Cuba musicians support protests, government softens stance

Cuba’s musicians have long supported the state but many are speaking out in favour of protesters.

Havana, Cuba – Cuba’s communist government has long promoted and revered its musicians, and in return many songs were written about the revolution’s early ideas and glamour. Lyrics like Pablo Milanes’ “It would be better to sink in the sea before we betray the glory we have lived” still bring tears to Cuban eyes. Yet the violence on Cuban streets since Sunday has caused a swath of the island’s most famous musicians to publicly criticise the Cuban state as the government appears to be softening its line towards the protesters’ demands, lifting some restrictions on food and medicine. Los Van Van is Cuba’s most famous salsa band, named for Fidel Castro’s 1970 call to the people to take to the sugar cane fields in an effort to make the island self-sufficient.