A generation determined: How Cuba’s Christian influencers have caught the regime off-guard

It is no secret that for 67 years the Cuban people have been oppressed under a deceptive discourse of victory and prosperity, which with each decade has only drifted further from the dream, revealing the true nightmare of the failure and misery of their so-called revolution.

While many in earlier generations accepted the illusory utopia to survive, today’s generation has awakened to the advance of technology, connectivity and the cyber world in a way that not even a dictatorship can contain. And, although failure has been tolerated and its reality evaded for almost seven decades, in just eight years young Cubans have become the protagonists of a new revolution on the island; their only weapons the truth and a mobile phone.

This snowball effect became internationally visible with the San Isidro Movement (MSI), which emerged in September 2018 in response to Decree 349, a law requiring artists to obtain prior permission for public and private exhibitions and performances, meant to control artistic expression. Many of the most prominent critics of that law – such as performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel Castillo Pérez, better known as Maykel Osorbo – unknowingly paved the way for their future arrests.

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Una generación decidida: Cómo los jóvenes influencers cristianos de Cuba han tomado por sorpresa al régimen.

No es un secreto que durante 67 años el pueblo cubano ha sido oprimido bajo un discurso de victoria y prosperidad que, con cada década, se ha alejado más del sueño, revelando la verdadera pesadilla del fracaso y la miseria de su mal llamada revolución.

Mientras que muchos en generaciones anteriores aceptaron la utopía ilusoria para sobrevivir, la generación actual ha despertado gracias al avance de la tecnología, la conectividad y el mundo digital de una manera que ni siquiera una dictadura puede contener. Y, aunque el fracaso se ha tolerado y su realidad se ha eludido durante casi siete décadas, en tan solo ocho años los jóvenes cubanos se han convertido en protagonistas de una nueva revolución en la isla, cuyas únicas armas son la verdad y un teléfono móvil.

Este efecto bola de nieve se hizo visible internacionalmente con el Movimiento San Isidro (MSI), que surgió en septiembre de 2018 en respuesta al Decreto 349, una ley que obliga a los artistas a obtener permiso previo para exposiciones y presentaciones públicas y privadas, con el fin de controlar la expresión artística. Muchos de los críticos más destacados de esa ley, como el artista visual Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara y el rapero Maykel Castillo Pérez (‘Maykel Osorbo’), allanaron sin saberlo el camino para sus futuras detenciones.

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‘Cuba needs more than words’: Why neutrality is not an option for religious leaders on the island. 

‘It was terrifying for my children… they started crying and screaming.’

On Sunday 22 March, in Guanabacoa, Havana Province, Cuba worshippers, including several minors, at the Christ Center Missionary Alliance were attacked with stones and concrete blocks by a neighbour who reportedly works for the Ministry of the Interior, and who has a history of hostile actions targeting the church. The church’s Pastors Yoennis Cala and Dayana Gómez, along with their young children, experienced moments of panic when a neighbour hurled objects at their home.

The incident marked one of several indicators of a new wave of repression in Cuba – one marked by detentions, acts of violence, and actions targeting individuals linked to religious belief and public expression, and one that reflects a troubling pattern across different regions of the country.

Continue reading “‘Cuba needs more than words’: Why neutrality is not an option for religious leaders on the island. “

«Cuba necesita más que palabras»: Por qué la neutralidad no es una opción para los líderes religiosos en la isla.

«Fue aterrador para mis hijos… comenzaron a llorar y a gritar».

El domingo 22 de marzo, en Guanabacoa (provincia de La Habana, Cuba), varios fieles —incluyendo a varios menores— de la Alianza Misionera «Cristo Centro» fueron atacados con piedras y bloques de hormigón por un vecino que, según se informa, trabaja para el Ministerio del Interior y que cuenta con un historial de acciones hostiles dirigidas contra la iglesia. Los pastores de la congregación, Yoennis Cala y Dayana Gómez, junto con sus hijos pequeños, vivieron momentos de pánico cuando el vecino arrojó objetos contra su vivienda.

Este incidente constituyó uno de los varios indicios de una nueva ola de represión en Cuba: una ola marcada por detenciones, actos de violencia y acciones dirigidas contra personas vinculadas a la fe religiosa y a la expresión pública; un fenómeno que, además, refleja un patrón inquietante en diversas regiones del país.

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A pastor arrested over YouTube videos, a child detained for days, a country in crisis. What is happening in Cuba?

On 15 March Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora was arrested in front his family in a park in Peñas Altas, Matanzas, in northern Cuba, moments after he had finished uploading a Bible teaching video to his YouTube channel.

It is not clear what offence the political police officers who arrested him believed he had committed. Pastor Pérez told CSW that he records and uploads videos in the park, which is one of only two locations in the area with public Wi-Fi, every week. His wife, Gelayne Rodríguez Ávila, joins him and often prays for those who gather to listen and request prayer.

Video footage taken by Mrs Rodríguez depicts her husband being forced into a patrol car by two officers as he protests: ‘You’re mistreating me for no reason. I haven’t done anything wrong.’ The cries of his young children can be heard in the background.

Continue reading “A pastor arrested over YouTube videos, a child detained for days, a country in crisis. What is happening in Cuba?”