Esperanza Mural to be auctioned off as NFT with proceeds benefiting the Cuba Decide Movement

Artist Erni Vales will launch bidding on the NFT of his "Esperanza" Mural. All proceeds of the sale of the NFT will benefit the Cuba Decide movement.

The package being auctioned includes an original digital work of art published in the form of an NFT (non-fungible token) containing a time lapse video of Miami-based artist Erni Vales as he creates the 85-foot-long Esperanza mural located outside Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar in Fort Lauderdale.

The high bidder’s ownership of the original digital works will be coupled with real world elements, including a limited edition print on aluminum of Vales’ mural, a copy of the book La Noche No Será Eterna written by Oswaldo Payá and signed by Rosa Maria Payá and a dinner with Vales and his wife Red at Cuba Libre’s Latin Grill and Chef's Counter, personally prepared by the restaurant’s chef-partner, two-time James Beard Award winner Guillermo Pernot. At the dinner, each guest will receive an autographed copy of Pernot’s latest book, Cuba Cooks: Recipes and Secrets from Cuban Paladares and Their Chefs.

The Esperanza mural is inspired by the recent events of the historic protests in Cuba that took place on the week of July 11, 2021. “My intention for this mural is for it to inspire continued hope and inspiration for the Cuban community in South Florida and beyond,” said Vales. “I’m donating the proceeds from this NFT auction to help amplify Cuba Decide’s mission to free the Cuban people from oppression.”

Cuba Decide is a grassroots movement that works directly with thousands of Cuban people through an underground network that revolves around communication and citizen outreach on the island. The movement maintains and stokes the flame of freedom inside Cuba and abroad.

"We are so grateful that Erni and Cuba Libre Bar and Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale are supporting our movement and amplifying the calls of freedom of the Cuban people, first with the sale of the Esperanza cocktail and now with this generous NFT donation", said Rosa Maria Payá, founder of Cuba Decide.  

Other work included in the auction includes two paintings by Cuban artist/activist Danilo Maldonado Machado, also known as El Sexto.

Bidding on this NFT and other items will be available at this site and will go live on Human Rights Day, which is Friday, December 10th, a day of particular significance for the Cuban people who are demanding the restoration of their fundamental human rights. The Cuban people have been met with repression as more than 1,000 people were jailed for peacefully participating in the historic protests. The auction will end on the 1 year anniversary of the protests, July 11, 2022. 

The Esperanza Mural located at the Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Bidding will start on Friday, December 10, 2021.