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The Culture Directorate of Santiago de Cuba announced the route for the Congas of San Pedro this Monday, June 29, at 3:00 PM, just five days after the police blocked that same tradition on San Juan Day, generating a wave of criticism and raising the question of whether the authorization pertains to cultural reasons or political calculations.
The announcement was shared on social media by the official spokesperson José Yaser Centray Soler with information from the Directorate of Culture, and includes the participation of eight groups: Alto Pino, Guayabito, San Agustín, Paso Franco, Veguita de Galo, Los Hoyos, Los Muñequitos, and San Pedrito.
The contrast with what happened on June 24 is hard to ignore: that day, the police blocked the route of the Santiago congas, citing the city's "political-ideological situation," according to an internal message that circulated among the leaders of the groups.
It was the second consecutive year without the traditional San Juan parade, following its cancellation in 2024 and 2025 as well.
Dozens of residents waited for hours at Paseo de Marte, the venue for Conga Los Hoyos, but the event never took place.
The journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported on the police blockade of June 24 under the headline "The police also silence the drums in Santiago de Cuba," and three days later publicly questioned: "Are the congas returning out of tradition or convenience?".
The regime's fear is well-known: the congas can gather tens of thousands of people in the streets, and in the context of weeks of protests, that concentration poses a political risk that the authorities are unwilling to take on without control.
Citizen reactions to the announcement from San Pedro are mostly skeptical.
"We already have the circus guaranteed, now we just need the bread," wrote Thaimi Martinez Dilu, while Daniel Medina quipped, "One heart, one rhythm, but you missed one blackout."
Lysy Hernandez described the celebration as "a great absurdity, considering all the situations we have, the long blackouts, and the lack of medical supplies."
Others openly pointed out the political function of the celebration. "Without words. The easiest way for the people to forget about hunger and misery," wrote Dayanis Arrieta.
Seismologist Enrique Diego Arango Arias added another point: "I don't think it's prudent for the congas to go out; the Cuban context is very complicated, with dark streets that lend themselves to anything, and there is dismay over the situation of the people in Venezuela due to the disaster caused by the earthquakes, where thousands of deaths have already been confirmed."
The reference to Venezuela alludes to the earthquakes of June 24, 2026, which resulted in thousands of fatalities and caused shock throughout the region.
La Conga de Los Hoyos, the most internationally recognized group, celebrated its 124th anniversary in April 2026 and has a recent history of restrictions: it also did not parade on its traditional date of December 27, 2025, in what was described as "paperless censorship."
The route for this Monday is announced under the slogan "Tradition, Culture, and Faith to the Rhythm of Our Congas," but the question lingering over Santiago is whether the regime will open the streets out of cultural conviction or because it needs a controlled safety valve.
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