An image was circulating on social media this Tuesday, which attempts to include Cuba as part of the United States. It’s not just a simple fabrication; it carries a clear message and is an offense to our history, our martyrs and our flag.
Reactions on social media were immediate. Ana Simón, a Facebook user, commented that “no one is seeking annexation; Cuba is and will be free and independent.”
In that same vein, on the same social network, Amparo Acosta quoted verses by the poet Bonifacio Birne: “If my flag were ever torn to shreds, our dead, raising their arms, would still know how to defend it.”
For his part, Crespo Baquero Yuniasky commented that “it’s insulting to see this boor (Donald Trump) with this artificial intelligence image where Cuba is part of the U.S.; more than a century ago on this island, we fought hard for the sovereignty and independence we have today.”
“As long as there is one dignified Cuban left, we will not be anyone’s colony,” he concluded.
The island was the victim of U.S. interventions on three occasions and always faced rejection from the Cuban people. Among the most remembered actions is the desecration of the José Martí monument by a U.S. Marine, an act that was met with firm condemnation from the Cuban people.
With the Platt Amendment, we learned of the disdain with which they have tried to reduce our nation to a geopolitical appendage. Although they deny it, that was the dream thwarted by the 1959 Revolution.
José Martí, who knew the face of imperialism firsthand, said it unequivocally: “I have lived within the monster, and I know its entrails, and my sling is that of David.”
The Apostle knew the true intentions of the northern neighbor, and in his unfinished letter he was clear: “…every day I am in danger of giving my life for my country, and for my duty—since I understand it and have the strength to carry it out—to prevent, in time, with the independence of Cuba, the United States from expanding throughout the Antilles and falling, with that added strength, upon our lands in America.”
And Bonifacio Byrne, upon returning to his homeland, wrote with a broken heart upon seeing two flags flying over Havana:
“Returning from a distant shore / with a mournful and somber soul, / I eagerly sought my flag / and I saw another besides mine… / And I saw in its shadow shine / my flag, which should never / have been other than that / which I learned to love in my heart!”
From our indigenous ancestors to the young people who today defend sovereignty with words and souls, Cuba has been a land of resistance.
Cuba does not sell out, it does not surrender; no, Donald Trump, our flag does not overlap: “And two flags should not fly / where one suffices: mine.”
IMAGE CREDIT: Henry Omar Pérez | Photo by the author
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
