Introduction
The artist known as AFRIK3REINA is a member of the San Isidro Movement. She goes by two artistic names: AFRIK3REINA and Afrik Reina.
She Interweaves themes of dissent, scarcity, resilience, the afterlife of Cuban slavery, and motherhood and womanhood into her work. Renowned among hip-hop artists on the island, the artist was unable to perform on the island due to the censorship of the state. Without other options, she turned to the creation and dissemination of digital spoken word and the fusion of digital images with her unique poetic style using history, religious references, and the particularities of being an Afrodescendent woman in Cuba.
She and her three-year-old daughter were placed under house arrest along with other members of the artist collective San Isidro Movement. She participated in the hunger strike along with members of the movement in protest of state repression.
Commentary by K. L. Cespedes
Video Poem
Spoken Word Performance
Article About Hunger Strike
- Activista cubana Áfrika Reina inicia huelga de hambre por la libertad de sus hermanos presos"El gobierno cubano sigue jugando al ajedrez con las vidas de los jóvenes, los destierra, los encarcela, los rompe física y emocionalmente... Vamos a ver cuántas vidas más están dispuestos a asumir sobre sus espaldas", escribió en Facebook para anunciar la decisión.