Silvio Rodriguez

Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born November 29, 1946) is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement. He is known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón and La maza. Rodríguez is well known for socially critical yet ambiguous lyrics, which have raised the suspicions of both the Cuban government and Cuban-American groups on various occasions.



After more than 40 years of artistic work, Rodríguez has now written a vast number of songs and poems (said to be more than one thousand), many of which never been set to music, and probably never will be. Although his musical knowledge has been continuously increasing (counting among his teachers the famous Cuban composer Leo Brouwer), he is more widely praised for the poetry in his songs, than for the accompanying music. His lyrics are a staple of leftist culture throughout the whole Spanish-speaking world, and he has been banned from the media during many dictatorial systems in Latin America.



Some critics suggest that his recent lyrics have lost the questioning nature so praised by bohemians and many university students, when he would criticize government oppression, and that with his new social status as a Cuban social and political figure, his lyrics have become existentialist and obscure.



In 2003, Rodríguez was elected to the National Assembly of People's Power, the Cuban parliament, and is regarded as one of the most influential intellectuals in present-day Cuba.