Censorship in Cuba: Rappers silenced in private bar in Havana.

Scheduled to take place over three days at the Fellini bar in Havana, the rap festival Forma Tu Bulla fell silent on its closing night as the performances were "unilaterally" suspended.

Under the slogan Latin America shouts from Cuba, the event took place during its first two days (May 23 and 24) amidst complaints and regrets, reported the democratic coalition D'Frente, while also denouncing the arbitrariness of the decision from the social network X.

The statement issued on May 27 - and signed by several organizations - points out that the suspension "prevented the participation of the rappers from the Compendio Soandry HDC and NavyPro project, as well as Elokuente, among other artists", which once again demonstrates how the Cuban regime censors artists.

According to the letter, on May 25th, a police patrol was stationed near the bar located in the Playa municipality, and the decision was "transmitted orally to the owner of the premises, who later informed the organizers that the event on Thursday and Friday would proceed, but unilaterally, the concert on Saturday will not take place."

In this way, the regime enforces Decree 349 of 2018, a Gag Law that limits the freedom of expression and creation of Cuban artists through the figure of the supervisor-inspector — or directly by State Security agents — and which, after its approval, was denounced by the majority of the Cuban cultural community," the statement explains.

With this measure, the regime once again shows the fear it has of its own people and, more specifically, of the world of culture for its ability to connect with the average citizen. Artists are first and foremost neighbors, members of a community, friends, family members, people from the town who suffer the same hardships as the rest of their fellow citizens and, therefore, become references for change, reliable and approachable interlocutors," the text points out.

The event featured a diverse program of performing, visual, and sound arts, including workshops, exhibitions, and showcases led by DJs Dataset, Mike Style, Reymel, Other Place, Más Milo, Erick, Lino, among others, as well as artists YoLoopz, Roxi, Urban Dynasty, Papagoza, Sekou, and many more.

From the various digital platforms, the participants of the event regretted the incident and conveyed their apologies to the public, such as the activist and musician Osvaldo Navarro Veloz, who also emphasized the value of Cuban rap in the current context which "has the opportunity to regain its strength, to play a leading and important role, civic and social."

Meanwhile, the rapper, producer, and founder of the Real 70 studio, Papá Humbertico, mentioned, "The outdated mentality of those who 'lead' this country doesn't change! I apologize to everyone who was planning to attend and I stand in solidarity with artists and organizers! See you soon!".

The D'Frente coalition called to defend the world of art from the power of censorship, as the creative universe "must be above all a realm of spontaneity, it is a continuous assault on freedom, a persecution of politically uncomfortable content, and an attack on citizens' right to know other realities different from those of the official Cuban institutionalism."

The issue of censorship in Cuba is not new. In 2020, the Cuban Rap Agency, subordinate to the Cuban Institute of Music, labeled the dissident singer Denis Solís as a "supposed rapper" who does not represent that music genre in the country.

In an official statement, the entity questioned the solidarity shown by the San Isidro Movement towards Solís, who was sentenced to eight months in prison for an alleged crime of contempt.

A few days ago, Lisandra Rodríguez, known as the "Cuban Amy Winehouse" due to her remarkable physical resemblance to the deceased British singer, was expelled from the bar where she worked as a waitress in Old Havana, as the young woman herself revealed on her social media.

In June 2023, Cuban filmmaker Juan Pin Vilar sent a letter to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, in relation to the regime's overt censorship of the documentary "La Habana de Fito."

The letter recalled that in April of that year, the Ministry of Culture prohibited the screening of the material at the headquarters of the theater group El Ciervo Encantado, in Vedado, as part of the censorship of a documentary screening event.

The filmmaker expressed in the letter his disagreement with the measure, which he described as "a deplorable act that imposes a biased view on the documentary and subordinates Fito Páez's testimony to political or historical credibility questions."