As he prepares to release his twenty-second album, the Cuban singer-songwriter and founder of the Nueva Trova movement, Silvio Rodriguezgave an interview to the agency EFE in which he expressed his desire that “the future of Cuba does not remain in the pocket of the North American Government.”
In addition to explaining the creative process that led him to the production table of his new album ‘I wanted to know’, the troubadour referred to the present in Cuba with his usual dose of restraint in his criticism, and nostalgia for a “revolution” that brought the consolidation of a totalitarian regime in Cuba and which, however, he still claims.
Apparently concerned about the future of the Cuban nation, as well as the solidity and legitimacy of the government of the so-called “continuity” and its chaotic economic and social policy, the musician expressed his hope that “the future of José Martí’s Cuba , does not remain in the pocket of the North American Government.”
At 78 years old, Silvio remains active in music with a new album that includes eleven songs composed between 2015 and 2019. “’I wanted to know’ is the continuity that I have; the songs that I preferred to put together on this occasion,” the singer-songwriter commented to the Spanish agency.
According to the aforementioned agency, the album is a mix of intimate and social lyrics, with richly instrumented songs and others reduced to their minimal essence.
Among the songs stands out So as not to throw away the sofa, an “editorial song” that denounces issues such as mass migration, homophobia and censorship. Rodríguez expressed: “I am referring to things that hinder us, that hinder us, that instead of freeing us, they tie us down, they complicate us.” Also, he closed this song, and others like The daily quotawith a message of hope and optimism, advocating “counting on each other” and overcoming challenges.
The singer-songwriter also reflected on his creative process and the impact of the pandemic on his life and career. During the “break” of the pandemic, he took the opportunity to discover many things that he had put off. Furthermore, he remembered his colleague from the Nueva Trova, Pablo Milanéswho passed away in 2022, calling him “irreplaceable” due to his exceptional musicality and talent.
Other “lashes” from Silvio to the government of “continuity” of Miguel Díaz-Canel
Known for his unmistakable voice and poetics, this icon of the new Cuban trova maintains and defends his multifaceted and contradictory image, capable of being both a critic and a staunch defender of the Cuban regime.
“I understand the young people who leave. There is only one life and the situation in Cuba is quite difficult. “We have had a replacement of generations under the pressure of a siege,” said the singer-songwriter at the end of March, in statements collected by The Spanish.
In his opinion, “Cuba’s highest achievements, such as schools, continue to function with many difficulties; hospitals also work, although with fewer personnel, resources and medicines.”
In this context, the musician and deputy of the National Assembly seemed to find logic in abandoning the country, in the migratory crisis suffered by the people of Cuba.
“This is the situation we are experiencing after the pandemic recession, now aggravated by two wars. We cannot forget that very unfair imperial sanctions weigh on Cuba,” said Rodríguez, aligning himself with the regime’s usual discourse that blames the problems in the country. , to the economic embargo of the United States.
In March 2023, the troubadour stated that The Cuban regime needed “a change of mentality” and “lose the fear” of economic models with which collective well-being can be guaranteed.
“The changes we need are in mentality. We must lose fear,” he said in a comment to the publication of an article by Fidel Vascós González about socialism on his blog Second date.
Silvio explained that “we are in the most difficult stage of the so-called revolutionary period,” with a notable loss of “trust and faith like never before.” He added that “communication has not been able to live up to what a historical situation like this requires. This happens because mentalities continue to function in the old way.”
“To be truly revolutionary you have to know how to put collective well-being before the security of a group or a social condition. The people are not stupid,” he stressed.
At the end of August 2022, in the midst of the energy crisis and worsening blackouts in Cuba (a situation similar to what is being experienced today), the singer-songwriter warned that “the people would end up confronting the government,” if continue to repress citizen protests in Cuba.
“I think that Our government makes a serious mistake when it prevents relief actions from the people.. This contradiction will have to be resolved or the people will end up confronting the government,” Rodríguez wrote on his blog.
His statements came a day after the Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canelin a speech about the energy crisis that the country was going through, will call “indecent” the Cubans who protest due to the long blackouts.
“We are going through so much anguish, and what we could do but don’t do is so bothersome, that the temptation to blame the government for everything is latent… I defend the right of everyone to exploit themselves and say what they feel,” concluded the author of Hopefully.
