The leader of the duo Buena Fe and a fervent defender of the Cuban regime, Israel Rojas, has once again accused the U.S. "empire" of the systemic crisis facing the country and the largest exodus in its history, which has driven nearly two million people to flee the Island in search of escape from hunger, repression, poverty, and a lack of opportunities.
In an interview with La Iguana TV conducted by communicator and National Assembly deputy from Venezuela, Alberto Alvarado, the singer and official of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) once again held the United States government responsible for the economic and social failures of the regimes in Havana and Caracas.
The interview, broadcast at the end of November and with only 1,798 views to date on YouTube, served as a platform for both champions of their respective authoritarian and violent regimes to celebrate the dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, and to lament their "shared sorrows," which they claimed were inflicted by U.S. "imperial" policies.
"We share common pains. The issue of emigration for Cuba and Venezuela has been very painful; it has been a strategy to uproot us, to tear families apart, to push us to our limits, turning scarcity and poverty into tools of war. That is brutal. I don't understand how the modern world, in the 21st century, can allow something like this," Rojas said in the interview.
According to the pamphleteering troubadour of Palacio, the United States continues "to use economic measures to kill a people, de-industrialize it, and suffocate it to provoke a rebellion among the people."
"Not against their rulers anymore, but instead to rebel in favor of those who are working the hardest to develop it. So that this very confused population, lacking identity, ends up embracing those who are causing them the most harm, their most enlightened men and women for the sake of progress. That is horrible!" said the musician, speaking incoherently and gesturing dramatically.
Beyond the lapse or absurdity of "rebelling in favor of those who are working hardest to develop it," Rojas's concern over "the confusion" of the people led to his explanations about the logic that allegedly underlies U.S. imperialism.
"It is such an imperialist and egocentric speech that all the beautiful things they talk about—progressivism and democracy—are for them. Not for you; what you are meant to do is harvest sweet potatoes, what you are meant to do is grow tomatoes, what you are meant to do is give me your resources," explained the author of Catalejo, a privileged member of the Cuban regime who does not bow down to the overseers of the 'empire,' nor harvest sweet potatoes for 'the owners of the estate.'
Having confirmed the alignment between Rojas and Alvarado, the lyricist of the Cuban regime did not want to leave the topic without adding another verse that reflects his Manichaean and biased worldview. He called for universal harmony with an image reminiscent of a communist pioneer and the vanguard of indoctrinated teaching, singing in the morning assembly.
Recalling his happy times, when he would kiss the red scarf and sing "La Rueda" by Digna Guerra (that syrupy pamphlet that said, “all the children of the world are going to make a wheel”), Rojas concluded by stating, “I want everyone to walk hand in hand,” and continued denouncing American imperialism with the same innocence of a child dressed in red shorts, excited at his podium and shouting simplistic slogans to the few followers of La Iguana.
Israel Rojas: Leader of Buena Fe, provocateur, "lover of love," and controversial figure
Israel Rojas is the leader and lead vocalist of the duo Buena Fe, founded in 1999 alongside Yoel Martínez in the province of Guantánamo. Beyond his musical endeavors, his career has not been without controversies.
In May 2023, he denied the existence of political prisoners in Cuba, stating, "As far as I know, there are none." These comments sparked intense criticism, particularly from the families of individuals arrested during the protests on July 11, 2021, who accused him of apparent insensitivity and complicity with the Cuban regime.
In September 2023, several Buena Fe concerts in Spain were canceled amid a backdrop of political tension. Although no official explanations were provided, there was speculation that the cancellations were linked to Rojas' support for the Cuban government and the protests from exiled groups against his presence.
In April 2024, the musician was thrust back into the spotlight of controversy after leaked photos surfaced of him with television host and spokesperson for the Cuban regime, Humberto López, while they were enjoying a party thrown by the ousted Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil Fernández.
"We must aim for intelligence, aim for love; this is earned with love," Rojas said in a 2020 interview with the official media outlet Escambray.
As a street vendor of "love for the revolution and its leaders," Rojas does not hesitate to label Cuban activists advocating for change as "digital abnormal," to disparage independent civil society, and to charge 3,000 pesos per person for a Christmas concert dinner in a country where the regime has set the minimum wage at 2,100 Cuban pesos.
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