Cuban Artists in Exile Offered Resilience Scholarships Amid Ongoing Challenges

Cubano Yoel Cruz Traba has reported that he has not been able to find work due to his political opinions and statements regarding the death of his brother. He stated to CubaNet that he has been living off charity, describing his situation as practically homeless.

Cruz Traba lost his job at a dulceria in Diez de Octubre after he publicly accused the Cuban government and the Communist Party of responsibility for his brother's death during a live broadcast on Facebook.

He has faced ongoing harassment from regime agents for his political views and has had past employers pressured to fire him. Cruz Traba detailed the tragic circumstances surrounding his brother's death, revealing that he learned of it from a friend months after the event.

His brother, Yoan Cruz, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had not been able to access his necessary medication due to high costs in the informal market. Yoan was reportedly taken to a Center for the Care of the Homeless without the family's knowledge and was buried without informing them, prompting Cruz Traba to question the procedures violated by public health and the Ministry of Interior in handling his brother's case.

He emphasized the lack of communication and transparency from authorities, expressing frustration over the bureaucratic failures that contributed to his brother's tragic fate.