The Blockade Weighs Down, But Does Not Stop Matanzas Culture

Despite the great effort of our writers and artists, the blockade and sanctions of the United States government severely affect the Cuban and Matanzas cultural sector, limiting artistic creation and increasing the lack of material resources indispensable for its development.

Such are the cases of the absence of paper in the Matanzas and Aldabón publishing houses, the elimination of the printed edition of the Girón newspaper, the interrupted transmissions of Radio 26 and TV Yumurí, as well as the precarious functioning of theater venues and the province-wide reduction of musical performances, adopting community actions instead.

Added to this is the lack of materials for visual arts and the interrupted access of our culture to international tourism, seriously affected by the closure of hotels and international flights.

The effects over decades have intensified due to the measures of the Trump administration in this year 2026, stemming from the energy crisis, which hinders the importation of oil and other supplies and generates blackouts, which add to the great transportation limitations, forcing changes to festivals and performances, and shifting in-person activities to digital formats, which brings serious technical problems due to lack of resources, electricity, and connectivity.

The work of preserving real estate heritage is extraordinary, given the difficulties with construction materials.

The blockade hinders cultural collaboration with UNESCO programs, as it forces the purchase of supplies in third countries, driving up prices. Due to its extraterritorial nature, these measures violate universal cultural rights.

It is evident that they affect the executive chain of the cultural sector, including local artistic production due to lack of energy, materials, and transportation, as well as international cooperation and the dissemination of Cuban culture abroad.

However, the most significant aspect of these times is the resilience that our artists and writers possess, whose mission, they have confessed, is centered on serving the people, maintaining their spirituality in direct contact with the most genuine feelings of love for the Homeland.