"I don't want to leave, but I have to go." This phrase, laden with guilt, fear, and love for her loved ones, encapsulates the video shared by young Cuban artist Maibis Guerra on Instagram. She posted it while racing against time to finish a painting just days before departing from Cuba. It wasn't merely a piece of art; it was her farewell.
In the video, Maibis expresses the unspoken words of many emigrants. The sorrow of leaving when you don't want to go, the lump in the throat thinking of family, the coffee made by her dad, the rice and beans from her mom, and the everyday sounds of the Island being left behind. Painting became her way of coping with the heartbreak.
The Emotional Challenge of Finishing a Farewell
Her challenge was to complete the artwork in five days to fit it in her suitcase. "I need to take a piece of my people with me and purge my soul of everything I feel," she says, flinging paint onto the canvas amid tears, doubts, and silences heavier than words.
The painting, ultimately titled Lágrimas de sangre (Tears of Blood), is a self-portrait intertwined with themes of migration, family, and the pain of goodbye.
A Community's Unspoken Sentiments
Throughout the process, her family left messages on the painting. Every word, signature, and brushstroke turned it into something unique. "This is my home," Maibis insists, fully aware her future lies elsewhere. "My heart remains here."
The response on social media was immediate and overwhelming. Cubans both on the Island and abroad saw themselves in her story, as if the painting was their own.
"It's not just a painting; it's a national sentiment," one user commented. Another admitted to crying without being able to write anything else. Many emigrants shared insights from their own experiences, speaking of the forthcoming pain, the weight of nostalgia, yet also the resilience built over time.
Bridging Emotional Borders
Even individuals from other countries joined the emotional chorus. Venezuelans, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans remarked on feeling reflected in a wound that knows no borders. "Thank you for painting and expressing what we all feel," summed up one of the most shared messages.
Amidst wishes for luck, sincere warnings, and words of solace, an uncomfortable truth emerged: no one leaves because they want to. "Never forget who is responsible for you having to leave your country and family behind," another user wrote, voicing an underlying issue many prefer to ignore.
A Farewell and a New Beginning
At the end of the video, Maibis appears ready to leave. The painting is finished. So is the farewell. "If you're seeing this, it means I managed to finish it. Right now, I'm probably leaving Cuba," she says before making a simple, yet deeply Cuban request: "Asere, wish me luck."
Her artwork doesn't just travel in a suitcase. It travels in the collective memory of a nation marked by emigration, where each goodbye resembles the last, and where art sometimes becomes the only way to stay whole.
Understanding the Emotional Impact of Cuban Emigration
Why did Maibis Guerra feel compelled to leave Cuba?
Maibis Guerra felt compelled to leave Cuba due to a complex mix of personal and societal challenges, including the desire for better opportunities and the difficult conditions within the country.
What does Maibis Guerra's painting symbolize?
Her painting, "Lágrimas de sangre," symbolizes the emotional turmoil of migration, the connection to family, and the profound pain of farewell.
How did the public react to Maibis's video and artwork?
The public reaction was immediate and widespread, with many Cubans and people from other countries resonating with her story and expressing their emotions and support through social media.