Exclude, accuse, absorb!: Cultural policy-strategies of the Cuban government against rock music, nueva trova, hiphop and reggaeton

Polemic Paper from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Middle- and South America, University of Strasbourg, language: English, abstract: A few years after the revolution of 1959, jazz (and rock) became identified by Fidel and his friends as "imperialistic music". Though it had never been forbidden to play them, Fidel's "words towards the intellectuals" left enough space to allow some functionaries to ban it from TV- and radio-broadcasting or to hinder the production of discs. A lot of musicians left their island. In case of the nueva trova-movement in the mid 60ies at the beginning happened the same as with rock music. But there a new strategy showed more success: embracement, which led to promotion by the government. 30 years later the government - exactly a new and young cultural minister - tried to apply this strategy with the growing hiphop-movement and the reggaeton-scene but failed partly. Many rappers - especially the second generation - did not like to be part of the system. This article compares the different strategies which the Cuban government had used during 50 years to battle against disliked music styles and shows their consequences, successes and failures.