On October 18, 2016, AlaMesa was notified via email by the editor of Americas Quarterly magazine, Brian Winter, that one of the members of our team, D.I. Yondaine Gutiérrez, had been included in a list of five Latin American entrepreneurs on which that publication wished to make an article.
The "Top 5", according to Winter, intended to "give visibility to different stories and personalities representing the best of the region." Considering this, we agreed to the interview which took place on November 4. Lic. Jenry Alvarez, one of the founders of the project also attended. It was conducted by Leani Garcia, yet another editor of Americas Quarterly and author of the article " AQ Top 5 Young Entrepreneurs: Yondainer Gutiérrez", published on January 11.
In addition to inexplicable inaccuracies about the composition of AlaMesa’s team and the current legislation of our country, this article conveys a vision about the Cuban reality that we do not share and that is not in any way included in the statements issued.
It portraits self-employment as an activity that is carried out in confrontation with the law and the political will of the Cuban government. At the same time it simplifies and trivializes the motives, objectives and aspirations of those who exercise it.
Moreover, it presents the skills for the management of our project, as the result of trips abroad. Actually, with exceptions, most of the exchanges held inside and outside our country have been aimed at giving the counterpart elements about our realities and challenges and help them to discover some of the talent and creativity that we Cubans have to overcome the material limitations.
AlaMesa is a project focused on building tools that use technology to facilitate and at the same time enrich the daily lives of cubans and those who visit our country. For this purpose we learn from all experiences, collaborate with individuals and state owned entities as well as private, both Cuban and foreign, and complies fully with the legislation in force. Publications like this are at odds with our willingness to contribute to a future, the one we want for our country, where prosperity, spirituality and culture go hand in hand.