Rafael Lopez Ramos
Rafael said: "It is true that perestroika opened up the doors to the open criticism of
works since the crisis of socialism is closely linked to the practice (of
open criticism). Artists in Cuba had started to perceive and advertise our
works much prior to the soviet perestroika. This gave us the illusion that,
since our perestroika had not started, we could bring it about from the
cultural arena". "......You are, or think you are, a critic towards the
powers that manifest themselves as thus, but you need its approval, its
allowance of a space---he controls them all---and, without knowing it, you
end up legitimizing it, taking water to the mill and patting it on the back.
The first lesson which you must learn here is that the intellectual here
cannot aspire to become in a Critical Conscience of society, because "power"
is the self-proclaimed critical conscience, historical, religious,
esthetical, etc...Only by assuming with patience and discipline an
alternative role can an artist receive the Order of the National Culture, the
replica of Maceo's machete or allowed to travel abroad".