Young Cuban artists send message against US embargo

A woman wearing a face mask walks near a poster with images of national hero Jose Marti and leaders Fidel Castro, Raul Castro and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on June 3, 2021[Yamil Lage/AFP]
A woman wearing a face mask walks near a poster with images of national hero Jose Marti and leaders Fidel Castro, Raul Castro and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana

HAVANA, June 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — An exhibition condemning a six-decade United States embargo against Cuba opened at Havana’s Wilfredo Lam Center for the Development of Visual Arts.

Under the title “Unblock: Cuban young people against the blockade,” the exhibition illustrates how unilateral sanctions by the US has affected the daily lives of Cubans.

Organized by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country’s National Council for Visual Arts, the exhibition includes works created by fine arts students.

Among them was 17-year-old Miguel Calzadilla, who depicted the psychological impact of the embargo on the Cuban people. “We are committed to the present and future of the Cuban Revolution. The US blockade against Cuba is unfair and violates (the) human rights of people living here,” he said.

The event comes as the Cuban government has been preparing its annual resolution against the economic, commercial and financial embargo before the United Nation General Assembly.

Yamilys Brito, the exhibition’s curator, said that the works of art express the strength of younger generations. “It is about not only the way the US embargo affects the economy, but also people’s access to technology. It is a very diverse exhibition.”

Over the past few months, Cuban artists have painted murals outdoors and protested the measures of the US administration against the Caribbean nation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twenty-year-old painter Marisol de Armas said that the US government must put an end to its embargo, which continues to harm the living standards of the island’s people.

“This is a collective work. We want our voices to be heard,” she said. “The US blockade affects all walks of life. That is the idea we wish to express with our works of art.”

First imposed in 1962, the US embargo was intensified during former President Donald Trump’s term. Meanwhile, US flights to Cuban cities except Havana, U.S. cruise ships and yachts were all barred from visiting the Caribbean nation. The remittances that Cuban-Americans send to their families on the island were also limited. — NNN-XINHUA

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