The singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez considers that there are “orthodox sectors of the Cuban Government that have obstructed changes” agreed in the last two congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba and, although he does not clarify who he refers to, it does follow that among them he does not count the current president Miguel Díaz-Canel, whom he frees from the dart because he considers that he understands the “need to break a certain inertia” and is passing laws that prove it. “All of this is hopeful,” he says.
The troubadour was interviewed by the Chilean magazine Worship, member of the medium Third, and the official Cubadebate It has reproduced the entire conversation without editing, although this has meant that words that would not consciously appear in that medium, among them the classification of dictatorship for the Government of Cuba, slip into its space. Rodríguez goes so far as to admit the qualifier for the Cuban regime, although, in his opinion, it would be compelled by the circumstances.
Although he does not clarify who he is referring to, it does follow that he does not include the current president Miguel Díaz-Canel, whom he frees from the dart because he considers that he understands the “need to break a certain inertia”
“They have been suffocating Cuba for more than 60 years, attacking it, slandering it, and when it defends itself it is a dictatorship. It may be, that they have forced it to be one to some extent. Who forced it? The greatest dictatorship on the planet: that of selfishness , that of money, the one that does not believe in love but in usury, “he says when asked what he feels when he hears the word associated with the Government of the Island.
Rodríguez is asked about the July 11 demonstrations, after which the musician affirmed that the prisoners who protested peacefully had to be released. The singer-songwriter insists that “the merciless blockade” imposed by “the imperial regime for 62 years and” Trump’s 243 extra suffocation measures “added to the attitude of the current US president, Joe Biden, who has not backed down in none of them and the pandemic The combination of all this led, he reflects, the appearance of “expressions of exhaustion.”
However, and although the singer continues to be partially dissatisfied with how the authorities intervened that day, he considers that there could be worse punishments. “A government may make a mistake in qualifying the people who make a protest; but it is one thing to be wrong in the words and quite another is to send battle tanks and troops armed to the teeth that fire shotguns at the crowd, killing and emptying the protesters. eyes, as I have seen what happens in other countries “, he responds when asked if calling the protesters mercenaries or criminals is having respect for the rights of citizens.
The publication cites hundreds of detainees with Cubalex as a source, an allusion that remains in the version of Cubadebate.
The Cuban singer-songwriter emphasizes the evils that the embargo has brought with it and substantiates it by claiming that, if it were not so, it would have been eliminated by now. “If those who design it did not believe that it is fundamental, they would have already raised it. That would have been the ideal policy to demonstrate the failure of Cuba’s thesis. So why don’t they raise it? Is it because they don’t want the world to see What can Cuba be without blockade? “, asks the artist rhetorically, who then responds:
“They suspect that we would be an even more supportive country, a country that would possibly make vaccines and distribute them in all the countries where there are none, in so many places where those who govern do not take care of their peoples. Cuba without blockade would be an even more generous country. and solidarity, that is, a terrible danger for universal selfishness, “he insists. Despite the speech, Rodríguez admits: “Of course, the blockade is not solely responsible for our difficulties.”
Silvio Rodríguez also talks about Patria y Vida, a message that, in his opinion, is “a beautiful motto” that Fidel Castro already came up with, inspired by a girl who was present while he was speaking at a school. “I have no qualms about repeating it, although it is essential for me to say Down the Blockade first,” he alleges, asked for his opinion on the words. As for the song, he assures, he has not heard it because it is “related to another type of music.”
Silvio Rodríguez also talks about Patria y Vida, a message that, in his opinion, is “a beautiful motto” that Fidel Castro already came up with inspired by a girl who was present while he was speaking in a school
The artist also demands that his own son, Silvito el Libre – whom he describes as an outstanding rapper – be mentioned among urban musicians critical of the ruling party, and admits that there are many young people against the Revolution but, he considers that there are also others who they are not in the opposition and they are not as publicized. “A good part of the world press is focused on that. Every day we are on the front pages,” says the singer-songwriter, who insists that there is a kind of plot to punish Cuba for “having dared to be herself.”
As for his generation colleagues who have recently been critical of the regime, like Pablo Milanés, Leo Brouwer or Chucho Valdés, Rodríguez it is forceful. He affirms that he knows and admires them and that he even partially agrees. “I heard what Leo said and, of course, I share it. He did not mention a single thing that he did not say in Cuba. We have been friends for more than half a century, I am aware of his humanism, his deep commitment to our country and even his radical anti-imperialism, “ditch.
In the interview, the journalist is also interested in the artist’s concerns regarding transcendence. “Are you worried about your legacy, what is said about you when you are gone?” “I have been very lucky – answers Rodríguez -. In life I have been able to see that some songs that I composed survived several decades. I am deeply grateful for that, but I have no illusions”.
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