Nonardo Perea Diary

When I was young kid and went to a rural boarding school, I remember that every time a visit from the municipal authorities was announced, the school’s directors would hurry to paint the school facade, get students to clear up the common areas…

While in Prague, one of our class tasks was to make a short 1 minute video, which would be called a capsule, and we were given the freedom to choose whatever subject we were interested in. I chose the violence that the gay community in Cuba currently suffers.

On May 4th, I traveled to the Czech Republic for the second time. This time, I had been chosen to take part in a workshop, along with five women, about the issue of women’s rights today, their social empowerment, where another vulnerable group was also introduced, the LGTBI community.

I was amazed to meet a heterosexual man who didn’t feel uncomfortable at any moment while looking through my work, on the contrary, he gave his opinion the whole time and they were mostly positive on the whole.

I remember a few years ago when I was running late to hand in my entry for an erotic literature competition, and when I reached the institution which received the works, the receptionist told me to go up to a floor where a pre-selection of works…

Every writer knows what the procedure is to getting a book published in Cuba, you have to win a literary competition, if you don’t then your work will never be visible to anyone.

I’m confident that virtually no Cuban has been able to escape the experience you have when you get into a private shared taxi. The driver nearly always has music on to keep himself entertained along the journey and, in passing, he tortures his passengers.

Once again, with a small camera and a lot of determination to make cinema, I’m taking a risk and making a new movie project, where I shine a light on my own fears, my desire to show what I think and how I see the things around me.

It turns out that a few days ago, I had a bad night’s sleep and I woke up earlier than normal, my two dogs had spent most of the early morning barking, and that had woken me up.