In Cuba in 2018, a movement of artists and poets formed in San Isidro, Cuba. It came as a direct reaction to a decree passed by the government that gave the Ministry of Culture arbitrary and discretionary power to censor artistic expression. Recently, a new song called Patria y Vida has started a new revolution. The song calls out the acts of the government, especially the censorship of artistic expression. The song also calls for the overthrow of the authoritarian government. It mentions key events that have taken place within the San Isidro Movement. It mentions a hunger strike that members and artists started in November 2020 after a rapper was arrested. The song has caused a grassroots movement to gain more freedom. People have begun protesting through more artistic expression with new graffiti appearing around the island overnight.
Cubans have been fed up with the authoritarian government for a while. In 2018, Cuba gained access to high speed internet, which has resulted in a new sense of unity among citizens. Since then, they’ve been fighting for more freedom. The president of the Democracy Movement, Ramón Saúl Sánchez said, “it’s the beginning of the end…it is the beginning of a new era.” Cubans are demanding freedom, starting with artistic expression. The government already uses violence to squash protests, so it is going to take a lot of people, and perhaps violence on the citizens’ part, to overthrow the government and begin a transition to a democratic form of government. The last revolution was in 1952 when Fidel Castro took over. Nearly 70 years later, Cubans are calling for another revolution to bring about change.
Cuba is one of the last countries in the region, aside from Venezuela, to still have an authoritarian communist government. All other surrounding countries have democracies. If Cuba became democratic, it is likely that the U.S. will lift the embargo. This would mean a huge influx of products, tourists, investment in businesses, and even large amounts of financial aid from international donors.
Cuba is in a very significant geopolitical position. They are only 50 miles to our coast in Florida and the closest island to the Gulf of Mexico. It would open a whole new market with travel restrictions dissolved. A democratic Cuba would represent a new emergence in the global arena. They would have a brand new role and be very involved with other countries.