Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola has been pondering the resilience of the Cuban people amid the ongoing crisis on the Island. She expressed bewilderment over whether Cubans are truly ready to finally declare, "enough is enough."
In an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba, coinciding with the release of her live album recorded at the legendary Ronnie Scott's in London, Nuviola shared her political stance and detailed when and why she decided to speak out about Cuba.
"I began to express myself when the people of Cuba took to the streets en masse, and I always said: 'I will speak like this when I see that the Cuban people are truly ready, that they are doing something for themselves,'" Nuviola stated, referring to the July 11, 2021 protests—the largest public demonstrations in Cuba in decades.
The artist clarified that she never denied visiting Cuba or undertaking projects there, viewing them as a form of reclamation: "It was like a slap in the face, saying, 'Look, a Cuban emigrant recording Celia's music here, a Cuban emigrant living in the United States doing this here.'" However, she emphasized that circumstances have shifted. "Now I can't go; I can't set foot there."
When Costa questioned whether the Cuban people are ready to say "enough already," Nuviola candidly responded, "Wow, that question is tough."
Before the interview, Nuviola discussed with her husband, Paulo Siméon, what their lives might have been like had they not left the island. "We didn't know what would have become of us if we were living in that country now, if God hadn't opened this door for us, because honestly, I couldn't have endured what people endure," she admitted.
For Nuviola, the essence of this endurance lies in a grim explanation: "The formula is mental manipulation, I think, the lack of hope, of a horizon, of seeing something different."
What leaves her most speechless, she said, is the daily image of Cubans dealing with power outages. "But I am left cold: they take away the electricity, and there's no fan, and people cool themselves with cardboard, take their beds outside to sleep on the wall, on the Malecón. And I say: well, then what? I mean, what else?"
From this reality, Nuviola concluded that change in Cuba won't come gradually. "That's why I've always said it's going to have to be something quick and sudden," she asserted, leaving the statement open-ended.
Nuviola also dismissed any opportunistic interpretations of her activism. "One must be consistent, responsible, not opportunistic. Not saying it because it suits me now, because now I'll appear more radical... That's not how I feel," she remarked. She concluded with a statement that encapsulates her stance: "I will never go against my own people, my own community. I will never do it."
This declaration adds to a series of political statements the artist has consistently maintained in recent years. In May 2026, she insisted that Raúl Castro "must be removed by force," and in February of the same year, she labeled Díaz-Canel's speech as "all lies," denouncing the hunger, lack of medicine, and blackouts suffered by the Cuban population.
Understanding Aymée Nuviola's Perspective on Cuban Crisis
Why did Aymée Nuviola start speaking out about Cuba?
Aymée Nuviola began speaking out after witnessing the massive protests on July 11, 2021. She felt it was the right time to express her views when the Cuban people were actively demonstrating for change.
What challenges do Cubans face according to Nuviola?
Nuviola points out that Cubans face challenges such as power outages, lack of hope, and mental manipulation, which she believes have contributed to their endurance under difficult conditions.