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In a symbolic gesture of protest, Cuban students have revived the image of Julio Antonio Mella as an icon of resistance against the popular backlash against the recent measures by the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA).
This Thursday, a photograph began circulating on social media showing the sculpture of Mella flanked by two young individuals holding portraits of the student leader.
In the bust, a cardboard sign with handwritten letters poses the provocative question: “Where is Mella?”. The phrase, which resonates as a direct challenge to new generations, has been interpreted as a critique of both institutional passivity and the repression of critical thinking.
The scene evokes a previous artistic intervention: the performance "Where is Mella?", conducted in 2017 by the dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara at the Manzana de Gómez, in Old Havana.
On that occasion, Otero dressed as a living statue with an image of Mella covering his face, directly provoking the official use of revolutionary symbols. This aesthetic and political reference has now been revisited, but adapted to the new scenario: the growing social discontent due to economic precariousness and government restrictions.
The new protest takes place in the context of a "university strike" due to dissatisfaction since ETECSA announced a new pricing scheme that limits top-ups in Cuban pesos to 360 CUP per month, forcing users to pay the remainder of the service in US dollars.
This measure has been described by many as a "digital apartheid", as it restricts internet access for those who cannot afford the high prices.
The president of ETECSA, Tania Velázquez, justified the rate increase by citing the need to inject foreign currency to settle debts and improve services, despite popular backlash and criticism regarding inequality.
Student discontent intensified when the national president of the FEU, Ricardo Rodríguez González, participated in a special broadcast of the Mesa Redonda, where he praised the "spaces for exchange" and condemned the "manipulation by enemies of the Revolution." This stance was perceived by many as a betrayal of student demands and generated a wave of criticism on social media.
The call for the academic strike originated from the Student Federation (FEU) of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing at the University of Havana. The students are demanding the revocation of the measure and the organization of a meeting "with all the students" to clarify the reasons behind this decision.
Other faculties, such as Philosophy, History, and Sociology, have expressed their opposition to the price increase, denouncing the lack of representation and the ambiguity in ETECSA's communication.
Despite the fact that the Cuban government, through the University of Havana, has tried to show that normalcy continues in its classrooms, the reality is that students have reiterated that their protest goes beyond access to the internet, reflecting a widespread discontent regarding the economic crisis and the lack of basic services such as electricity, water, and transportation.
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