HAVANA– He was the poetic voice of the Cuban Revolution, a source of inspiration for millions of Latin Americans who lived under dictatorships in the 1960s and 1970s and dreamed of the ideal Cuba that he – and his guitar – helped to evoke.
Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodríguez, 77, one of Latin America’s most famous musicians, has released a new album, his first in three years. But life on the island, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, has changed a lot since the time he wrote “Vivo en un país libre cual solamente puede ser libre” (I live in a free country, which can only be free ) .
“I feel uncomfortable singing that song now,” Rodríguez said during a rare interview with The Associated Press at his recording studio in Havana.
The Cuban revolutionary project to which Rodríguez has devoted most of his music and lyrics since his debut 56 years ago is experiencing a severe economic crisis that has brought inflation, hunger and unproductive lands – and driven hundreds of thousands of Cubans to leave the island.
Rodríguez, who considers himself a man of the left, says this is not an excuse to ignore the economic crisis Cuba is experiencing and which worries him.
“It’s terrible,” he said repeatedly when asked about the ongoing crisis in Cuba. “It’s very strong, very strong.”
Rodríguez’s new album, “Quería sabre” (I wanted to know), contains eleven songs written between 2019 and 2023, some of which express their disappointment with the path his country is taking.
“And while they think they are cool and conscientious, the reality is a display of inefficiency. The young people are running away en masse,” read the lyrics of “Para no botar el sofá” (Not to throw away the couch), in which Rodríguez sings about the young people who have left the island.
While he is aware of his country’s challenges, he says he remains committed to at least some of the revolution’s principles, including universal health care and education.
“Most people around the world just want to live peacefully, make some progress and have opportunities,” he said.
Born on November 29, 1946 in the small town of San Antonio de los Banos, near Havana, Rodríguez was a teenager when the revolution led by Fidel Castro, a figure he still admires, triumphed in 1959.
Like many young people of his generation – and others who came after him – Rodríguez joined the call to work for his country. He became a literacy teacher, a militiaman, did his military service and was sent to Angola as part of the Cuban military missions in the war against groups supported by the South African apartheid government.
He made his debut in the mid-1960s with what would become his inseparable guitar, and went on to perform in dozens of countries, including Germany, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Nicaragua and the United States.
He released twenty albums and wrote more than five hundred songs, filling stadiums and theaters around the world with fans who idolized him for his music and the power of his poetry, full of powerful metaphors.
“I never took myself seriously,” Rodríguez said of his long-lasting fame. “You are the result of your work.”
When asked about his legacy, he answers with the same candor. “The virtue of songs is that they keep people company. If a song of mine serves that purpose, who could want more?”
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