Patria y Vida: A Conversation with Yotuel

Yotuel, the Latin Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, sits down with Atlas Network’s Antonella Marty to talk about his hit song, Patria y Vida and what it means to the people of Cuba. Created to combat the iconic slogan of Fidel Castro, “patria o muerte” meaning “homeland or death,” it became the protest anthem that galvanized oppressed Cubans to take to the streets in protest in the summer of 2021. Yotuel’s song symbolizes the humanity in us all. Patria y Vida stands for freedom—freedom to choose, freedom to question, freedom to live life as you see fit. Yotuel recounts stories of artists currently imprisoned in Cuba for spreading these ideas of freedom, and he tells his personal story of growing up in Cuba and how he overcame the indoctrination ingrained in him since childhood.