CELAC summit: Lacalle Pou recited the song "Patria y Vida" before Cuban dictator Díaz-Canel
Luis Lacalle Pou starred in two important moments in the tense CELAC summit in Mexico before the dictators of Cuba and Venezuela: in both cases he demanded democracy.
"The president of Cuba uses arguments from my nation that, obviously, I neither share nor are true. Yes there is something that is true: in my country, luckily, the opposition can collect signatures, the opposition has democratic resources to complain ... That is the great difference with the Cuban regime," said the Uruguayan and he recited a verse from "Patria y Vida" ("Homeland and Life"), the song that became an emblem of the fight against the Cuban dictatorship: "I want to quote a very beautiful song that those who sing it feel oppressed by the government: 'Let the blood not continue to flow for wanting to think differently, who told you that Cuba belongs to you if my Cuba belongs to all my people'".
The song "Homeland and life", openly contrary to the regime of the island and its policies, is a contrast to the Cuban revolutionary slogan "Patria o Muerte" ("Homeland or death"). It alludes to recent events such as the protest last November by the San Isidro Movement, which ended with the eviction and arrest of artists and activists locked up on a hunger strike to protest the arrest of rebellious rapper Denis Solís. And, in addition, it became a symbol of the historic protests of July 11 last.
After the launch of the theme, the dictatorship felt the impact it had on Cuban society and increased the persecution against some of the artists who participated in the project, such as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who was detained against his will for a month in a Havana hospital after starting a hunger strike, and is constantly persecuted by the regime's security forces.
"We no longer shout Fatherland and death, but Fatherland and life!" during the last months.
In the popular song there are also references to the partial dollarization of the Cuban economy in the midst of the serious crisis that the country is going through, where the State has been trading a good part of food and basic products in foreign currency for months, despite the fact that the majority of the population does not charge in that currency nor can acquire it through official channels. The letter mentions the irruption of State Security agents on November 26 to the headquarters of the group to repress the barracks who read poetry and participated in a hunger strike to demand the release of rebellious rapper Denis Solís. "They broke down our door, violated our temple and the world is aware that the San Isidro Movement continues to be in place," sing the interpreters, all of them very popular in Cuba and Miami. where is most of the political exile and a large community of emigrants from the island.
The impact of the song is undoubted. Since it came to light, there has been no march, both in Cuba and abroad, in which freedom is not claimed under the slogan "Homeland and life."
After the intervention of Lacalle Pou , the dictator Díaz-Canel took the floor without permission and accused the Uruguayan of having "very bad taste in music.". Reading his response and visibly nervous, he replied: "If President Lacalle wants to discuss things with us, we ask him to provide us with a space and discuss them face to face without having to bring issues to CELAC."
The second shocking moment of the Uruguayan president's intervention was when he identified the dictatorships of the region by name and demanded democracy : “Participating in this forum does not mean being complacent. And with due respect, when one sees that in certain countries there is no full democracy, when the separation of powers is not respected, when the repressive apparatus is used to silence protests, when opponents are imprisoned, when human rights are not respected We, in a calm but firm voice, must say with concern that we seriously see what is happening in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela ”.
In the room, in addition to the Cuban dictator, there was the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro who spoke to him immediately afterwards. Enraged, he began his speech with a direct challenge to those who denounced the brutality of his regime: “Let Lacalle set the date and place. Or you López Obrador. And Venezuela is ready to debate democracy, freedoms, resistance, revolution and what needs to be debated in the face of the people, live and direct, or in private. As you want. With respect and without exclusions”.
Source: Infobae
Posts
