Sometimes I see comments like, "It's

good to live in Serbia when you have a

lot of money. All you guests have jobs

abroad. This is why it's so easy for

them to live here in Serbia." Fair

point. But this story is not about

Serbia as Thailand of Europe. This story

is about courage, incredible hard work,

optimism, and incredible love to the

country that come to be your home. Meet

Louis Enrique. He is a Cuban artist who

moved to Serbia 4 years ago. He started

out as a waiter in restaurants, but

despite the exhausting work, he never

gave up on his art and now he's

collaborating with several art galleries

in the Balkans. He shared what Serbs and

Cubans have in common when it comes to

identity, what's better, Ram or Rakia,

and why social status is so important in

Serbia. I got the impression that Cuban

people take pride in their identity. And

here in Serbia, it's definitely the same

thing. I think you are right first.

Okay. I live there. I was born there and

I live and I saw enough to say this. I

will say now sometimes we can be proud

of our

identity about uh being against of the

world. Because of that we have a lot of

bad things. A lot of countries turn

around and we can't even make deals.

It's not possible because the systems

become different. That system doesn't

match. With Serbia, I can see it's the

same in some way. Serbia has some

advantage which is having borders with

some other countries.

>> So they are always coming going. But

Cuba is an island. So whoever is going

there, it's flying. being like that you

need to accept you will be alone a lot

of times or for a long time that's what

I see in Serbia they are a bit alone in

this area I don't know about the politic

or even politicians that's not my

business sometimes I touch something

like that because I can't avoid this is

even about that because everything could

affect affect even my my my life my work

and I let them at some point affect.

That's why some of my paintings are

born.

>> So you keep it just here in the

>> Yes. I I have no choice

>> in the entrance.

>> They couldn't be inside the building in

the apartment.

>> It's the It's the drum wife from

Belgrade.

>> Yeah. Stanka.

Wow. Oh, and neighbors they don't like

it.

>> They probably they didn't talk about if

they like or not. They just see some

campasses here. Oh, it can be there.

Please remove it from there because it's

not allowed. They are one package of 25

paintings. This is one when you make

something big but simple.

>> And why is Bitcoin here? because that

that's connected with the economy and

that was the only the sign to connect it

with the with the money. There are some

words or some sentences about how to

change the situation.

>> Why did you move from Cuba to Serbia?

>> Because of the situation in Cuba.

Everything is up. The system, the

economy, the everything. The prices for

example in stores almost the same like

here. But the salaries are not the same.

Here somebody could earn 70,000

dinners which is around €650.

But in Cuba that's not possible for

regular people. There must be people in

Cuba like that the government or but

regular people the salaries are around

five or 7,000 dinners

>> per month.

>> Per month.

>> One month.

>> Per month.

>> Wow. So when you take a look and the

prices are the same, Coca-Cola costs the

same, the food is the same, the bread is

the same. So it it doesn't make sense.

So when you when you are in the middle

of this, I decide to move to another

place where I can restart my life to

create to keep painting to keep

surviving living. So when I when I heard

about Serbia and how can we manage to be

legal to be in the proper way it was one

of the best option for me.

>> So you have no problems with the famous

Serban bureaucracy.

>> No brother I don't have that problem.

You know why? Because I came from Cuba

where those problems could be so normal.

Wherever you go, some people delaying

the papers or or that paper or somebody

made a mistake and and you what you can

do here when I see somebody's delaying

for me it's like okay whenever you have

the time or you decide you can finish it

and I will come to pick it up because

what can I do to get angry to start uh

asking people why you don't know

otherwise We will be fighting to

everybody every day.

>> People in Serbia often complain that

there is no jobs for young people. Was

it difficult for you to find your first

job, to find your first work here on

Serbia?

>> When we have the will, everything is

possible because wherever we go, we can

just ask ask and somebody's needing

somebody to somebody else to work. For

me, it wasn't difficult because we have

a lot of places like cafes, like

restaurants. Everything depends of what

you need or what you want because

sometimes what you want is not that

easy. But sometimes what you need is not

so difficult to find. If I come here to

Serbia first time again, which is not

possible anymore, but let's say I could

do probably the same or for us the most

important is to find a place. Second, to

find the way to be able to stay. If we

can stay and find some job, to be able

to pay the rent, some other money to

help some family or some relatives, it's

okay. Even if you can't go on vacation

or that's not a problem. We are not

thinking too much about that because the

most important is to to build the the

base. After that, everything could come.

this building. It was the first image

about Belgrade, Belgrade waterfront and

it was in progress in those days. I used

to watch those places just to to to

imagine myself here in Serbia before I

came because I wanted to come.

