Patria y Vida

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Protester in Miami with a T-shirt reading "Patria y Vida"

"Patria y Vida" ("Homeland and Life") is a slogan and song associated with the July 2021 Cuban protests. It is an inversion of the Cuban Revolution motto Patria o Muerte ("Homeland or Death"). The slogan was popularized by a reggaeton song released in February 2021 by Yotuel, Beatriz Luengo, Descemer Bueno, Gente de Zona, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Osorbo and DJ El Funky.[1][2][3][4][5]

Release and reception[]

Yotuel, former member of Orishas, performing "Patria y Vida" in support of the protests in Cuba.

The song "Patria y Vida" was released on 16 February 2021, performed by Cuban rappers Yotuel Romero, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo, El Funky and the group Gente de Zona.[6] The title of the song refers to the phrase "Patria o muerte ¡Venceremos!", coined by Fidel Castro in March 1960, after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and which has been used as one of the slogans of the Cuban government.[7] The lyrics of the song criticize the Cuban government with phrases such as "My people ask for freedom, no more doctrines".[8] The song also alludes to recent events in Cuba, including the arrest of rapper  [es] and the arrest of members of the San Isidro Movement in November 2020 after they staged a hunger strike in protest of Solis' arrest.[1][9] It also mentions the problems facing the country such as food shortages and the depreciation of the Cuban peso.[9] The video clip of the song, recorded in Havana and Miami, managed to exceed one million views on YouTube within three days of its release.[10][11]

After its publication, the song received multiple criticisms from the Cuban government. The newspaper Granma, owned by the Cuban Communist Party, published three articles discrediting the song, labeling it as a "rag and cowardly" song, its authors as "rats" seeking to "change Cuba for a million views on YouTube" and calling the song an "operation from Miami". In the 2020 Olympics, the gold medal winner Cuban boxer Julio César La Cruz expressed his support for the Cuban government by declaring after his quarterfinal victory "Patria y vida, no. ¡Patria o muerte, venceremos!".[12]

The Cuban government's criticism caused the slogan "Patria y Vida" to begin to be used by opponents of the regime as a symbol.[10] A few days after the song's release, two Cuban activists were arrested in Havana for writing the phrase "Patria y Vida" on the facade of their house.[13] On March 6, a demonstration of Cuban exiles in Miami used the slogan "Patria y vida" to call for an end to the Cuban regime.[14] Rapper Maykel Castillo, who collaborated on the song's video clip, was arrested in May on charges of inciting public disorder. The Cuban government banned the reproduction of the song.[15]

"Patria y Vida" won Song of the Year and Best Urban Song at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2021.[16]

2021 protests[]

Main article: 2021 Cuban protests

On 11 July 2021, a series of demonstrations began in Cuba against the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel. The first protests erupted in San Antonio de los Baños, near Havana, and in Palma Soriano, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, with people chanting "Patria y Vida", as well as other slogans and criticizing the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the island and the subsequent economic crisis.[17] The hashtag #PatriaYVida was used on social networks to spread the protests along with others such as #SOSCuba.[18] The phrase has been considered a symbol of the opposition to the Cuban government and the song as an anthem of the protests.[19]

The slogan was also used in protests in support of Cuban demonstrators in various parts of Latin America, including Argentina, Mexico and Peru, as well as the United States.[20][21][22]

By the time the demonstrations began, the song already had more than six million views on YouTube. Its author, Yotuel Romero, has proposed that July 11 be considered "Day of Homeland and Life" in honor of the demonstrations that began on that day.[23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Janetsky, Megan (July 13, 2021). "'Patria y Vida' — Homeland and Life — Watchwords in Cuba's Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Chappell, Bill (July 13, 2021). "The Hip-Hop Song That's Driving Cuba's Unprecedented Protests". NPR.org. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Cassady, Daniel (July 12, 2021). "'Patria y Vida': anti-government protests sweep Cuba, as artist-led movement gains ground". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ San Martín, Nancy; Whitefield, Mimi (July 13, 2021). "'Your evil revolution': How a reggaeton anthem inspired Cuba protests". National Geographic. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "'Patria y Vida': la canción que enfurece y hace temblar a la dictadura de Cuba". Infobae (in Spanish). February 18, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Antonela Minniti (July 13, 2021). ""Patria y vida": la historia detrás del hit latino que se convirtió en símbolo de las protestas en Cuba". La Nación. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "¿Cuál es el origen de 'Patria y Vida'?: la canción que se ha convertido en lema de las protestas de Cuba". El Confidencial. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Protestas en Cuba: de dónde surgió el lema "Patria y vida" que se usa en las manifestaciones contra el gobierno". BBC Mundo. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  9. ^ a b ""Patria y vida": El hit que ya preocupaba a los castristas meses atrás y que ahora es símbolo de las protestas en Cuba". El Día. July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Protestas en Cuba: de dónde surgió el lema "Patria y vida" que se usa en las manifestaciones contra el gobierno". BBC Mundo. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  11. ^ ""Patria y vida", la canción de protesta que inflama a Cuba". El Día. February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  12. ^ ""Patria y vida, no": Mensaje polémico de boxeador cubano tras ganar su pelea en Tokyo 2020".
  13. ^ Camila Osorio (February 22, 2021). "'Patria y vida': la canción de rap que irrita al régimen de Cuba". El País. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Exilio cubano en Miami protesta en favor de la canción Patria y Vida". Telemundo. March 6, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Santiago Pérez y José de Córdoba (July 13, 2021). "'Patria y Vida': The Dissident Rappers Helping Drive Cuba's Protests". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Flores, Griselda; Cobo, Leila (November 19, 2021). "Camilo Is Top Winner, Cuban Anthem 'Patria y Vida' Wins Song of the Year at 2021 Latin Grammys: Winners List". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "El malestar por la pandemia desata inédita protesta antigubernamental en Cuba". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Osorio, Eliezer Budasoff, Camila (July 11, 2021). "Una protesta iniciada en dos municipios de Cuba amenaza con encender el hartazgo ciudadano en el país". El País. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  19. ^ M. Francisco Prieto (July 12, 2021). ""Patria y vida", la canción de un grupo de artistas cubanos que se ha convertido en himno de las protestas en la isla". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "Protestas en Cuba: manifestantes se concentraron frente a la embajada en Argentina al grito de "Patria y vida"". Buenos Aires. July 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "Cubanos protestan en el Zócalo conta el régimen de Díaz Canel". www.proceso.com.mx. July 11, 2021.
  22. ^ PERÚ, NOTICIAS EL COMERCIO (July 12, 2021). "San Isidro: ciudadanos cubanos realizan una protesta frente a la embajada de su país | VIDEO | Lima | nndc | LIMA". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "Patria y vida, el grito de guerra en Cuba, de la mano de Yotuel Romero". . July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
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