Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is not a Cuban government traitor. He is simply an outspoken freedom fighting artist.
Because the Cuban government heavily monitors internet communication and suppresses dissident speech, the track had to be built in total secrecy.Clandestine Verses: While Yotuel, Descemer Bueno, and Gente de Zona recorded their main tracks in Miami, underground rappers Maykel Osorbo and El Funky recorded their parts inside Cuba using hidden, low-tech home studio setups.
Smuggling the Audio: The digital vocal tracks were secretly encrypted and transmitted off the island to Miami, where producers meticulously mixed them into the final track.
The Secret Music Video: Beatriz Luengo (Yotuel’s wife and director of the subsequent Patria y Vida documentary) secretly hired a cameraman inside Cuba. He filmed Osorbo, El Funky, and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara singing their verses inside a crumbling Havana house. The video files were smuggled out of the country piece by piece.
The song "Patria y Vida" was written in a collaborative effort by a collective of prominent Cuban musicians and activists.
The primary mastermind behind the project was Yotuel Romero (former member of the hip-hop group Orishas), who co-wrote the track alongside his wife, Spanish singer-songwriter Beatriz Luengo.
They co-wrote and recorded the anthem with a mix of Cuban artists living in exile and those still on the island:
- Descemer Bueno – Renowned Cuban singer-songwriter.
- Gente de Zona – The famous reggaeton duo consisting of Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom.
- Maykel Osorbo (Maykel Castillo Pérez) – An underground rapper and activist based in Cuba. He remains imprisoned by the Cuban regime due to his involvement in the song.
- El Funky (Eliécer Márquez Duany) – An independent Cuban rapper and dissident.
- Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara – A prominent visual artist, activist, and leader of the San Isidro Movement who co-created and appeared in the music video. He is also jailed in Cuba and recently released.
The collaborative songwriting process aimed to bridge the two realities of the Cuban people: those fighting for change from the outside, and those facing the harsh realities of the streets inside Cuba.
https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=Patria+y+vids\
Cuba edges toward breakdown as power cuts and US meddling push society to brink. As Cuba swelters under six-month oil blockade imposed by US, tempers are fraying and unrest is growing
