The Pavilion was visited by relatives of The Cuban Five political prisoners in the United States, as well as by members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Havana, which attended the opening of the exhibition “Aves por la unidad” (Birds for Unity).

Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez and Antonio Guerrero himself have been incarcerated since 1998 for trying to protect their homeland from criminal acts organized by terrorist groups based in south Florida.

The exhibition is composed of 43 drawings of birds indigenous to Latin American countries, among them the national birds of the countries that are members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), to the cultures of which the 2011 edition of the Fair is dedicated.

These paintings reflect The Americas from the wings of freedom, said Lazaro Castillo, vice-president of the Hermanos Saiz Association, the organization sponsoring the exhibition along with the National Museum of Natural History and Havana’s Provincial Center of Books.

Maria Eugenia Guerrero, Antonio’s sister, highlighted that this proposal is very important, since it calls on young creators to continue in the path of solidarity with Rene, Ramon, Fernando, Gerardo and Antonio.

Painting is cause for inspiration for Antonio, which invites him to feel free, out of
prison.

Graciela Rodriguez, president of the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five, suggested taking this exhibition to each ALBA member nation “and to the remaining Latin American countries, thus carrying the spirit of solidarity, unity and freedom these paintings inspire.”

Rodriguez read the poem “En mi Soledad” (In my solitude), by Antonio Guerrero, who has shown that culture, justice and truth can’t be silenced with prison.