It was first heard in April 2021 in Bayamo, when the fans of Los Alazanes celebrated their victory in the 60th National Baseball Series. It was heard again this weekend in the province of Granma, where residents are fed up with misery and power outages.
"Hey, damn police!" goes the refrain of the conga that the neighbors of Campechuela sang on Friday night, recalling the surge of emotions that inspired the people of Granma to celebrate their 2021 victory with chants that defied the authorities and repressive forces of the Cuban regime.
Rolling through the dark streets of the town, dozens of residents took to the streets this Friday to express their frustration and discontent over the blackouts and the widespread crisis affecting the lives of Cubans, particularly those living in the central and eastern provinces of Cuba.
“A conga was heated up in Granma, Campechuela,” stated a user on Facebook who shared the video showcasing the manifestation that took place in conga style through the dark streets of the municipality, which has over 43,000 inhabitants.
Challenging the repressive machinery of the regime, which recently paraded its prosecutors and judicial authorities before state-run media to intimidate and threaten those who dare to protest against the energy crisis with prison sentences, the residents of Campechuela brought out their drums and bells to celebrate a bold declaration of courage.
"Last night was terrible," said a user from Granma referring to the blackouts. Her comment, shared on social media, attempted to offer an explanation for the popular uprising in Campechuela.
He reported, “In the main city, there were only two hours of electricity. Just imagine the municipalities. How long and how far will this go? They are destroying our mental well-being.”
"In the morning, a young man collapsed here on the street. We had to stop a car to take him to the clinic. Conclusion: low blood sugar and low blood pressure. That's how we are living. The neighborhood that witnessed it can attest," the woman added.
According to the singer Saúl Manuel Suárez Castro, who shared a video of the protest on his social media, “there were injuries and arrests due to the Conga in Campechuela.”
"I am told that people are not afraid and they are going to do it again," reported the artist who released the song "Cuba, Levántate" in April 2021, a track that at that time joined "Patria y Vida" (by Yotuel, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo, and El Funky) and "Un Sueño" (by El Micha).
The despair and discomfort experienced in Cuba during that time led to the historic protests on July 11, 2021 (11J). Rather than improving, the situation on the Island has only worsened since then.
The sight of congas parading in the streets of Cuba to the rhythm of "oe, policía pinga" is perceived by Cubans as a sign of impending protests fueled by greater discontent.
What may seem like vulgar and fleeting expressions of discontent—such as the tweets from actress Mia Khalifa—serve in the collective imagination of Cubans today as a sign that the pressure cooker is reaching a dangerous boiling point, and that the eruption of the populace may be just around the corner, whether in Campechuela or in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución.
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