Díaz-Canel congratulates Silvio: "It has been a blessing to have you."

The leader Miguel Díaz-Canel congratulated the official troubadour Silvio Rodríguez on his birthday this Saturday.

“Only love gives birth to wonder and poets of your caliber, Silvio. Congratulations on your birthday; the people of the continent have been fortunate to have you. A hug from us,” wrote Díaz-Canel on X.

Despite the troubadour's blind defense of the regime in Havana, at times some of his statements have disturbed the top leadership of the regime.

Last March, the troubadour criticized what he perceives as a "gradual disappearance of the sense of national dignity" following the public display of the luxuries enjoyed by the country's leaders at the Habano Festival in Cuba.

In a text titled “Another I Wish”, published on March 2, 2025, Rodríguez expressed his concern about the direction that the Cuban government and society have taken recently, and he expressed his dismay at the loss of “national dignity”.

Various signs suggest that there is a gradual disappearance of the sense of national dignity, said the troubadour, lamenting the "reversal" of the country and citing examples such as the trivialization of historical memory and the lack of respect for traditional Cuban values, embodied in the Capitol, the statue of the Republic, and the tomb of the Unknown Mambí.

The text prompted a response from Leticia Martínez Hernández, head of communication for the Cuban government, who replied with a statement defending the "national dignity" that she believed was called into question by the troubadour. Furthermore,  she justified the presence of millionaires at the Habano Festival with the rhetoric typical of the regime's propaganda.

Among his arguments, he highlighted achievements such as the development of purported innovative drugs, the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dedication of Cuban athletes, and medical assistance in rural areas. The text by Martínez Hernández was published for his friends on Facebook.

"We have a lot to fix, a sea of issues, but national dignity is another matter," wrote Martínez Hernández, who also quoted verses from one of Silvio's songs (El Necio) to strengthen his argument: "If we are where we are today, with a noose around our necks and still breathing, it is because one day we believed that 'the foolishness of taking on the enemy, the foolishness of living without a price'."

In September, Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta, were seen on the steps of the University of Havana, minutes before the beginning of a concert by the troubadour, who dedicated his performance to the students who protested against the fees imposed by ETECSA.