The first conscious memory of Julio Llópiz-Casal begins in a cradle in Santos Suárez. He looks up at the ceiling tiles, and suddenly, his mother enters the scene with a bright smile and a question that would accompany him throughout his life: «What do you think about life?».
That moment returned again and again to his memory after the passing of Inés Casal. The Cuban artist and activist transformed it into an emotional farewell published on Facebook, written from the intimacy of a son trying to answer, many years later, that question from his mother.
Llópiz-Casal recounted that he had recalled "in a loop seven hundred times" that memory over the past few hours. He believes 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 in the same way: with another smile, this time marked by the years and all that he had lived.
“It's been beautiful to reach this point, especially because your sweetness never left me alone, because you taught me to better appreciate this life of ours,” he wrote.
Also, he 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 as 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 conversation 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 to her filled with love and memory.
She remembered her son's first heartbeat inside her, the sleepless nights, the fevers, the accidents, and that profoundly maternal fear of not being able to sense any danger.
“From the first heartbeat of your heart, which I felt like a little snake moving in my insides, I knew that something wonderful was growing inside me that would accompany me forever," Inéz said in words that encapsulate the unconditional and infinite love of someone who feels like a mother.
All that unrest, she wrote, vanished with the first smile, the small hands that squeezed hers and the first steps, followed by those that would lead Julio "along the straight and honest path" to become the man she admired.
«How naive are those who believe that physically separating us will break that bond! Your heart will keep beating with mine forever», Inés stated.
Reread after his death, those words take on a different dimension.
The heart she promised to carry with her now lives on in her son's memory, while that initial question about life finds answers 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 examining her own history and raising her voice against the abuses of power.
Inés Casal, a retired professor, had been a member of the Communist Party of Cuba for nearly 30 years. She stated that she sincerely believed in the Revolution until she felt betrayed by a system to which she had devoted 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 hatred 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 rather a Cuban artist who reclaimed political, creative, and freedom of expression.
Two months later, she addressed the authorities again. "I urge you to stop this media assassination," she demanded from the Cuban government while denouncing the smear campaigns against young people whose only "crime" was thinking differently and expressing it.
Her maternal concern was never limited to her own family. In her writings, she also spoke for other Cuban mothers who silently suffered the persecution, imprisonment, or injustices committed against their children, and urged them not to remain silent.
In November 2021, she reflected on the awakening of a new generation and acknowledged the fear that her own generation had passed on to its descendants by teaching them to remain 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 their homeland, dignity, and honor.
Her sensitivity reemerged strongly 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 confront 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 any notion that their deaths could be dressed up with heroic speeches, diplomas, or medals.
Her critical gaze extended to the entire society. In March 2025, she denounced the corruption, indifference, and loss of values that, in her opinion, were leading Cuba towards a gradual death.
Casal accused the ruling elite of crushing the country with impunity, but also urged Cubans to reflect on their own responsibility regarding the silence, divisions, and indifference towards the suffering of others.
Her voice remained strong until her final months. Last April, she affirmed that fewer and fewer people were being deceived by Castro's propaganda and praised the fact that more Cubans were beginning to lose their fear and confront the regime.
He then described a country worn down by blackouts, water shortages, hunger, and poverty, but he concluded his reflection with a statement that captured his essence: “I continue and will continue with unwavering hope.”
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