Cuban punk rockers tear it up at Churchill's

 "It's only rock n roll but it bothers you." - Porno para Ricardo

Porno para Ricardo tearing it up at Churchill's on Saturday night (March 5, 2015)

Cuba's best known punk rock band, Porno para Ricardo, played a blistering set at Churchill's last night in Miami's punk Mecca. They maybe a Havana based band but their anarchic spirit and punk rock attitude fit right in with this South Florida landmark which has hosted everyone from Marilyn Manson and Social Distortion to Dick Dale and Agent Orange.

Porno para Ricardo founded in Cuba has been a fixture there in the music scene since 1998. The lead singer Gorki Águila has paid the price for his critical lyrics being sentenced to four years in prison in 2003 on trumped up charges and got out in 2007. Only to face one year later the charge of "dangerousness" with the potential for another four year prison sentence, but the mobilization of punk rockers and human rights activists around the world and in Cuba succeeded in saving him from another prison sentence in 2008.

However short term arrests, threats and the occasional beating by the secret police still continue. For example in 2015, according to the Danish human rights NGO, Freemuse, Gorki was arrested on three occasions and in one of them beaten up by Castro's agents for demanding the freedom of Cuban artist Daniel Maldonado "El Sexto" who had been jailed for 10 months beginning in December of 2014 for trying carry out a performance art piece critical of the Cuban dictatorship. He was freed in October of 2015 and on March 2, 2016 kicked off an exhibition of his art work on South Beach with his performance art piece and Porno para Ricardo performing a set of their music. However, the concert in Churchills was special because for the first time the entire band (Gorki Águila, Ciro Díaz, Lia Villares, and Renay Kairus) was able to play together outside of Cuba.

If you missed this great performance you have one more chance today at 6pm in Little Havana at Cubaocho Museum and Peforming Arts Center where they will be playing. The band returns to Cuba later this week.

Porno para Ricardo plays Cubaocho Museum and Performing Arts Center (1465 SW 8th Street, Miami FL 33135) today, Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 6:00pm

Gorki Aguila joined with Lech Walesa, Stephen Stills & Sharon Stone in celebrating Solidarity founding in Gdansk shipyards in 1980

30th Anniversary celebration of Founding of Polish Solidarity Union with Former President Lech Walesa at the Museum Of Tolerance in Los Angeles

Cuban punk musician Gorki Aguila attends the 30th Anniversary of Solidarity celebration in Los Angeles with Former President Lech Walesa at the Museum Of Tolerance on December 15, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.*

What are these artists, activists and political leaders celebrating? After decades of brutal repression and horrible labor conditions Polish workers were able to finally organize a labor union in 1980 and forced the communist regime to recognize it following a prolonged labor strike. This labor union, Solidarity, is still active today in a free and democratic Poland that it made possible with its courageous actions 30 years ago.

Taken from the Solidarity website is a brief breakdown of what took place in 1980:

1980

• July 1st - The Government introduces so called "commercial prices" (market prices) for meat products in factory eateries. This minor decision provokes an increasing wave of workers' protests.
• July/August - A wave of strikes is running through the country. Jacek Kuroń says: "Do not burn the committees! Establish your own ones!"
• August 14th - The strike in Gdansk Shipyard starts, after two days it becomes a general strike of all companies in Region, then in all of the country. This is the beginning of "the Polish August".
• August 17th - The Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (MKS), led by an electrician Lech Wałęsa, announces 21 postulates (including e.g. the right to establish free trade unions, freedom of speech and the right to strike)
• August 24th - The Plenary of the Central Committee of Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) dismisses eight close associates of Edward Gierek (PZPR General Secretary), including the Prime Minister Edward Babiuch.
• August 30th - The Governmental commission ratifies the agreement with the MKS in Szczecin.
• August 31st - The agreement is ratified in Gdańsk. At the gate of the shipyard Lech Wałęsa says: "We have free and independent trade unions!".
• September 17th - The representatives of over 30 regional founding committees adopt the resolution establishing the Independent and Self-governing Trade Union (NSZZ) "Solidarność".
• November 10th - The Supreme Court acknowledges the Constitution of NSZZ " Solidarność". In 1981 about 9.5 million people were members of the union.

Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila speaks at 30th Anniversary of Solidarity celebration in L.A. on December 15, 2010*

Now you might ask yourself what is a Cuban punk rocker doing in the middle of all this? How did he wind up speaking at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles?

Porno para Ricardo's take on a Polish Punk song from the film "All that I love"

It wasn't easy, in terms of getting out of Cuba [in fact the rest of the "Porno para Ricardo bandmates had planned to play the above song in Los Angeles but were unable to travel ] but as to participating in this gathering Gorki's presence makes perfect sense. It turns out that at the same time Solidarity was taking off in Poland so was Punk Rock.

Director Jacek Borcuch (L) & Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila attend 30th Anniversary Solidarity celebrations in L.A.*

Thenews.pl places it all in context:

The event was organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Film Institute to mark the 30th anniversary of Solidarity and takes its motto – ‘How to overthrow a totalitarian regime using a home-made amplifier’ – from the subtitle to the documentary film Beats of Freedom, which shows the history of Polish rock music under communism and its role in the struggle for freedom.

Beats of Freedom trailer

The screening of the film’s abbreviated version will be followed by a panel with the participation of Jacek Borcuch, the director of All That I Love, the Polish candidate for an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Film category.

Beats of Freedom Part 1/8

Its promotional campaign is in the hands of the Los Angeles-based company Block Korenbrot and is held under the motto ‘Poland 1981. Solidarity is on the move. Every movement begins with its own sound’.

Jacek Borcuch's All That I Love also deals with the impact of punk rock music and Solidarity in the 1980s but is a fictional account with a Romeo and Juliet romantic subplot.

Wszystko, co kocham - zwiastun (All that I love - trailer)

According to youtube site with an interview of the "Polish actor-turned-director Jacek Borbuch dove into his own memories to write his second feature, All That I Love, shown in competition at the Brussels Film Festival. The film follows the life of a teenage punk musician in Poland in the early 1980s, when Martial Law was imposed by the government and social rebellion against the communist regime was beginning to rise."

Jacek Borcuch, director of “All that I love” interviewed about his film.

Gorki Aguila, of the Cuban punk rock group 'Porno para Ricardo' was the perfect choice to attend and demonstrates the relevance and similarity between the punk music scene in Poland 1980 and Cuba 2010.

(L-R) Musician Stephen Stills, former Polish President Lech Walesa and actress Sharon Stone attend the 30th Anniversary of Solidarity celebration in Los Angeles at the Museum Of Tolerance on December 15, 2010*

Thanks to international solidarity and no doubt a lot of arm twisting the front man of 'Porno para Ricardo' was able to travel outside of Cuba. Now the question remains: "Will he be able to return to the island?" As was the case the last time it all depends on all of us remaining vigilant and assisting Gorki Aguila the next time he asks us for help to the best of our ability.

Actress Sharon Stone makes a peace sign at the 30th Anniversary of Solidarity celebration*

Thank you to whomever thought up of the idea to invite Gorki to celebrate the founding of Solidarity with an act of solidarity with the Cuban people.



*(All photos were taken in L.A. by Charley Gallay/Getty Images North America)