El Ciudadano
Original article: Silvio Rodríguez: «Ahora mismo el mundo está dirigido por un régimen autoritario, belicista, ladrón, asesino, que no es Cuba»
In the Ojalá Studios in Havana, Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez granted an interview to the Spanish newspaper El País, where he discussed several topics, including the role of corporate media in relation to the United States’ blockade against Cuba and his decision to take up arms in the event of an invasion of his country.
«Those who want to sink Cuba are part of a propagandistic discrediting campaign we have faced for many years. All corporate media focuses on this; they publish one little positive piece about Cuba one day, but publish fifteen, twenty, or thirty about the ‘regime’ (…){«}. Right now, the world is being led by an authoritarian, warmongering, thieving, murderous regime that is not Cuba,» the artist stated.
When asked about his decision to take up arms to protect Cuba against a potential U.S. invasion, the author of «Dreaming of Snakes» remarked that it felt imminent at the time. «They had done it in Venezuela, they had done it in Iran (…); I thought, they are coming here.»
Following this line of thought, he expressed that he did not anticipate his comments would gain international attention: «I wrote a little note on my blog, but it wasn’t even a post, just a small comment. I didn’t think it would have such impact, honestly. I never imagined it would have that kind of significance, yet it did.»
Diving deeper into the current threat, Silvio Rodríguez—who ultimately received the rifle he requested—added, «After we were talking, they (the U.S.) began saying that it wasn’t enough and that they were going to take the country. What are we supposed to think?»
«There is a long history of interventions and desires to seize Cuba, so Cubans who know that history, and if they are Cubans who have lived what I have lived or part of what I have experienced, I am sure that some, not all, but some, would be willing to defend our country with arms,» the musician continued.
Another point addressed by Silvio Rodríguez is the economic situation in the country, which has worsened recently due to the intensification of the U.S. blockade on fuel, leading to renewed questions about Cuba’s socialist model.
In this regard, the singer-songwriter stated, «I do believe there are economic issues that we should have reconsidered about thirty years ago. I think the economic model dictated by the classical socialism of rationing is very idealistic. Practice has shown it is very idealistic, and people produce better and more when they can benefit directly from what they do.»
«And so many obstacles and bureaucratic hurdles between the result of the work and the worker is not convenient,» he added, emphasizing that «there are Cuban economists, some of whom were even ministers, who have been at odds with the government for many years for that reason, and have published countless articles recommending a different kind of vision, another form of openness.»
Watch a video summary of the interview (10 minutes) on the El País website (click here)
The Citizen
La entrada Silvio Rodríguez: «The World is Currently Ruled by an Authoritarian, Warmongering, Thieving, Murderous Regime that is Not Cuba» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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