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Humor: Imagining the Evolution of "Reparto" Through Cuba's History

Saturday, August 17, 2024 by Emily Vargas

Can you imagine the evolution of the reparto genre in Cuba narrated from a historical perspective? Cuban comedian, known on social media as Capitán Diez, had the idea to recount the development of this urban genre by hilariously altering the island’s history. The result is a super funny video where each association between reparto exponents, their music, and Cuba's history is a remarkable occurrence.

“My name is Jesús María Hernández and I am a repa, repartero. Asere, I started in this repartero thing when I was just a baby. I inherited the reparterismo and my name from my mother, her name was María Mercedes Martínez but they called her 'La Triple M',” begins Capitán Diez, dressed and speaking just like a typical repartero, fully immersed in the character.

However, the part of his monologue that makes everyone laugh the most is the following: “Here in Cuba, the repartero movement began on October 10 at La Demajagua farm, thanks to Elvis Manuel de Céspedes who gave freedom to the reparteros. That was a pivotal day that precedes the Aponte Conspiracy that I’m all about. After that, the first female repartera, Marianao Grajales, appeared, and then the reparteros started organizing into bonches, leading to the creation of the bonchevique party.”

The irreverent references to Cuba's history are incredibly ingenious, but he tops it off with phrases like, “my favorite actor is Harryson Ford,” referring to the Cuban repartero making a career in the Dominican Republic. “I’m not into sweets, but I like choco, chocolate,” and when he says that in terms of music, he enjoys trova, “Pablo Milanés, the one who sings 'Bajanda, bajanda, eternally bajanda'”, it's clear that Capitán Diez's imagination and creativity know no bounds.

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