José Alberto Álvarez Bravo

“First, together with my tolerant friend, we organized at his home an academy called the 'New Hope' [Nueva Esperanza], which had a purpose to teach in a natural manner. It was kind of alternative education mechanism, quite different from the system of education we had in our country. We taught courses on human rights, computing, history of Cuba and one more, now I don't remember exactly the name. After the beginning of this academy, the Government started to act against us. State Security began to sniff around all activities we were performing. We did not promote violence, we did not even promote confrontation with the system, neither nonviolent struggle. Simply, what we did, was to make well known among all ´The True History of Cuba´ [La Verdadera Historía de Cuba], which was taught by Professor Dimas Castellanos [Cuban historian and dissident, his history is also available in the archive on webpage of Memory of Nations].”

“The guards came and entered with us. They brought two armed guards and placed them on both sides of the fence. When the key keeper came to open the door, one of the guards said: ´Let's see, who is the handsome here, today I want to kill one.´ Then, when they opened the gate, the guards tracked the AKMs and pointed inside the patio and said: ´Stand up, everybody out!´ Prisoners did not go out, because they were afraid of two rifles onwards. And suddenly, when finally, everyone was leaving the patio, one the guards shot into the patio. This boy, Manuel Cavana, said: ´Guards, don't shoot more, you have hurt me.´ He passed by us, he climbed three steps that the patio had and there he fell. Later, we found out, that he was taken to the ´andabal´ [place in the prison with medical attention], but he did not arrive alive. They had shot him through his chest. That scene stayed in my memory, for a lifetime. He was young person, they just riddled him there, without any reason, there was no rebellion, there was nothing like that. That moment I have learnt about the little importance, that a person's life has for this regime - that is characterized by depriving everyone, who has not been in their command. A people's life means nothing to this dictatorship.”

“That was one thing, which seemed to me, a bit like, forgiving me that I don't agree with the term, a devilish thing. Because it was mechanism of subjection that practically converted the citizen to a slave of the new cult. You must be an exemplary worker to be able to have the things you need, it can be some house appliance, an iron, a Russian wristwatch, for all material staff you must be an exemplary worker. Therefore, people preferred, I was among them, to be another piece in a herd. Because disagree, to disagree with the model we were living in, it could have many bad consequences. Above all, you could never access the things that you needed for the life in modernity.”