Abraham Jiménez Enoa, a journalist and writer from Cuba, was given the ultimatum of either going to prison or exile in late 2021 by the Cuban dictatorship. With limited options due to holding a Cuban passport, his girlfriend found a job in Spain and Jiménez Enoa was able to join her there. Sitting down with him at the Oslo Freedom Forum, Jiménez Enoa, the author of La isla oculta (“The Hidden Island”), is an unlikely dissident – a rebel against the Castro dictatorship.
Born in 1988 to a revolutionary family, Jiménez Enoa’s grandfather was a bodyguard to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, while his father was a colonel in the interior ministry. Despite his upbringing, Jiménez Enoa began to have doubts about the regime’s legitimacy and goodwill while studying journalism at the University of Havana.
Jiménez Enoa and his friends started an independent online magazine called El Estornudo, which means “Sneeze” in Spanish. The government blocked the magazine and made life for Jiménez Enoa and his colleagues unbearable by arresting, detaining, and interrogating them, among other things.
The Cuban dictatorship gave Jiménez Enoa his passport back in November, but only on the condition that he leave the country immediately. Upon arriving in Spain, he felt like he was born again and realized that Cuba was a cruel and abnormal country.
Jiménez Enoa’s family suffered punishment from the Cuban dictatorship, with his mother, father, and sister losing their jobs. The democracy movement in Cuba is full of Afro-Cubans, who dominate the movement due to systemic racism in Cuba.
Jiménez Enoa believes that sanctions hurt the general population while leaving the ruling class untouched and is against outside interference in Cuban affairs. He favors support of civil-society groups.
Despite the overwhelming totalitarianism in Cuba, Jiménez Enoa believes that the Cuban people are brave for continuing to fight, even when they don’t have water to take a shower. He is disgusted by the world’s illusions about Cuba and its dictatorship.
Sitting with Jiménez Enoa is inspiring, as he is a courageous writer and a splendid soul.
