The Ministry of Culture replaces Deputy Ministers Fernando Rojas and Kenelma Carvajal

The Cuban Ministry of Culture replaced Fernando Rojas and Kenelma Carvajal Pérez as deputy ministers.Which was announced at the Board of Directors meeting held today, Monday. A memorandum published through official channels on social media and repeated by the portal Cubadipati He pointed out that it is a “launch with renewal.”

Instead of Rojas, one of the cultural policy commissioners most rejected for his defense of censorship and against creative freedom, and Carvajal Pérez, wife of Alex Castro Soto del Valle, son of Fidel Castro, Lisette Martinez Luzardo, who served as Director General of Cultural Policies, and Lisette Hernandez Oliva, current President of the National Council of Performing Arts, were appointed..

According to the official statement, “This movement comes in response to A The state's policy for the gradual renewal of administrative cadres at all levels, It practically confirms the revolution's confidence in the youth.

In the presence of leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, State and Government, Branch Secretary Alpidio Alonso Grau and other directors praised the “long work history and meritorious work” of the outgoing deputy. Ministers. The Board of Directors of the Ministry of Culture also noted the “dedication, revolutionary loyalty and impeccable moral behavior of both cadres.”.

The government decided that Fernando Rojas will continue, from now on, as Advisor to the Minister of Culture, and Kenelma Carvajal will be assigned new tasks. By the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

Lisette Martinez and Lilitsi Hernandez were trained as technical teachers, held various government responsibilities and gained admiration and respect within the sector, according to the text of the memo.

Martinez Luzardo was one of the officials who went out to confront participants in a peaceful protest in front of the Ministry of Culture in January 2021, following the historic demonstration, two months ago, which was led by dozens of artists and intellectuals. In the same confrontation in which Minister Alonso Grau attacked a journalist from Diario de Cuba, Fernando Rojas was present.

Rachel García Heredia, current Regional Director of Holguin Culture, has been appointed to serve as President of the National Council for the Performing Arts.

The two “edited” deputy ministers had one of their last interventions in oversight matters at the end of the year, when the government came into being Launched a campaign against the celebration of the INSTAR Film Festivalorganized by the Hannah Arendt Institute of Art, and directed by Cuban artist Tania Bruguera, took place in eight countries, including seven important cities on two continents.

Official publication of MINCULT, Geribellain a typical discrediting operation, published text that was shortly afterwards copied by an organization Official website Cubadipatiin which Film exhibition accused of “glorifying terrorism against Cuba” To include the feature film in their programme Truth, honestyWritten by Cuban Elieser Jiménez Almeida.

Then Kenelma Carvajal wrote: “Once again, the counter-revolutionary mechanism attacks the institutional system of culture and the film festival of the Cuban people.”

Later, Rojas selected the film Calls from MoscowBy Cuban director Luis Alejandro Yero, as an “attack on the revolution” that would not be allowed. Yero denounced the censorship of his feature-length documentary on social media At the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana