The Cuban rapper Bian Oscar Rodríguez, known as El B from Los Aldeanos, posted a video on his social media where he denounces the situation of minors incarcerated in Cuba, amidst growing concern for the case of a teenager detained after protests in Morón, Ciego de Ávila.
The artist accompanied the video, titled "Minimum Age," with a dedication "to all minors who suffer imprisonment and have lost their lives at the hands of the Cuban dictatorship for demanding FREEDOM," and in the video, he conveys a message focused on children and adolescents subjected to criminal proceedings on the island.
In his intervention, the artist constructs a sequence of scenes that depict the experience of minors facing the repressive system: “He is twelve years old and does not know what a cell is until he experiences it. He is fourteen and screams in the street because there is something inside his chest that can no longer stay silent. He is fifteen and the State labels him a delinquent because he asked for what, for millions anywhere in the world, is normal.”
The narrative progresses by incorporating images that highlight the human impact of that reality: "How much does a sixteen-year-old's back weigh against a steel door? How much can a mother cry until her tears turn to stone?"
In that same thread, the rapper expands on the context in which he places these events: “They didn’t have banners with perfect slogans; they were hungry, they were scared, and they had something dangerous that adults learn to lose: the certainty that something is wrong and that saying it cannot be a crime.”
From there, connect that idea with a direct critique of the system: “But in Cuba, it is. In Cuba, a minor can rot in Guanajay, in Canaleta, in silence, while the world debates whether or not to call what smells like a dictatorship, sounds like a dictatorship, and kills like a dictatorship, a dictatorship.”
The message becomes more severe when addressing the graver consequences: “And there are children who are no longer here, you see, it’s not that they are imprisoned, they are gone, and neither Díaz-Canel, nor the Cangrejo, nor Raúl Castro remember them by name. The regime files them away as statistics, but we cannot afford to forget because they existed, they cried out, and they deserved to see and live in a better Cuba.”
The video closes with a reflection on childhood and freedom: “Innocence is not naivety; innocence is understanding that freedom is not begged for, and they knew this before someone stole their right to grow. Minimum age to dream? None. Minimum age to be imprisoned for dreaming? In Cuba, none. Long live a free Cuba.”
The video was published shortly after the decision was made to impose preventive detention on Jonathan David Muir Burgos, a 16-year-old who was arrested for participating in protests in Morón and accused of sabotage. The minor was transferred to the provincial prison of Ciego de Ávila, known as Canaleta, a facility criticized for its poor conditions. During his detention, he has been subjected to interrogations and, according to reports, is receiving inadequate food, lacking proper medical care, and sleeping on the floor despite suffering from a dermatological condition.
His defense has requested a change in preventive measures due to his health condition, while human rights organizations warn about the risk he faces. A habeas corpus petition was denied, and his lawyer continues to seek his release for humanitarian reasons due to his fragile health condition.
El B's reflection has prompted a broad response from users with messages of support and recognition: "The voice of a nation," "Your words reach the heart of every Cuban," "Thank you for always raising your voice," are echoed alongside calls such as "Freedom for all political prisoners. Long live a Free Cuba" and "Never forget."
Other messages reflect the emotional impact of the content, with expressions like "How Cuba hurts" or "Very moving and heartbreaking for what we are seeing today."
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