Pavilion

By: Armando Betancourt Reina

Pavilion tells three stories of real events in Armando Betancourt's life. The first story takes place in an internal school in the 70s in the early years of the current Cuban dictatorship, where countless abuses of student children happened, which have remained unpunished to this day.

The second and third stories narrate the events that led to the author's arrest and imprisonment in 2006 for journalistic activities against the abuses of the communist regime in Havana. The third story recounts the living conditions inside a Cuban prison, the arbitrariness of the regime in a political criminal process, and highlights the names of brave, political dissident friends who suffered imprisonment for several years in the same penitentiary center, Cerámica Roja, of the city of Camagüey in Cuba.

About the Author

Armando Betancourt Reina finished his studies at the Economy Institute in the city of Camaguey, Cuba in 1980. In 2003, he participated in a Literary Contest organized by the Project of Independent Libraries of Cuba, winning the third prize in the genre of testimony. In 2006, he was imprisoned for his peaceful struggle against the violation of Human Rights in Cuba, doing work as an independent journalist. In 2007 he was released from prison and in 2009, he traveled to the United States with his family, thanks to the political refugee program of the United States Interests Office on the Island.

Arriving to the USA, Reina was sent to Phoenix, Arizona, where he lives today with his family. Already in exile, he started to work to move on in a new country, new language, and a new culture. He wrote and published two books in Spanish: Morir Sin Patria and Simia Dei. His hobbies include chess and sometimes playing table tennis or basketball with his oldest grandson.