Yomil Fires Back at Critics: "Book a Flight and Come to Cuba, I'll Be Waiting"

Cuban reggaeton artist Yomil Hidalgo has responded unreservedly to the wave of criticism, memes, and attacks following his controversial remarks over the weekend about the situation in Cuba. Standing his ground, he challenged his critics without backing down. His comments were made amidst ongoing protests, while opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer also issued a response to Yomil's statements.

Rather than retracting, the singer—who continues to reside in Cuba—lashed out at his detractors, calling them "hurt" individuals who "can't handle the truth." He extended a direct invitation: "Go ahead and book a flight to our land, I'll be waiting for you." He dismissed the memes and insults, proclaiming himself "the most talked-about Cuban artist of the decade." He concluded with a jab at his critics: "Without bothering anyone, ever since I emerged, it's been everyone against me. I get it, I generate more buzz than your girl."

The remarks that sparked controversy were shared last weekend, during the tenth consecutive day of protests in Cuba. In a series of Instagram stories, Yomil aimed his harshest criticisms at Cubans engaged in political activism from abroad, asserting that "99% of those speaking from there never did anything" while living in Cuba. He claimed that many "participated in marches, guarded for the CDR, were the most outstanding, and were part of communist organizations."

Yomil emphasized his status as a resident of the island: "I don't live in the U.S., all of us living in Cuba experience the real heat every day, get that into your heads." He questioned those critiquing from afar: "It's all behind a phone, knowing you'll sleep peacefully with electricity, air conditioning, and food, and wake up to check your phone without pressure." The discussion about whether Yomil's views on Cubans abroad hold merit quickly spread across social media.

Additionally, he expressed respect for Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, lamenting that "no one remembers" them or the political prisoners "waiting in cells for a signal from you that will never come." He concluded his original stories with a statement that fueled further debate: "If you are true democrats, you must respect opinions, because if not, the real communists are you."

One of the strongest rebuttals came on Monday from José Daniel Ferrer, the general coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and a former political prisoner detained over a hundred times. "Yomil, many of us who speak and act from abroad have fought in Cuba and endured the worst prisons on the planet," he wrote on X. "Those who divide, discourage, or lose focus on the important issues support tyranny, not the people rising up inside and outside," Ferrer declared.

Yomil's statements come amid protests triggered on March 5 by the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, which left 68% of the island without electricity. Demonstrations—featuring banging pots and shouts of "Freedom" and "Down with communism"—spread to Havana, Morón, Santiago de Cuba, and Mayarí. In Morón, protesters caused damage to the PCC headquarters, and a young man was injured by gunfire.

This isn't the first time Yomil has stirred controversy with his views. In April 2025, he participated alongside Yulién Oviedo in a debate organized by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, which was criticized as legitimizing the regime. Chocolate MC publicly questioned him, to which Yomil responded by releasing the full video of his participation. In 2021, he took part in the July 11 protests, was briefly detained, and shared a video of his arrest.