Alpidio Alonso Grau, born in Yaguajay on November 5, 1963, is a Cuban poet and editor who graduated from the Universidad Central de Las Villas with a degree in automatic control engineering. Since July 20, 2018, he has served as the Minister of Culture of Cuba.
He has published several poetry collections that are included in Anthologies of Cuban Poetry: "The House Like a Tree," Editorial Sed de Belleza, Santa Clara, 1995; "Hallucinations in Ana's Garden," Editorial Capiro, Santa Clara, 1995; "The Tree in the Eyes," Editorial Reina del Mar Editores, Cienfuegos, 1998; "Cities of the Wind," Calendario Prize 1999, Casa Editora Abril, Havana, 2000; "Late Suns I See," Casa Editora Abril, 2007.
He has also collaborated on various Cuban and foreign publications. He directed the poetry magazine Amnios, promoted by the Ministry of Culture, and wrote and hosted the radio program "Verso a verso" on Radio Metropolitana in Havana.
As Minister of Culture, Alpidio is one of the most rejected figures by Cuban society due to the repression that his ministry carries out against Cuban intellectuals, especially against the members of the San Isidro Movement and the very violence with which Alpidio reacted following the events of January 27, 2021 when a group of young people protested in front of his ministry.
On November 27, 2020, a group of young representatives of Cuban artists who criticized the repression of the San Isidro Movement as well as the lack of public freedoms on the island marched in a peaceful protest to the Ministry of Culture. After more than 12 hours of public protest, they reached an agreement with Cuban Deputy Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas and dissolved their demonstration after he agreed to engage in dialogue with 30 representatives of the groups gathered there.
Despite the agreement to initiate a "dialogue channel" that would include the Minister of Culture, among other officials, on January 27, 2021, a group of young people once again gathered in front of the Ministry of Culture to attempt to speak with Alpidio about several arbitrary detentions of artists, opponents, and activists that had occurred, (Cuban rapper and activist Denis Solís, among others)
Al llegar a las instalaciones los jóvenes se encontraron con un fuerte cordón policial fuera. Alpidio Alonso and other officials of the organization violently attacked the young people . Una transmisión en directo de la revista independiente Periodismo de Barrio mostró la violencia de varios funcionarios entre ellos del propio ministro que agredió a uno de los jóvenes que filmaba: Mauricio Mendoza, colaborador de Diario de Cuba.
Since that event, many national and international voices have joined together to call for the resignation of the Minister of Culture.
