The Cuban rapper El Funky shared an emotional video on Instagram this Thursday in which he celebrates reuniting with his mother after five years of separation, a distance imposed by his exile from Cuba.
“Thank you God for allowing me to hug my mother after 5 years,” wrote the artist, whose real name is Eliécer Márquez Duany, alongside the post that garnered dozens of comments within hours.
The reaction from his followers was immediate and filled with emotion. Many shared their own stories of family separation, like one who wrote: "How beautiful, bro, enjoy, that’s the biggest thing; I haven't been able to hug mine for 6 years." Others simply celebrated the moment: "No words. Priceless hugs. Welcome and congratulations."
The embrace with his mother touches a collective wound of the Cuban diaspora. Family separation is one of the most painful consequences of the exodus that has emptied the island in recent years, and the case of El Funky—a artist who experienced that fracture firsthand and in front of the public—turns this personal moment into a mirror reflecting thousands of similar stories.
"Having your mother close is priceless," summarized one of her followers in the comments, with a phrase that hardly needs translation for those who understand what it means to grow up in Cuba and end up far from everything they desired.
El Funky left Cuba after experiencing political harassment from the regime, a direct consequence of his participation in "Patria y Vida," the song released in February 2021 that became an anthem for the protests on July 11 of that year and won a Latin Grammy, as well as his support for the San Isidro Movement and political prisoner Maykel Osorbo.
Already in exile, his immigration situation in the United States was on the brink of collapse in 2025. At the end of April that year, U.S. immigration authorities denied him permanent residency and gave him approximately 30 days to leave the country, citing a prior conviction in Cuba for possession of marijuana. The case sparked a wave of international solidarity and extensive media coverage.
After his lawyer's intervention and the reopening of his case, El Funky announced that he would not be deported. Months later, in September of that year, he successfully obtained permanent residency in the United States following a successful appeal, which ultimately paved the way for this reunion with his mother.
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