Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara Envisions a Peaceful Cuba: "I Want Cuba to Have No Enemies, Like the Manatee"

Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara wrapped up his interview with CiberCuba on Saturday by painting a picture of the Cuba he dreams of: a nation without a military, free of enemies, and devoid of aggressive ambitions. He envisions a peaceful Cuba akin to Costa Rica and as harmless as the manatee.

"I want Cuba to have no enemies. Let Cuba be like Costa Rica, without a military force. We have no enemies. No one will attack us, and we won't attack anyone. Be like the manatees, which have no predators," declared the co-founder of the San Isidro Movement in his first interview since going into exile.

The metaphor of the manatee—a marine creature without significant natural predators—elicited laughter in the studio and lightened the mood at the end, yet the underlying message is both political and concrete: Otero Alcántara opposes Cuba's longstanding model of perpetual confrontation with the United States that has defined the dictatorship for decades.

Reimagining Cuba's Diplomatic Relations

"I don't know how we are going to work with the biggest guy on the planet. Are you crazy? I'm going to negotiate," he quipped, dismissing the logic of confrontation as a state policy.

To illustrate that proximity to Washington doesn't necessarily mean a loss of identity, he cited Mexico as an example: "Mexico, which is so close to the United States, is one of the countries with the richest cultures in the world. That fusion of anthropology is beautiful and so close. They have a free trade agreement and other things there. I want that political system."

Envisioning a New Political System

The political system he advocates for is one where citizens have the freedom to choose: "I believe a political system should come and propose to me as a Cuban citizen, that I will vote. Not because it wants me, but because I will choose to vote for that person or not."

In the same segment, Otero Alcántara outlined the kind of officials he imagines for a future Cuba, directly contrasting with the current ruling class.

"Cruelty and corruption are the two most significant elements of a dictatorship: cruel, corrupt, inhumane, and lacking empathy for human beings," he asserted.

In contrast, he proposes a radically different political culture: "The Cuba we aspire to is one filled with people who have empathy for human beings, with people who are public servants. You owe yourself to the people, not the other way around."

Challenging Perceptions of Power

He also criticized the perception many Cubans have of presidential power, often associated with material privileges—cars, planes—rather than public service.

Otero Alcántara arrived in Miami on July 18 after serving a five-year sentence imposed in June 2022 for contempt, public disorder, and desecration of national symbols during the July 11, 2021 protests.

His release was not immediate; State Security kept him in an undisclosed location for several days after his sentence was completed, and he ultimately entered the United States on humanitarian parole, which he described as an expulsion: "I was expelled from Cuba, and that's not right."

The reference to Costa Rica is not accidental: the country abolished its army in 1948, and its 1949 Constitution prohibited maintaining permanent armed forces, making it one of the most cited models of democracy without a military in Latin America.

The interview, conducted by Tania Costa, concluded with Otero Alcántara sending a message to his supporters: "We are connected, family. We continue. Long live the San Isidro Movement. Long live a Free Cuba."