Gorki Águila

Gorki Águila
Born	November 11, 1968 Havana
Occupation	Musician

Gorki Águila (born November 11, 1968 in Havana) is a Cuban punk rock musician and dissident, who has publicly criticized communism. He is the leader of the Porno para Ricardo band.

Águila lives with his father in a small apartment in Marianao, 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. Águila has a 11-year old daughter, Gabriela.^{[1][dead link]}

Initially, his band was well-received by the Cuban authorities^[2], being even featured on television, but as his lyrics became bolder, he was banned from performing in public and the songs being put on the internet with help of a friend from abroad.^[3]

In 2003, Águila was jailed on drug charges after a policewoman posed as a fan and asked him for amphetamines, after which he gave her two pills. He argues this was entrapment and an attempt to silence him. After serving 4 and a half year 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."^[3] In an interview with exiled Cuban anarchists PPR described anarchism as being "very seductive."^[4]

In August 2008, Águila was arrested by the Cuban police with the charge of "dangerousness", 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.^[5] He was eventually ordered to pay a $30 fine for the lesser offence of public disorder, after prosecutors dropped the more serious charge.^[6]

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.

See also

• Censorship in Cuba
• Cuban dissident movement

References

1. ^ "Sigue incomunicado el músico cubano Gorki Aguila", El Nuevo Herald, 27 August 2008
2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5xMbHbwW0A CNN - Report on the group on YouTube
3. ^ ^{a b} "Cuba arrests dissident rocker, band says", CNN, August 26, 2008
4. ^ http://www.anarkismo.net/article/9183
5. ^ "Leading Cuban musician arrested", BBC, 27 August 2008
6. ^ "Cuba punk rocker spared jail term". BBC News. 30 August 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7589405.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-30. 

Persondata
Name	Aguila, Gorki
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 11, 1968
Place of birth	Havana
Date of death
Place of death