Israel Rojas complains that state media overlook his songs for being "suspicious": even Buena Fe is not exempt from the ideological guardians in Cuba

Israel Rojas criticizes the censorship of his music in Cuban media and alludes to the ideological surveillance over his art. Despite his prior support for the regime, he faces difficulties in promoting his new album "Trineo."



"From the forbidden to the permitted / Scent of a cemetery, wow," would sing Rojas himselfPhoto © Facebook/Israel Rojas Fiel

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Israel Rojas, leader of the duo Buena Fe, claimed this Thursday that the official Cuban media do not feature his more recent music and that at times they even "completely ignore it for being suspicious," in a post where he announced that he is working on the music video for the song El perfume del traidor, part of his new album titled Trineo.

The singer added an irony that did not go unnoticed. "A certain 'historian' has already paid attention to this material without it even being released. I find it interesting how those who oppose me are more aware of my creations," he wrote, pointing to the surveillance of the ideological apparatus over his artistic production.

In the comments, a follower reported that his music was playing on Cubavisión at 3:25 in the morning. Rojas responded sarcastically: "This is the Carnal album from 2019. They play it in the early hours to fill programming. At that time, the audience level must be 0.1% of the population. But I can't complain. They air it a lot at that hour, and it's a work that's already 7 years old. Thank you for the audience report."

Facebook Capture/Israel Rojas Fiel

The reaction from her followers was strong. Mary Val wrote: "We are waiting for the brave ones to want to broadcast Trineo on TV and radio. But no, not even the pinky toe... is visible."

Another user sarcastically remarked that the official media would have to "look through a telescope" to find anything about the new work, referring to Catalejo (2008), one of the most controversial songs by the group.

The audiovisual piece "El perfume del traidor" was directed by the photographer and filmmaker Claudio Peláez Sordo and filmed in a cemetery, featuring a gravestone bearing the name of Rojas himself, an image that, in light of his accusation, carries a symbolic weight that is hard to overlook.

While the new album Trineo remains without space on Cuban television or radio, Rojas ended his statement with a phrase that summarizes the contradiction he is experiencing. "These are truly crazy times," he noted.

The complaint is paradoxical given Rojas' history as one of the artists most aligned with the government. In February, he publicly supported the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel and defended state secrecy, speaking of "policrisis."

That same month, he sparked controversy by stating that he would not donate his blood "for a venerable elder, nor for his son or grandson, nor for his family," brushing against a taboo regarding the Castro dynasty, which forced him to publicly rectify.

In April, Buena Fe performed at the Piña Colada Festival in Morón, an Avilan city that weeks earlier had been the scene of violent protests due to power outages, and Rojas posted videos praising solar panels as "resilience", echoing the official narrative without mentioning the repression.

He also acknowledged that power outages affect his creative work. "Producing music with EcoFlow is an odyssey," he said.

In October 2025, Rojas acknowledged that protesting against the crisis was "almost an obligation", in a turn that marked the beginning of his public frictions with the cultural apparatus.

It's not the first time that he has reported this type of pressure. In January 2023, he had already warned the official newspaper Girón about a "well-coordinated and promoted campaign to discredit us" and prevent his music from being heard.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.