Salsa icon Rubén Blades commented on the situation in Cuba on Tuesday, stating that any change in the island's political direction is a cause for joy for anyone who has witnessed the 'suffering' of the Cuban people. 'Anyone who knows the suffering that the population of that island has endured at the hands of communism and imperialism (...) is happy that a change is taking place; as for me, I am too,' said the Panamanian in statements made at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Cuba has been facing a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, exacerbated since the beginning of the year by the US oil blockade, which has led to an almost complete halt of the economy. Washington and Havana have recently confirmed diplomatic rapprochement between their governments, and Cuba announced this week economic changes that relax restrictions on private investment on the island, which has been under a US embargo since the 1960s. Blades, also a lawyer and activist, described the situation on the island as 'complex': 'The dictatorship continues to use repression to stay in power, the opposition forces are either in jail or scattered, so Cuba will need a lot of help to be able to reorganize.' The salsa legend, whose mother was Cuban actress and musician Anoland Díaz, compared Cuba's situation to Venezuela's regarding US intervention. 'In Venezuela, they removed one and the other remained. Now possibly is when it starts to live for real,' he said. Blades also reflected on the relevance of his song 'Tiburón', released in 1981 with the late singer and composer Willie Colón, which has been seen as an anthem against US intervention in Latin America. 'There are many kinds of sharks (...) People have focused on the Yankee imperialism, but there is also imperialism in Russia, in China,' noted Blades and added that it is a problem that 'will always exist as long as there are countries that believe that because they are superior in strength, they can do whatever they want.' The singer also remembered Colón, who died on February 21 and formed a legendary duo with Blades in the history of salsa. 'He is resting, which is the main thing (...) he has gone from one phase to another, but his work is immortal. I don't feel that he has died, but that he has passed to another plane.'
