The cannons of Cuban officials were turned against the new edition of Cuban reggaeton singer Oniel Bebeshito entitled “Axe”. To the point that The broadcaster Cubavisión issued a statement on its social networks to apologize for including the song in last summer’s Lucasnómetro gala.
“Cubavisión broadcaster apologizes to the public for violating program guidelines by recording at the Summer Lucasnometer Gala Content that exacerbates sexism and violence against women,” begins the message of this channel, which presents itself as the “Channel of the Cuban Family”.
The apology note said that the channel’s management “in conducting the relevant analysis, decided on administrative measures with those responsible and strengthened mechanisms to prevent similar events”, although no details are given about the measures or the mechanisms to which it refers. Finally, they reiterate their commitment to “the defense of Measures to promote and protect women’s rights and the values that the Cuban social system defends.”
The contribution of Cubavisión’s apology was published this Thursday on the official website of Los Lucas with the following comment: “If you make a mistake, you face the consequences. You learn and progress. Part of that learning comes with reflection and debate on the most controversial topics.”
Last Tuesday, the official media Cubadebate responded to a text by Soledad Cruz in which the journalist asserted that “Television pThe Cuban public must find the difficult balance between presenting the acute contradictions of reality” to honor “truthfulness” and “not to serve as a dissemination platform for what is missing.” aesthetic, artistic, communicative values”.
“In Cuba and in the world there are many products like ‘axe and brush’, but noneor they should be broadcast on our television by many followers who have done so“Declares Cruz categorically. The journalist also calls on the organizers of the Los Lucas program to “sharpen their filter to encourage artists and filmmakers to greater creative efforts” so that they do not use “old formulas of machismo, sexism and other scourges.”
On the same day, the show’s director, Orlando Cruzata, defended himself against the criticism the inclusion of the above theme in the Lucasnómetro Gala, I assume this is a “mistake” but points out that this case should not be used to liquidate the program in its entirety.
“Without a doubt, our mistake was to record the song “Hacha” by Bebeshito. Despite all its popularity among young people, it is an obvious game with the sexual ambiguity, and it has awkward, even tasteless moments.. “A mistake that teaches us that we cannot blindly reproduce what we like on the networks and on the streets,” explained Cruzata.
The director went further and described the airing of this music video as a “disgrace” for his project.
Another intellectual who joined the allegations in this video was the journalist and critic Joel del Río. He wrote on his Facebook profile: “I suggest this instead of striking.” against Los Lucas for allegedly promoting vulgarityLet’s try to examine the reasons for its rise in our customs and culture. As always, we set fire to the sofa, but when we wake up, the dinosaur will still be there.
For his part, Oniel Bebeshito celebrated his moment of success at the gala with a family anecdote: “One day while watching TV my mother told me how nice it would be to see you singing there one day and a concert in a theater one day and me.” in front of it an old one To be a lady and I don’t do that I knew how to make this dream come true for my mother. “Because of the type of music I was doing and so on, it seemed very far away to me, but today I fulfilled that dream for my mother, and I also fulfilled a dream for myself, which is to see her happy.”
“Ax and good. What they talk about her is slipping away,” the young man wrote on his Instagram profile this Wednesday in response to the message Controversy that led to its presentation on national television.
It is not the first time that the official press has been confronted with the “vulgarity” propagated by Los Lucas. In 2011 the same thing happened with the song “El chupi chupi”, by reggaeton artist Osmani García. García’s video was nominated for the Lucas Awards in different categories.
The song was widely broadcast on radio and television until severe criticism from officials began, which it did sparked the controversy, which was also joined by the official newspaper Granmawith an article by the art and musicologist María Córdova entitled: “Vulgarity in our music: a choice of the “Cuban people?””.
The then president of the Cuban Institute of Music, Orlando Vistel, increased criticism of this musical issue by calling it a “terrible example” in a television program. the vulgarity of this song. Vistel assured that the video clip “It slipped through a crack” at the Lucas Awards, and apparently this “crack” is still open.
While the ruling party insists on promoting these types of songs for their “vulgarity,” on the Cuban streets the youngest part of the population, Korea and share fragments of “Axe” on social networksinterpreted by one of the most popular reggaeton singers in the country, who enjoys the preference of the youngest.
One month after premiering on YouTube The song has over three million views and has more than 25,000 likes.