Sujatha Fernandes, University of Sydney, Australia:
In her talk presented at the symposium Culturas Caribeñas del Hip-Hop (La Habana 2020), Sujatha Fernandes explores the parallels and differences in the development of hip-hop as a musical expression in in the asymmetrical contexts of Cuba and Venezuela. While Cuban rappers were inspired by US black nationalist and conscious rap and used hip-hop as a medium to criticize the socialist revolution´s unfulfilled promise of racial equality, in Venezuela the marked racial and class differences have given way to realities of crime and violence, that are reflected in the popularity of “gangsta rap” from the United States. Despite the differences, both Cuban and Venezuelan rappers reveal a plurality of strategies and images when constructing new ways of challenging state power and control.