Ulysses Toirac denounced on his Facebook wall on Friday In August alone, two shows in which he had to take part were censored by the cultural authorities when he saw his name in the cast.
“Let’s see, MINCULT colleagues…” he began his message ironically: “In the last month there were two activities (the only two) that told the organizers that if they saw my name they had to change the line-up.”
According to the popular comedian, he is one of the most followed on the island due to his appearances in television shows such as Sabadazo and “¿Y tú qué terises?” o Do you swear to tell the truth? and to whom the authorities awarded the Order of National Culture, In one of these performances the censorship was explicit, as he was the only actor, and in another it was an “ambiguous” intervention.since Toirac was the main character.
“Let’s see if we understand each other: Who put me on the “list” and for what reasons? Did you know that refusing to work will prevent me from living?”he stressed.
Toirac’s complaint sparked dozens of reactions and comments. Among them, the Cuban actor Erdwin Fernández Collado, who emigrated to Miami, stated: “That’s how they started with me and no one believed me.”
For her part, actress Susana Pérez added: “Well, you know: you work and you’re silent, or you talk and you’re hungrier than usual because you can’t work.”
In dialogue with DIARIO DE CUBA in September 2022, Toirac admitted that there was “more and more polarization” on the island. Radicalization is gaining strength, hatred and intransigence from both extremes. There are many people who push, delay, and thereby allow things to become more extreme. “I am terribly afraid for the future of this city, things are very messed up, I think something has to change.”
“I see fewer and fewer options for a peaceful solution, and when I say peaceful, I’m not saying it’s not a great solution,” he added.
As for the 11J protests, Toirac believed that the social outbreak of 2021 “showed that people can take to the streets and that this can have consequences.” Nobody will give you electricity for free. I was surprised that people had the courage to come out. I saw many people in good spirits and saying what they thought; I saw others who weren’t doing so well and were somehow enjoying it. “I was very nervous because I knew it could get out of control.”
“The government has all the means to assert itself. I have not seen it like other countries in the world where vertical violence is being unleashed, but I have seen signs that this can be used. I didn’t see it that day or the next.” “See it with joy,” he emphasized.
Already at this point he realized that his public opinion on the situation in Cuba could have consequences. “Everything has happened to me, from people trying to shut down a club to being told I can’t do a show in the theater right before it starts.”; Programs that were put on hold and could not be broadcast… Humor touches people’s conscience, it will destroy social, ethical, religious and sexual taboos.”
Comedians have been in the crosshairs of the Cuban regime in recent years. Spokesmen from the propaganda apparatus and the official newspaper Granma attacked the television show Vivir del Cuento, one of the most popular on the island, in 2019 for making fun of Cuban leaders.
In particular, members of the cast, such as Andy Vázquez and Omar Franco, emigrated to the United States after realizing the atmosphere of pressure and mistrust in which they have to do their work.
Also for his sharp criticism of the repression in Cuba, The writer and comedian Jorge Fernández Era was arrested, monitored and subjected to police proceedings who even imposed house arrest on him. In the face of this harassment, a letter with dozens of signatures and a statement from Amnesty International came to his defense.