Paris. The person responsible for international relations of the party La France Insoumise (LFI), Christian Rodríguez, has sharply criticized the censorship of the Cuban poet Nancy Morejón for political reasons at the Paris “Marché de la Poésie” that recently ended.
He vehemently rejected a “politicization of culture”. No one has the right to judge the talent of an artist or intellectual based on their political thinking, Rodríguez told Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, criticizing the decision of the organizers of the 40th Paris Poetry Market, which took place from June 7-11.
He thinks it is “terrible and prehistoric to mix political pressure with culture”. Thus, the position and the values of the poet would not be recognized, so Rodríguez.
Morejón had been appointed Honorary President of the Poetry Market, to give a speech at the opening ceremony and to have her work promoted in official documents. But the organizers have canceled and terminated all this.
In a press release According to the management of the “Marché de la Poésie”, the decision was taken to revoke Morejón’s honorary presidency “in order to put an end to the pressure, rumors and attempts that have been made to this day”.
The driving force behind this was the Cuban-born writer Jacobo Machover, who campaigns vehemently against Cuba in his publications. He describes Che Guevara as a “fanatical executioner”, “an instrument of Castroism” and “creator of re-education camps”.
He was joined by the French PEN Club, whose president Antoine Spire addressed the organizers: Morejon’s election was “more than questionable if you know the poet’s commitment to the totalitarian Castro regime”, wrote he, quoting from the open letter from Machover, who recently became a Pen member.
“Like us, you probably did not have time to study her biography. Otherwise you would have refrained from entrusting her with this honor. Can it be reversed? The French pen club, linked to the poetry market, urges you therefore”. He is supported by exiled Cuban writers, Spire concludes.
Vincent Gimeno, director of the “Marché”, replied: “Yes, in fact we have not dealt with this subject in this story. We will renounce the honorary presidency of Nancy Morejón; instead we will propose her to become a poet to recieve.”
Faced with this, Morejon decided not to take part in the rest of the Poetry Market activities and thanked Cuba, France and the world for the immediate solidarity shown to her. Meanwhile, she received invitations to other cultural events in France.
The poet, literary critic, essayist and translator, winner of several international awards and the Cuban National Literary Prize in 2001, told Prensa Latina about the incident: “I regret that hatred has finally imposed itself on art”. Culture should not be overwhelmed by fascist or racist ideas. She has the right “to stand up for the just cause” and is “a creature of the Cuban revolution.”
Such aggressions directed against artists from Cuba have recently also occurred in Spain.
Attempts were made there to prevent the Cuban music duo Buena Fe from performing with threats, disruptive actions and a “media hurricane”. Among other things, the two musicians were insulted, threatened with death and physically attacked in a fast food restaurant in Barcelona, just a few meters from the concert hall. Several Cubans who wanted to attend the concert came to the rescue and formed a security cordon between the musicians and the attackers.
Yoel Martínez and Ernesto Cisneros nevertheless continued their tour to the end.