal concern was never limited to her own family. In her writings, she also spoke for other Cuban mothers who silently endured persecution, imprisonment, or injustices committed against their children, urging them not to remain silent.
In November 2021, she reflected on the awakening of a new generation and acknowledged the fear that her generation had instilled in their descendants by teaching them to stay silent to avoid trouble.
After admitting the sadness of having devoted an entire life to what he considered a lie, he placed his hope in the young Cubans who defended the homeland, dignity, and decorum.
Her sensitivity reemerged powerfully after the fire at the Supertankers Base in Matanzas. In August 2022, she stated that there was no forgiveness for those who sent inexperienced youth to face a disaster that required professional firefighters.
Inés called for respect for the pain of the mothers, fathers, and relatives of those young men, and rejected the idea that their deaths should be cloaked in heroic speeches, diplomas, or medals.
Her critical gaze extended to society as a whole. In March 2025, she denounced the corruption, indifference, and loss of values that, in her opinion, were leading Cuba towards a gradual demise.
Casal accused the ruling elite of crushing the country with impunity, but also urged Cubans to examine their own responsibility regarding silence, divisions, and indifference towards the suffering of others.
Her voice remained strong until her last months. In April, she asserted that fewer people were being deceived by Castro's propaganda and celebrated that more Cubans were beginning to lose their fear and confront the regime.
He then described a country worn down by blackouts, the lack of water, hunger, and poverty, but he ended his reflection with a statement that captured his spirit: “I continue and will continue with my hope intact.”
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