Saved from prision in Cuba

---

20.04.2005 - Saved from prison in Cuba
Mexico City, DF, Mexico

I thought I have experienced a lot in the last 20 years and something since I am proud to say to be the citizen of this planet. I have experienced exploding in anger, dead fear, inconsolable sadness and the greatest joy of the moment. I was full of money and I was broke. I have had great triumphs and shameful failures. I've met people who I disdained and people who I admired. Nevertheless I was the person who I at the moments disdained and at other moments deeply admired.
I lied about the simplest things and I have told the truth in face of great risk. I hated and I loved passionately.

There were moments when I was sure that I know what life is, what world is and what does it mean to be free. And there were many other moments that proved me to be wrong.

And one of those moments happened on Friday, late at night in Varadero, Cuba when many things happened for the first time. First time in my life I was accused to be American spy, first time in my life I rode in a police car involuntarily, first time taken to the police station and spent there my first night.

Saturday was a day of even more surprises. First time in my life I felt as an anti-hero in one of the American crime movies. First time they put black liquid on my finger, first time in my life my fingerprints and photos from three sides were taken for official purposes and it was definitely the first time that somebody threw me in the prison cell.

They assured me that I'll be able to speak with my family and embassy on Monday. They will also search for the flight connection to deport me back to Cancun.

None of the promises came true. Not on Monday, not the next 13 days and a half. My mission: "FREE AS A BIRD" ended on the place where no international conventions about the rights of the prisoners are respected.

So I found a new home in a small cell, where I shared the "room" with 7 other prisoners. There were Bernard from Ghana, two Chinese, two Egyptians and two Cubans. The cell was without toilet, water and the blanket was just warm enough that I didn't freeze in the mornings. After 4 days I was transmitted to a cell with more luxury - softer bed and cold water for washing twice a day. Until I made friends with the guards, I had a chance to experience how the street dogs feel. I might be overstating, but in no way I felt as it crossed the mind of anybody that there were actually 8 human beings in cell 12. Not mentioning the fact that none of them has done any greater crime than having its visa expired.

I was observing a whole rainbow of feelings inside me, when the guard took my only freedom on the day 10 - pen.
I was observing my feelings when I had my head leaned on the iron doors of my cage and ask the guard if I can speak with the boss and he answered me without even looking at me: "Yes, yes, don't worry. In a second."
I believe it was the thirteenth time in the last 3 days. Maybe 14th. I felt like a seagull in a paper box.

Ok. The prison experience is over.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale.
Inhale again and forget the Cuban prison. I am going to tell you the most beautiful story of my life.

A story about the land that will always remain in a very special place in my heart.
A story about the land, that made me laugh hundreds of time and also made me cry.
I feel I am in love. I am in love and I want to see her again one day - Cuba.

From Cancun, Mexico I flew to Havana, where I spent a week. Then I visited all the provinces of Cuba (except Isla de Juventud) and each one had a very special present for me. I took part in a wild carnival in Havana, saw the most beautiful sunset in Viñales, fell in love with a Cubana of color of the chocolate and in Baracoa saw the view that made Columbus fall in love with this land when he first arrived in the Americas.

The only form of traveling without having any money on me remains hitchhiking of the vehicles that decided to make an exception and take me with them without dollars and sleeping in the houses of the bravest Cubans. Namely, hosting a stranger in Cuba is illegal.

Cuba - not an island, but a whole Caribbean archipelago of 1600 islands.
The land with tropic palms, long white-sand beaches, stupendously beautiful people and high white half-ruined buildings that reminded me on socialist Russia.
The land, where the natives move in the rhythms of salsa, rumba, casino and drink rum to forget that they will never let them leave this paradise.
Cuba - love that hurts.

I tried to wander in the parts of Cuba, that are not interesting to tourists and many nights I was the first stranger that the locals ever had a chance to host and the first stranger they ever made friends with. I observed how people put down their masks in the evening and share their joys and sadness and the reality of the dictatorship of socialism. They felt that I understand their language, that I laugh with them and make them laugh and that the secrets that we share will be kept among us.

To kill the cow - 5 years of prison.
To talk against the government - 10 years.
To write against the government - 15 to 25 years.
To be actively against the government - nobody has ever got out.
It is told that there are more than a million prisoners in Cuba (10% of the population).

And on the other side... I have never in my journeys seen so many sincerely happy people. On Cuba I saw and experienced the values that the west does not know anymore. I saw many people who never had a contact with the world where there is a law of survival of the fittest. The Cubans fight for the survival of the community and their ideals.
I had a chance to see deep levels of this world museum of socialism. Maybe too deep.

