Lico Wayne and Tino Mán, two representatives of urban music in Santiago de Cuba, were summoned this Wednesday to the "La Motorizada" police station and threatened with reprisals if they proceed to film the music video for their song "Súbelo Mayeta."
The artists were planning to film the music video for the song this Wednesday, but they were unable to attend due to a police summons, as reported on Facebook by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta.
"Súbelo Mayeta" is a musical piece dedicated to the independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who in recent years has become a key voice for the complaints of the people of Santiago de Cuba, unreservedly exposing the secrets that the regime has tried to hide in the eastern province.
Previously, Mayeta himself reported that the artists were at the police station, and no one had any information about them: "They are not responding to calls or messages left by the filming crew, which was ready and waiting for them to record the music video."
According to the communicator, the production team was concerned about the state of the young people, believing they were missing and possibly arrested.
Mayeta characterized the event as “a new attempt by the Cuban regime to censor free and street art, a practice that has been ongoing since 1959, particularly against those who, through their music, denounce the reality faced by the Cuban people.”
Finally, he noted: "'Súbelo Mayeta,' in addition to being the title of the song, has become a rallying cry against the repression faced by Cubans," and in each of his social media posts, he uses the hashtags #subelomayeta and #súbelomayeta.
A few days ago, the independent journalist expressed public gratitude towards the artists: “I’m not used to receiving thanks or having songs written about me, when I am the one who is grateful to you. Simply, thank you for the music.”
Censorship in Cuba, as a tool of power and control used by the regime to conceal anything that contradicts its version of reality, continues to claim victims consistently.
The Adventist singer Dairon Gavilán recently revealed that he was prevented from participating in the Cuerda Viva Festival gala due to his song "In the Name of Jesus," which repeatedly mentions the name of Jesus.
The artist explained the situation through his social media. "They asked us to change the song because it mentioned Jesus too much, but we decided not to, as our faith and principles come first," he stated on his Facebook page.
An artist who has managed to overcome this obstacle is filmmaker Lilo Vilaplana, who in August shared on social media that his film "Plantadas" is attracting more and more viewers in Cuba, despite the censorship it faces due to its tribute to political prisoners who are victims of Castroism.
"From Cuba, they are sending me images of how they are watching the film 'Plantadas' even in a park," Vilaplana noted on Facebook.
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