Alexey Brizo Lahera

“The dictator Giovanni, who was at that time the Head Chief of the State Security in Guantanamo province, organized a repression against the ‘Patriotic Union of Cuba’ [Unión Patriótica de Cuba], where they brutally beat all the activists of the Patriotic Union. Kicking, punches, swollen eyes, broken arms…then they took us to the police station called Operations of the State Security, which is on the kilometer 13.3 on the El Salvador highway. There they beat us again, they used pepper spray on us, and the last thing I remember was, when they forced us to be on our knees and with our heads against the wall. There were several activists that I remember, Yoanny Alberto Gamboa, Rodrigo and Cuba Asendó, Bartolo Castillo [Cuban dissidents], who were condemned to the jail. That time the political police was brutal. They are murderers, they passed the line that time.”

“When the music recording companies came to Guantanamo, the trademark director who is my namesake, named Alexey just like me, told me: ‘What do you mean, you sold out all these places and you did not earn any peso for it?’ ‘I am not a professional, I am just an amateur.’ So, he replied to me: ‘No buddy, professional is not a role, the professional is the one who fills the places for his talent, because of his talent people dance, for his talent people applaud.’ And when I heard that, I said: ‘No, that’s not like that.’ When I started with my music, I worked hard, I was improving myself and all the great musicians were by my side. We started to create amazing songs. We started to invite a group of dancers to our concerts. In other words, our concerts were great shows. So, they raised the price. The Government raised the price of entrance. I was looking for the manner how to become a professional. But it never happened, till today I am just an amateur. I am trapped in the past.”

“You are talking about the Santa Rita slaughterhouse, that Youth Club in Guantanamo. ‘Tell me about that place.’ Well, that place, every time when it was opened, there were several dead bodies, said in our language. They just killed some young boys, boys who were not over 16 or 17 years old. Every time when this discotheque was opened, something happened. Why was that happening? Because there were no places where the young people could have fun. So, when they opened for few days a week, what did people do? They were gathering there. And what did this bring out? That all Guantanamo criminals went there too, they started to fight and kill each other. This was happening in the slaughterhouse of Santa Rita and Paseo.”