Outrage and Confusion Over Silvio Rodriguez’s Statements

Outrage and Confusion Over Silvio Rodriguez's Statements / 14ymedio
Posted on June 22, 2014

The unusual statements of the singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez on the
official website Cubadebate have provoked a stir on the web, where the
habitual defender of the regime is the object of severe criticism. The
person who was the greatest exponent of the Cuban Nueva Trova gave an
extensive interview to Cubadebate in which he claimed that during his
travels around the neighborhoods of the Island he learned that people in
Cuba are "fucked, really fucked, much more fucked than I thought." And
he admitted to having "a much more comfortable life than the vast
majority of Cubans."

A 14ymedio reader commented that, "From his permanent residence in El
Vedado [in Havana] and his vacation mansion on Jibacoa beach in Santa
Cruz del Norte where he has a view of the sea from a high mountain, it's
clear that he can't make out the hardships of the people." This opinion
coincided with the those of many who accuse the singer of cynicism and
wonder how it is possible that he hasn't realized that "more than fifty
years have passed and the Government is still the same people."

Another group of readers point to the possibility that Silvio Rodriguez
wants to distance himself from the regime, "now that he knows the end of
the dictatorship is imminent, there will be a settling of accounts and
he's trying to clean [up his act]." One of the comments posted on
14ymedio suggests that he maintains his "position as a communist,"
because "the chameleons (…) no one respects them, neither one side or
the other."

Anger with Rodriguez is apparent even among the public on the official
website, which published their statements. "The worst of all is that
those who have lived and do live in that glass bubble without ever
rubbing shoulders with those below, are those who run everything,
control everything, and make the most important decisions in the names
of the those below without consulting anyone and without the ability to
see the reality…" laments a Cubadebate reader.

The statements of Silvio Rodriguez, who was a deputy of the National
Assembly of People's Power of Cuba for 15 years and who contributed with
his music and his international fame as a singer for the Revolution, has
been one of the most read pieces of news on 14ymedio in the first month
of its life, and has nearly 4,000 hits on Facebook, one of the highest
of the page.

Source: Outrage and Confusion Over Silvio Rodriguez's Statements /
14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/outrage-and-confusion-over-silvio-rodriguezs-statements-14ymedio/