The exemplary exercise of Pedro de la Hoz

Pedro de la Hoz, journalist, critic and writer, was one of the most lucid voices of Cuban intelligentsia. A reference for entire promotions of word professionals. An incisive commentator. A sharp and well-informed debater. In short, a cultured and committed man.

He leaves a void in the panorama of national culture, which is difficult to fill, due to his encyclopedic capacity to understand and communicate creative processes, thought exercises.

Pedro de la Hoz was an old school journalist, which manages to be important these days. Old school, in his vision, was that of academic rigor, that of ideological coherence, that of high-flying aesthetics and depth in the arguments, that of ethics. I hope that this old school, cradle of exceptional professionals, would be renewed, as he always renewed it in his daily practice, taking into account the new trends in communication and art, but without giving up that lyrical, philosophical, integrative support. The value of the classics, which Pedro always defended.

In the pages of newspapers and magazines, in radio and television programs, on social networks, in gatherings and meetings, Pedro de la Hoz was prodigal in his teaching. His contributions to the full recognition of cultural hierarchies were always clear, particularly in times of complex intellectual debates, in the face of the dangerous apathy of some sectors of society.

He permanently fought to defend spaces for the socialization of the most authentic expressions of art and literature, which are the indisputable and inalienable heritage of humanity. Pedro de la Hoz never made concessions.

He had studied music in his early years, in Cienfuegos, his hometown. And he devoted a good part of his work as a critic, researcher and journalist to music. His analysis of various manifestations, movements and figures contributed to consolidating a theoretical body on expressions of Cuban popular music. He was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable music lover. He enjoyed with equal intensity the great classics of the concert music repertoire. And jazz, and the heritage of African and Asian peoples...

Pedro de la Hoz advocated the social responsibility of art, the commitment of artists to the permanent project of a better society. His activism transcended the field of artistic and literary culture to address challenges of the entire social fabric, such as confronting racism, a topic to which he devoted much effort.

José Antonio Fernández de Castro National Prize for Cultural Journalism in 1999, José Martí National Journalism Prize in 2017, his union honored him with the greatest recognitions, based on unusual credentials in the profession: Pedro de la Hoz was a "multipurpose."

In the manner of his teachers, Pedro de la Hoz worked until the end, challenging obstacles, aware of the need to light paths in demanding times.

His work is there: books, articles, comments, reviews that leave a valuable testimony for the history of culture in Cuba. His immense talent and his irreducible and incorruptible vocation for public service were put at the service of the country.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff