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The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz congratulated the troubadour Silvio Rodríguez this Saturday on his birthday, and expressed a wish that his "committed song may always accompany us."
"Congratulations, Silvio, on your birthday. May your committed song always accompany us," wrote the leader on his X account.
Despite his traditional support for the Cuban regime, Silvio Rodríguez has experienced moments of tension with the political elite in recent years.
In March 2025, the singer-songwriter published a text titled “Another Hopefully”, in which he expressed his concern about the “loss of a sense of national dignity” following the images of luxury and excess at the Havana Festival.
"Various signals suggest that there is a kind of gradual disappearance of the sense of national dignity," Rodríguez wrote, referencing the country's "regression" and the lack of respect for national symbols.
The text, which was widely circulated on social media, was interpreted as an indirect criticism of Díaz-Canel himself and prompted an immediate response from Leticia Martínez Hernández, the head of communications for the government, who defended the regime's management.
The controversy highlighted the tensions between the official discourse and more reflective artistic expressions, even within the cultural sector that has historically supported the government.
Despite this, this Saturday Silvio also received congratulations from the president Miguel Díaz-Canel, who stated that it was an honor to have him.
Considered one of the founders of the New Cuban Trova, Silvio Rodríguez has been a key figure in revolutionary culture since the 1970s.
Although he has questioned specific aspects of Cuban reality, he maintains a loyal stance towards the political system and is viewed by the regime as a cultural emblem.
In September of this year, Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta, attended a concert by the troubadour at the steps of the University of Havana, where Rodríguez dedicated his performance to the students who protested against the fees imposed by ETECSA.
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