Gorki Águila (born November 11, 1968 in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician, who has publicly criticized communism. He is the leader of the punk rock band Porno para Ricardo. Águila lives with his father in a small apartment in

Marianao Marianao is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. It lies 6 miles southwest of the original city of Havana, with which it is connected by the Marianao railway. In 1989 the municipality had ...

, where he also has been recording his songs with the band since they were forbidden to have concerts. His mother and sister live in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Águila has an 11-year-old daughter, Gabriela. Initially, his band was well received by the Cuban authorities, being even featured on television, but as his lyrics became bolder, he was banned from performing in public, so the songs were put on the internet with the help of a friend from abroad."Cuba arrests dissident rocker, band says"
''

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

'', August 26, 2008 In 2003, Águila was jailed on drug charges after a policewoman posed as a fan and asked him for

amphetamines Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...

, after which he gave her two pills. He argues this was entrapment and an attempt to silence him. After serving 4 and a half years in Cuba's 5½ Kilo Prison, Aguila became an even more outspoken critic of the Cuban government, his lyrics growing more political. In an interview with CNN in 2007, Aguila said that "Communism is a failure. A total failure. Please. Leftists of the world -- improve your capitalism." In an interview with exiled

Cuban anarchists Anarchism as a social movement in Cuba held great influence with the working classes during the 19th and early 20th century. The movement was particularly strong following the abolition of slavery in 1886, until it was repressed first in 1925 by ...

, PPR described anarchism as being "very seductive." In 2007, Gorki featured in the documentary Cuba RebelioN, a film by Alessio Cuomo and Sander de Nooij about Cuban underground rock musicians who rebel against the Castro regime. It shows the painful reality of musicians who are not allowed to express themselves publicly, but are nevertheless willing to put their freedom at risk by playing their music. In August 2008, Águila was arrested by the Cuban police with the charge of "

dangerousness In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...

", which allows them to detain people whom they think they are likely to commit crimes. The charge carries a penalty of one up to four years in prison. Signs of a "dangerousness state" are habitual drunkness and anti-social behaviour. He was eventually ordered to pay a $30 fine for the lesser offence of public disorder, after prosecutors dropped the more serious charge. He has stated in an interview in 2008: "Capitalism is very problematic, as are Communism and socialism. . . . r me, defending my anti-Castro ideas doesn’t mean an implicit defence of capitalism."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguila, Gorki 1968 births Living people Opposition to Fidel Castro Cuban anti-communists 20th-century Cuban male musicians 21st-century Cuban male musicians

See also

References