Cuban Activism

Being that I am a Drama major, and have always taken a deep interest in the arts, I felt like it was natural for me to be drawn to the topic of arts in Cuba. At the start of this semester I was most concerned with the ways in which Cuban artists of all forms were dealing with activism. I eventually found myself struggling with the concept of activism itself and was left wondering if activism was even something that Cubans were allowed to grapple with. Understanding the great deal of power that socialism and Fidel Castro’s regime had over the Cuban people it seemed impossible for them to engage in any form of work that would speak out against the regime or view Cuba in an unpleasant light ( p19). While it may be true that Cubans were, and still are not allowed to speak against the Revolution that has not stopped them from expressing themselves and their frustrations.
perspective. Activism is often seen as overt actions speaking out against policies and societal views. To be fair, Cubans do not have the freedom to speak out in this sort of overt manner, they do however find ways to use are as a mode of resistance. It has even been deemed “a revolutionary weapon” by the Ministry of Culture in Cuba ( p9). In my opinion, art in Cuba is in fact revolutionary, it works as a mode of resistance and proves the resilience of the Cuban people; it redefines what arts and activism means because it does so on its own terms. Contrary to popular belief, Cubans are creating forms of activism by way of visual art, music, film, poetry and dance defying what outsiders believe they are capable of achieving in the world of