I decided to go TO THE END. Not only in terms of distance, but also in terms of experience. I want to know the most subtle and hidden truth about the world. I want to see the things that are unseen to the eyes. I want to experience the life, the world and especially I want to experience freedom.
How should I therefore know what the freedom is, if I never experience her complete opposite?
In this aspect I also see the experience of the prison. And more than anything else was interesting the fact that I didn't do anything. Anyway, I want to admit you something.
I am proud. I am really proud that not once in thirteen days I experienced anger, sadness or fear. Every night I wrote a letter to God and no one night I asked him to get me out.

For me it was a very rich and productive experience. I wrote more than 200 pages about the project that I now call ONE WORLD and memories from early childhood. I observed and wrote about the experiences of co-prisoners and relationships between us. I felt like I have a unique chance to participate in one of the horrible experiments that were made with human beings about which we learned at psychology classes. I wrote all the details, which I once want to share with the world in more details.
I was lightening up the sad prisoners, I was a teacher of English and Spanish to those who wanted, I thought them meditation and how to control the body and mind. I learned the basics of Chinese and finally read the Small Prince in Spanish language.

In the context of my travel, I saw the experience more as a game and check of how powerful I am. Not many prisoners shared the opinion with me. It was one of the most horrible things that ever happened in their life.
And I definitely would not want that any human being ever experience something like this. I think that after more than 50 000 years of evolution, the humankind could show more maturity to stop doing these stupidities.

In none of the letters to God have I written if he can get me out, except...
One morning I woke up early. This is quite unusual for me. I am one of the people that just love to sleep. I woke up with my eyes wide open and heart full of unrestlessness, sat on the bed and took a pen and paper and started writing. It must have been around six in the morning.

"Friday, 15th April, 2005
God, thank you for these interesting and exciting dreams. Thank you for the feeling that I am experiencing, for deep desire for freedom. Today I have a small request for you. I feel that 13 days and a half of prison was enough. Please, get me out. Today. In any case, your not mine will let happen. I love you. Thank you for being by me. MatejS"

As soon as the co-prisoner on the bed near to mine woke up he saw the biggest smile on my face in the last 13 days. "Asterio, I am leaving today."
"?!"
"I don't know how, but I am leaving."
"You must be out of your mind," he said and fell back to sleep.

It was Friday and for the first time I got a visit. It was an Austrian diplomat, which urged me to let him help me. I told him and to surprised director of the prison, not to worry because I will get out today.
It was about two o'clock in the afternoon that they called me out of the cell with all my things. Not before arriving to the airport I found out that they made a mistake and instead of Cancun I was on my way to Mexico City, where greet me a live open-air concert of Santana just an hour later.

I soon met new friends and today is the forth day that I spend in the house of Tania, pretty Mexican student, and her lovely family. I feel I met very special people...

The project ONE WORLD is alive and is developing. It is developing in my mind and in the minds of many others who meet me on the road and who are in touch with me by email.

But I noticed that what I like most is sharing my ideas with children. They do not think twice whether agree with me or not. It is so natural and obvious to them that we should make a world without borders and wars. It is so obvious to them that it would be so easy if we all just be friends. They think this is so simple! Why do adults complicate everything?

I have another idea! I carry a small camera with me that have a facility to record video of pretty high quality. I would like to record the events and people that I meet on the road and which keeps me on the edge with surprises. I would like to show in picture how beautiful the life is and the world around us. I would like to record a non-profit documentary. I think it is going to be the first documentary with the budget of 0 dollars.
In any case, I would need a team of dedicated people with enthusiasm and experiences, that would want to edit video, audio and pictures. So...

I decided to do the rest of the trip absolutely without money. I made it out of Cuba. Now I have a bigger challenge that confronts me - Pacific ocean. I am thinking about hitchhiking a plane to Australia on this or the other way... maybe somebody would be interested enough in my story to get me a plane ticket. We will see. The life is always full of surprises.

I love you all!

Matej Sedmak
Peacehiker


*** This is a report from the archive. Whole story, photos, audio and video are on the webpage www.peacehiker.com. ***
*** Esto es el reportaje del archivo y en español lo puedes leer en la página www.peacehiker.com ***
*** To je arhivska reportaza in v slovenskem jeziku je na voljo na spletni strani www.peacehiker.com ***

---