>> Do you like this building?

>> I like the design. I like how does it

look in the city. So a lot of I have

seen a lot of Serbian people don't like

maybe because I will not even talk about

that but because that's not my business

but the some people don't like a lot but

sometimes I have seen people who enjoy

even watching that building.

>> What about Serbs when they hearing your

story? Are they supportive? Wherever I

go from the beginning when when Serbian

people know I'm from Cuba, I can see

some positive uh energy about that is ah

Cuba bro everything is always good and

people are interested here in making

some connections even about that I

didn't have any any problems wherever we

go I know and probably we all know

wherever we go we see or we meet good

people and bad people. I have met good

people in Cuba and bad people. I have

met bad and good people in Serbia.

Wherever we go, if we don't like

somebody, you you have the choice to

split or to go to another direction.

>> What impression did you get about Serban

people? uh when you working in

restaurants

>> I have met a lot of people being waiter

being salesperson and it's the same we

we see a lot of educated people but also

not so educated a lot of different kind

of people bad good not so bad not so

good but in the end what is more

important those wood ones the other ones

I forget them so fast I You can see that

the the society is different if we

compare it in Cuba. The most important

for us even inside or outside the island

for us the most important is to find a

way to pay your bills and sometimes we

don't care because the most important is

to to give your family what they need or

give yourself if you if you are alone.

But I can see here in this kind of uh

society which is different it matters a

bit for people. I have even heard people

talking about that like like if you are

working in some place let's say maybe

they don't they don't don't consider you

are successful people and they don't

even know who is behind that uh suit or

behind that clothes or behind that those

that job. I can see now you ask me that

and and I can remember a lot of people I

met being a waiter but sometimes we met

there at the restaurant but at some

point we saw each other in some gallery

in some exhibition and it was my

exhibition or some collective exhibition

and those people watching the paintings

and even buying the paintings but you

are the yes that's yes I was giving to

you the dish the plate But now we are in

this commodative environment and what's

the difference? So for people here

hierarchy is important

>> probably yes that's what I that's what I

>> not for everybody but some people know

that you are this or this they switch

they change and they start being with

you different this is not only about the

meaning this is about some place and how

do you offer something and how or how

does somebody offer you something in the

end this is some kind of culture which

is in my hands or another hand it's

offering to me or to you or somebody

else I like to use text

>> just to guide the interpretation in this

one this is the language here but this

is also some item which is only here if

you are in Cuba you will be a lot of

text in Spanish so I use I

This can only because of that just to to

remind some country, some place, some

area.

>> What is better Ram or Raka?

>> If I am in Cuba,

Ram in Sera, I could say Raa because

even if I know some stores where they

sell Abana Club at some drinks from

Cuba, I still choose Rakia. I don't know

why. Maybe because I like that flavor or

because it's okay for me in this

weather. I don't even think about that.

>> What is your favorite sort of raka?

>> That that one sometimes, but my favorite

>> as Serbian people similar to Cuban

people.

>> I could say in some ways

I have some similar even behavior. Maybe

the temperament or maybe I could say

they feel a bit like like Caribbean

people or Latin people because even the

summer here every time I see the summer

a bit like Cuba it's so hot and also the

the way to enjoy the daily life and to

go to vacation some beaches or some

other countries of course Belgrade or

Serbia doesn't have a beach, but they

have some the river wherever we go. I

have sw been swimming in this river a

lot of times.

>> Aren't you afraid because sometimes it's

like smells not good?

>> No, no, no. Because there are a lot of

places for that. My one now

ex-girlfriend, she showed me a lot of

places like this, like proper for for

this for to swim to to enjoy like a

beach by the river because the river is

so big. The water is so clean, so

transparent and you see a lot of people

go there to enjoy, to swim, to take the

under the sun. So it depends where you

want to swim. If you want to swim here

in front of a Belgrade waterfront, of

course you will be

>> Yes.

>> frozen first of all and probably you

will see a lot of things.

>> What are your relationships with Serban

language?

