Daniel Sánchez Alfaro

At a young age, Daniel was attracted to drawing and was especially inspired by cartoonists Argentine Cecilia and Saroal–who played a fundamental role in laying the foundation of Daniel’s art as he broke away from perfectionism, and leaned into experimentation. He describes his work as a “visual journey” that melds reality and surrealism together to “capture the essence of life and the constant fight for freedom.”

However, as Daniel grew older, he had to confront what it meant to be a cartoonist in a country where art is controlled and comics are a dying profession. It felt as though all artistic pursuits were in vain. As Daniel prepared to leave Cuba, he told himself to “forget about those little drawings.”

A lot changed for Daniel when he received an email confirming he was selected as one of the fellows for the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship. Daniel explained that the message came “when I was going through the worst emotional moment, on the verge of giving up the idea that I could win the battle.” The fellowship allowed Daniel to delve into his art without the government’s grip on his work. 

During his fellowship, he worked on his first graphic novel, which was both a challenging and joyous experience. La Culpa de Todo la Tiene el Totí is a “musicalized” graphic novel that gets to the heart of mass protests for greater freedoms that shook Cuba on July 11, 2021 (also known as “11J”). The novel serves as a powerful testimony to the importance of the right to freedom of expression and demonstration in increasingly repressive contexts. Each chapter is accompanied by a unique musical score that embodies the spirit of resilience in the face of adversity. 

The graphic novel uses magical realism and visual and musical elements to explore “11J” through the story’s protagonist, Brayan, and those he meets during the demonstrations. The narrative centers not only on the importance of freedom and the actions of 11J but also strives to memorialize the struggle for freedom and sacrifices made by previous generations. This is the first time Daniel has based his work on real events, which he described as healing. He describes this work as the most “him” to date.