Author Description

Musica o Muerte!What is the price of freedom? Los Frikis, the punk musicians living in the 90-ies, self-infected with HIV virus to escape persecution and hardship. Today's rock group Porno Para Ricardo refuse the censorship and its members are harassed by the police, living in constant fear of imprisonment and unable to play anywhere in public.I explored the phenomenon of voluntary exile as a response to living in oppressive regime. During my visit to Cuba I documented surviving members of Los Frikis, musicians who gave themselves HIV voluntarily in order to live in relative freedom of state run sanatoria. I also documented current rock bands in various parts of Cuba that are not government approved and therefore forced to underground, either completely forbidden to perform or being heavily censured and having their possibility to play severely restricted. HIV self-infected punk musician Gherson and his wife Yoandra in Pinar del Rio, former rocker Pedrito living with AIDS, Gorki and Lia from punk-rock band Porno Para Riccardo, Panther the rap musician, the members from Punk Floyd group in Santo Spirito and Kaoz band in Santa Clara, they all try to be free in the regime that does not allow free expression and still persecutes musicians that refuse to play by the rules. 'Musica o Muerte!' is tribute to all Cuban musicians fighting for freedom with their music.