Maloessing

Was

it emotionally difficult for you to

think about yourself as an artist and at

the same time working as a waiter? Not

now. Because now, for example, in this

shop where I work, I have always

something to do. Serving people, selling

what they need, preparing some juices,

listening to music. So, I I found some

way to to do that, but also to even to

enjoy. But in those days, it wasn't like

that. I was always like like my art was

inside the small box trying to escape

and and I couldn't open. There was a

point when just made the decision to

start again because otherwise I could

still be in those restaurants without

doing anything. and everything we have

here now, it couldn't be possible if I

don't make uh that decision.

>> And this place is insane. It's like you

it's your studio. You're making here all

your pictures. Yeah.

>> Yes. I have been here around 9 or 10

months working painting. The space is

not so big, but it was so comfortable to

to start developing the the other

paintings I had in my in my projects or

so the place has been good and also

warm.

>> How did you manage to find the time for

your art? Because you know after a shift

of 9 or 8 hours you have no power to do

anything but sleep. when I make this

decision like like okay something needs

to to be changed well how can I do it

okay this uh week I will start with the

first because I have job to do I have

work to do the paintings friends offer

me some they had a place where they made

some uh lectures classes and they offer

me to go there to to start painting and

I accepted immediately I found some

hours just to start a couple of them

just to go there to start doing

something even if I am going there like

like dying. I started using some

drinking Coca-Cola, drinking guana to

try to to to be awake day by day it

started getting more. It's not about how

to adapt. is just starting doing and the

things will get the the level the

balance now I can finish there

immediately to come here to keep

painting that part I couldn't finish and

like that sometimes I am painting here

and ah it's almost two I have to go I

have to be there at 3 and I just finish

and go

>> can you earn money by art here in Serbia

>> it's possible when we go to another

place we don't know anybody. We don't

know places, we don't know anything but

day by day and meeting people and we are

connecting a bit more every day. So I

started working in those places. I

didn't know anything else but I met a

couple of friends. From the beginning we

had a very good relation, very good uh

friendship. They decided to to buy some

materials for me like oil, canvases

which is important to start or to to

restart and I did it. They invited me to

some show or they made the book and when

they started uh showing people or even

selling the books they invited me to

make an exhibition with my artworks. I

did it and that day started everything.

It was after one year living here. After

that I made a deal with one uh gallerist

from Ljubljana. I started selling the

paintings like that.

>> How much does it cost to buy from you

your picture? For example, if I want to

buy this picture,

>> this picture with this format with this,

it would be no less than 1,500

>> dinners.

>> No euros. How many pictures have you

sold already here in Serbia?

>> I have this deal for example to paint

some amount of paintings for some uh

amount of money and I needed to make

those 25

paintings but apart when I sold the

painting

I could say no less than 15 but no more

than 20.

>> It's the paper for polishing. Yeah, it's

it's it's very harsh.

>> In some places, we have the chance to

get some materials which uh will be good

or will work better for our artworks.

These are part also part of the that ser

about about the Cuban politics or even

politicians or because of that probably

I am here in Serbia because of that

situation but I can't even hate this

because we can decide in your

neighborhood ah this is not going well

here I can't change it maybe okay I will

I will find another neighborhood It's

only that.

>> Have you ever regretted your decision to

move to Serbia? What was the lowest

moment uh here in your life

>> to come back? I never felt like that.

First because I didn't leave Cuba only

because of the situation.

I left Cuba because I I felt like I

couldn't do more. It wasn't possible,

but I knew I could do more. I could keep

developing what I have in my mind also

to improve those things because in Cuba

I found myself searching for some other

materials or some other ways to create

and I didn't find it here in Serbia or

when we go out we see some other tools

or some other ways to to keep creating

even when the in the beginning when I

didn't have a job or I didn't have the

residence. I felt sad a couple of times

and I went around just to to think or to

open my mind a bit more to to be able to

catch the the right uh place or the

right thing or whatever to to find a way

to start surviving. So in those days

maybe but I never felt like like okay

here is uh not what I thought I will

come back. What do you think? How Serbia

changed you?

>> It helped me or or Serbia made me think

about some other things. Even to

organize my life, even to start planning

my daily days. In Cuba, I was just

painting whenever I want, even when when

when buyers are asking for the same

painting to repeat it. Sometimes I was

delaying but here I can't do that

because I'm not at home or not in my

previous home. I feel here like at home

because in my mind it's like that and it

helped me to be more precise, organized,

serious with the things not afraid to

fail because we don't know how can we

fail but it's possible to to to fail.

But the most important to to wake up and

to stand again and to do it better.