Gerardo’s
cartoons in Maryland
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WASHINGTON, May 16.— The CASA which
for years provided shelter in Washington, D.C. for
Central Americans persecuted in their countries of
origin, has opened its doors to the imagination of a
man incarcerated outside of his own homeland.
CASA of Maryland, northeast of
Washington, has opened an exhibition of cartoons by
Gerardo Hernández, one of the five Cubans imprisoned
in the United States for combating terrorism. The
opening attracted students of Latino origin,
residents and invited guests, and included a simple
and direct speech from Jorge Bolaños, director of
the Cuban Interests Section in Washington.
The exhibition includes 25 cartoons
which express a subtle Cuban sense of humor together
with sharp political satire, attributes of Gerardo
that years of imprisonment and exile have not been
able to damage.
Gerardo says that humor is
liberating, commented Ariel Hernández, Cuban vice
consul, in response to questions from the public.
Those present at the one-man show,
in particular youth of Latino origin who have grown
up in the United States, were surprised that they
had not heard anything about the cause of the Cuban
Five and the lack of justice in their case.
CASA of Maryland is a community
facility founded in 1985 by Latin American émigrés
and progressive Americans to respond to the
humanitarian needs of thousands of persecuted
Central Americans who arrived in Washington escaping
from wars in their countries promoted by the Reagan
administration, Colombian Gustavo Torres, CASA
director, explained.
Torres expressed his satisfaction at
the contribution that CASA might be able to make to
knowledge about the Five’s cause.
Gerardo’s cartoons are on display to
the public until May 30.
Five acknowledge support of POR
ESTO!
MERIDA.—Ricardo Alarcón, president
of the Cuban National Assembly, presented Mario
Renato Menéndez, editor of the Mexican newspaper
POR ESTO! with a letter signed by the
Five acknowledging the work of this publication in
support of their release.
The Cuban parliamentary leader also
gave the eminent Mexican journalist a wood carved
logo by Gerardo identifying the cause of the Cuban
five.
Alarcón traveled to Mérida, Yucatan
at the head of the Cuban delegation to a new inter-parliamentary
session of the two nations, which concludes at the
end of this week.
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