The Cuban reggaeton artist Chocolate criticized Lina Luaces, selected this week as Cuba's representative at Miss Universe, citing as a primary reason that she is not Cuban and doesn't even speak Spanish well.
The reggaeton artist Yosvanis Sierra -real name of Chocolate- ignited the debate on social media with a recorded statement from prison where he has been incarcerated since early June.
“They gave the crown to 'that really ugly one'. I have nothing against her, but I have to speak the truth. There were a bunch of ‘super cool’ girls there.”, asserted Chocolate, indignant, via telephone.
“Miss Universe is ‘a joke’. How are they going to give the crown to ‘a girl’ who doesn’t know how to speak like a Cuban?” questioned.
"One moment [...] because I've dreamed since I was a child of arriving, haha," said the singer, laughing as he imitated the accent and supposed phrases of the young winner.
"Every time I hear her talking, I lose my mind," the reggaeton artist joked.
“Right now you tell her ‘get out’ and she’s capable of jumping into a garbage truck”, Chocolate asserted with a laugh to summarize what he sees as a lack of authenticity in an election that does not represent what he believes women of the island are or should be.
“It is supposed that Miss Cuba is a Cuban, the representation of woman, not the representation of a Cuban born here in Miami,” she said.
"My queen, you have never besieged tourism," declared the singer, in a controversial statement that has sparked debate.
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Chocolate's statements have been echoed on social media by multiple reggaeton and Cuban entertainment accounts in recent hours, garnering over 2,000 comments so far on "Reggaeton Cuba Viral."
Voices in the Debate: Between Support for Chocolate, Defense of Lina, and the Open Wound of Identity
The criticism has not only generated thousands of reactions and laughter sparked by Chocolate's unique style, but it has given a voice to a sector that shares the belief that the crowned young woman does not represent the authentic Cuban woman.
"He said what many were thinking," commented dozens of users, who celebrated the reggaeton artist's honesty - though always controversial.
"The audio we all needed to hear," "First time I've agreed with Choco," "He's absolutely right, no matter who it hurts," "The most coherent thing he's said in his life," were some of the opinions.
The backing is based on a shared perception: Lina Luaces would be culturally disconnected from the Cuban reality.
“She doesn’t know what it’s like to be without electricity or to stand in line at the store,” “She wasn’t raised with blackouts and rice with eggs. She doesn’t know what it’s like to live in Cuba,” commented a couple of internet users with irony.
However, it was Chocolate's last sentence that has taken the spotlight and ignited the debate: "You have never besieged tourism."
“Is a master's degree in jineterismo required to be Miss Cuba now?”, questioned an internet user in a critical tone.
"Attacking tourism is not identity; it is a reflection of a need," reflected another.
Chocolate was also the subject of questioning that called into doubt its moral authority to make such judgments.
"That's said by someone who speaks worse than she does," "He should sort out his life before criticizing," "And does he know about class and elegance?" questioned others.
Furthermore, there were criticisms of the tone in which he referred to Lina, which many considered misogynistic and derogatory: “She is not ugly, she is just different from your prototype. That doesn’t mean she isn’t worthy”; “That is not criticism, that is unwarranted hatred.”
A smaller but steadfast sector came to the defense of Lina Luaces. In the opinion of this group, the young woman does represent a modern, educated, global Cuba.
“She's classy, elegant, and well-prepared. She speaks perfect English and is cultured”; “If she were a lowbrow who said 'asere' every three words, they would still complain”; “Cuba is in the heart, not in geography. She is a child of exile, and that also matters”; “Cubans in exile also suffer, also fight, and they also deserve to be part of it,” said those who defended Lina.
"The true essence of being Cuban is not in the blood; it is lived day by day on the streets," responded others, "A girl who has never set foot on the Malecón cannot wear the band of Cuba."
The selection of Lina Luaces as Miss Universe Cuba has revealed the fractures of a nation that lives divided between the island and the diaspora, between nostalgia for the past and the challenges of the present.
What seemed like a mere controversy over an election in a beauty pageant has escalated into a deeper debate about national identity.
Who can represent Cuba? Should a queen speak like a "solar" Cuban to be legitimate? Is it enough to have Cuban parents, or is it necessary to have walked the Malecón, experienced a blackout, or lived the daily life of the island?
What does it mean to be Cuban today? The debate is on.
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