"They Filled Cuba with Misery": The Version of "Dame Hombro" That Points Bluntly at Díaz-Canel and His Clan

The actor and content creator released a musical adaptation that names Díaz-Canel, Marrero and Lazo while portraying the everyday deterioration that numerous families are going through. A melody born as a street improvisation in Madrid has been circulating again on social media with a meaning opposite to the original. Cuban actor and content creator Adrián Rojas published a version titled "Tengo hambre" ("I'm hungry"), an adaptation of "Dame hombro" that transforms the viral dance into a denunciation of food shortages, blackouts, poverty and the lack of freedoms in Cuba. In 26 seconds, Rojas takes the rhythm associated with Dominican artist Bulin 47 and Colombian creator Kevin Wai, but replaces the festive lyrics with a domestic scene: the lack of food on the table and the interruption of the "mandados," as the distribution of products through the ration book is known on the island. The chorus insists on an idea without metaphors: "Tengo hambre." The repetition, adjusted to the song's rhythm, turns an everyday complaint into the core of a video that combines humor, weariness and political accusation. The adaptation appeared after "Dame hombro" spread in October across TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. Rojas took advantage of that recognizable language to place the discussion in the Cuban reality. The lyrics start from the absence of a specific food, pudding, but its premise goes beyond a particular shortage. The creator presents hunger as a persistent experience and links it to the economic deterioration affecting numerous Cuban households. Adrián Rojas transforms a viral dance into a critique of power in Cuba (Photo composition) He then directs his criticism at Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Manuel Marrero Cruz and Esteban Lazo Hernández, three of the leading figures of the island's state and party structure. The song also includes an allusion to "la China," although neither Rojas nor the posts that spread the video identified who that reference corresponds to. The content does not make a legal accusation, but rather a political protest through satire. Rojas attributes responsibility for the economic crisis and the lack of democracy to the leaders. He also alludes to "67 years of dictatorship," referring to the period since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the Communist Party of Cuba's continued hold on power. His choice of words responds to a Cuban tradition of indirect criticism, irony and double meaning, although on this occasion the message avoids beating around the bush. The song lays out a chain of problems that are part of the public conversation inside and outside the island: insufficient food, inflation, deteriorating services, prolonged blackouts, shortages of medicines and difficulties in expressing dissent. Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, reported this year that the Cuban economic crisis restricts the population's access to essential goods and services, including food, medical care and electricity. The organization also stated that the authorities maintain mechanisms of persecution against critics, activists, independent journalists and opponents. The Cuban content creator questions the crisis in Cuba that forces its citizens to survive day to day. The social backdrop gives the message density. The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights estimated in August that 94% of the population was living in extreme poverty, according to the methodology applied by that organization. The same study indicated that nearly eight out of 10 respondents had stopped having at least one meal due to lack of money or food. Those figures do not have official validation from the Cuban government, which usually questions reports from independent organizations. Human Rights Watch documented in July widespread difficulties in accessing food, water, electricity, medicines and health care. The organization gathered testimonies from residents of Havana who described blackouts, shortages and the deterioration of homes and hospitals.