Autoinfected - The Frikis of Cuba
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba cracked down on its domestic culture, oppressing the youthful angst of the nation's fledgling punk rock scene and prompting them to lash out with a shocking protest of self immolation. In order to join a quarantined island colony of their fellow punks, or “frikis," Cuban kids began purposely infecting themselves with HIV. The quarantine, where young punks had better food, care, and creative liberty than at home, became a haven for misfit Cubans, and a golden age of music, protest, and freedom ensued, cut short by the reality of the disease that served as a ticket to get in.
In this short documentary featured on VICE.com, I visited Cuba and interviewed a few surviving members of Los Frikis, a Cuban punk movement, who purposely infected themselves with HIV in the early 90s.
Credit: Director/ Producer
