“The thing is people’s spirits are slowly dying, and the love between neighbors too… the 1st of May they would always go to the main square, with a joyful spirit, no one could not see that. Also, there was beer, people knew that there was a reward waiting for them there. There was this compensation, but for example look… a carnival. How long has it been since there last was a real carnival here? A long time ago. And the people knew that on such place they could get beer, buy a meal, chicken. You would sit down and spend time with your family friends, your family, or whoever you wanted to spend the day with. Sometimes you couldn’t even plan it, because you would meet millions of people that day, and you would meet them on random places, and they would invite you for a beer or something. But also, the prices were much more affordable and comfortable, anyone could have access. I think that has a great impact too. // Because the prices have gone up, people can’t do that anymore. And this thing has also driven people apart and killed the joyful spirit of just meeting up with people to do whatever. Nowadays, I am not saying they don’t want to be there, but even if they did, they can’t. This has also killed the love between neighbors, families, and friends...”
“It is a Revolution program, made by The Commander Fidel Castro Ruz. Our main goal is to teach, to take your art to any place in the province where you live, or outside of the province, if you feel like it. Mainly to the people who are interested... and not others, maybe they are just not into it... but it is to bring an artistic show to any kind of community and also to teach them. In the schools, in the House of Culture... a workshop can be set up anywhere, as long as it is effective for the participants, and it teaches them something.”
“One day I was playing marbles with a friend of mine, when he realized that I do not have any. He was 3 or 4 years older than me. He gave me ones that were new, they were really nice. He told me: ‘Here you go little bro, so you have something to play with.’ So I went back home, very happy. My mom came from the kitchen. She knew that I really wanted them and that they were not able afford them, so I couldn’t have them. And one day I leave, come back, and I have new marbles… my mom thought that I stole them. Without asking anything she took a belt and started beating me. It got to a point where my friend from downstairs heard noise and ran upstairs telling her: ‘No, it was a gift, I gave them to him.’ My mom told me: ‘Ah, okay… but just in case.’ Until now seeing for example a phone I have never even thought about stealing it. I learnt my lesson early.“
Ariolbis Sánchez Hernández was born in the Guantánamo Province at the beginning of the ‘90s. The first 6 years of his life he lived in a town called Manuel Tames. After that he moved to the capital of the Guantánamo Province, of the same name. He had a happy childhood. His family environment was filled with love, that his parents were always happy to give him. Ariolbis was a sensitive child and the love that his father always treated his mom with had a great impact on him. At the same time his parents were very strict when it came to his behavior. They always demanded good manners. The combination of the love that he would get at home together with the strict supervision caused that Ariolbis learned to differentiate right from wrong. The often-difficult part of adolescence, that dragged a lot of his friends to the violence and the neighborhood life was not that much of a temptation for him. Ariolbis was never a fan of the vulgar people who gathered in the streets of Guantánamo for the urban music. Thanks to his father who always listened to classical music at home, he was more drawn to guitar, and more sophisticated art. That’s not to say that he didn’t spend a lot of time in the streets, but he didn’t do it in the same way as most of his peers. Despite his love for sports, at the age of 16 he chose to study art. He studied at the Art School, where he graduated as a licensed art tutor. He was educated according to the regulations established by the Cuban government which has been promoting art as a tool to show people the way and bring up not only talent, but also the revolutionary spirit for example in marginalized communities. Ariolbis does not express himself explicitly against the regime. He does his job spreading art and helping enhance talent in the population without thinking much further than that. That does not mean that he doesn’t realize that society has its problems, that are of great importance.
