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The renowned Cuban baritone Ulises Aquino Guerra published an extensive text on Facebook in which he openly questions the selection system for the National Music Award, which has just been awarded to singer-songwriter Amaury Pérez Vidal at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana.
Aquino does not address Pérez Vidal's artistic quality, but he does criticize the criteria with which the regime awards the honor, accusing it of prioritizing political loyalty over musical merit.
The catalyst for his reflection is the figure of Rembert Egües, a musician with an extensive international career, who, according to Aquino, deserves the award and has been systematically overlooked despite residing in Cuba.
"He has not only been an extraordinary musician, a prolific composer, and arranger. He has also been an outstanding orchestra conductor, who for many years served as the conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Grand Theater, accompanying the great Alicia Alonso and the National Ballet of Cuba around the world," Aquino detailed.
Rembert, son of the legendary flautist Richard Egües from the Orquesta Aragón, also composed the soundtrack for the film "Vampiros en La Habana" and the ballet "Muñecos."
Aquino emphasizes that he remains in Cuba despite institutional neglect: "He has been a patriot, living on Consulado Street, in Centro Habana. He is here despite all this and being ignored in this way."
The lyrical singer cited the case of Roberto Sánchez Ferrer (saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and orchestra conductor) as another example of late recognition by the regime, as he received the National Music Award just before his death, despite his extraordinary work. "The fortunate thing is that Maestro Sánchez Ferrer lived to be 99 years old and was able to see it happen," he noted.
"I wouldn't be surprised if next year they give it to those who make necrosongs, or to the guardians who deserve a political medal more than a National Music Award," Aquino declared.
The singer-songwriter Amaury Pérez Vidal received the National Music Award 2025 on Saturday during a ceremony that was attended by Miguel Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta; the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso - who presented the diploma -; Abel Prieto, president of the Casa de las Américas, and Silvio Rodríguez.
Abel Prieto described the award as "justice" and referred to Pérez as a "great artist and great revolutionary."
Amaury, a founding member of the Cuban New Trova alongside Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Sara González, and Noel Nicola, has been for decades a figure associated with the official positions of the regime.
His proximity to the highest authorities in the country, including the current leader and his family circle, as well as his historical affinity with the previous political leadership, positions him as one of the artists who publicly support the communist project.
In February, he reaffirmed his loyalty in a letter: "I will help to mend what is wrong, and what is right I will defend with a flood of songs". He also mentioned that he suffers from the current crisis "like any other Cuban," facing "endless blackouts and shortages of all kinds."
For his part, Ulises Aquino, who in 2012 saw the government revoke the licenses of El Cabildo, the headquarters of his community project Ópera de la Calle, is one of the most outspoken critics of the regime.
In October, in a lengthy message, he expressed deep concern about the economic and social crisis facing the nation.
After listening to Miguel Díaz-Canel when he demanded an inspection of private enterprises to verify their compliance with the energy plan, he condemned his ignorance regarding the fundamental role that the non-state sector plays in the country’s economy.
"Whatever little or much is generated comes from there, they pay a lot of taxes, and still end up with better salaries than the State," he pointed out then.
The singer harshly criticized that the government does not take responsibility for managing basic services. He reminded that the State must collect the garbage, repair power plants, maintain the streets, ensure food production, care for architecture, and look after children and the elderly.
But he pointed out that these resources have been squandered on bureaucracy, the construction of hotels, and other unproductive state expenditures, while fishing is restricted, tariffs are imposed, and the development of alternative productive forces is prohibited.
Last July, Aquino questioned the management of the Cuban economic and social system, defending the original spirit of the 1959 Revolution and denouncing the betrayal of those who have governed from power.
The enemy blockade […] has been the perfect excuse to justify what is real and what is not,” he stated at the time, referring to the official narrative that exclusively blames the U.S. embargo.
He also proposed an inclusive pathway for transformation, free from ideological constraints, that prioritizes complete freedom and the rebuilding of the country with the ingenuity and talent of Cubans, both inside and outside the Island.
"There will be no foreign investment, due to the reasons we all know and the accumulated debts. Only the collaboration and entrepreneurship of all Cubans can get us out of this situation. However, this must be done with freedom and full rights, respecting all forms of thought and expression," he expressed.
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