The Venezuelan band Rawayana has become the number one public-musical enemy of the Nicolás Maduro regime, and after his confrontation with the president, he has had to cancel his tour of his own country for reasons of “security and protection”, as his singer Alberto has confessed. Montenegro, ‘Beto’.
It all started last July, when the Venezuelan electoral authority declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes without showing the minutes that supported the results. The opposition denounced irregularities and soon after Rawayana were among the many Venezuelan artists in exile who criticized the political situation in their country. «Venezuela has been experiencing a great fraud for many years… an ideological, moral and ethical fraud. Unfortunately, we are not surprised by another electoral fraud, we have already seen it all,” Beto then told Billboard, which in October carried the report ‘Music from exile: Venezuelan voices find purpose in the fight for their freedom’ on its October cover of Billboard Español. country’.
That must not have pleased Maduro, who has been attentive to the group’s new movements and also to their songs. Especially ‘Veneka’, a song in collaboration with a fellow rapper, Akapellah, in which reference is made to a term used to refer disparagingly to Venezuelans, but with the intention of turning it around and emptying it of content.
“Where are the Venetian women that they represent / That wherever she goes, everyone knows that she is the boss,” say the verses criticized by Maduro a few days ago, with this statement during a speech at an event called ‘Toma de Caracas’: «Venezuelan women are called dignity, respect and they are called Venezuelans, they are not Venezuelans. Let’s come out in defense of the identity of Venezuelan women because they try to disfigure our identity. “The group that made that song so insulting, so contemptuous, so horrible as ‘Veneka’, didn’t muddy it, they played it.”
After Maduro’s public statement, the group announced a few days ago on their networks: «Our tour of Venezuela has been cancelled. This is how we say goodbye to our country until further notice. Our music is not made to divide… Peace.
Danny Ocean, one of the artists who appear in the aforementioned Spanish Billboard report, has reacted to the cancellation of the tour with a brief phrase on his social networks: “Soon you will sing and we will all go to be there with you.” Just like Elena Rose: «There is no darkness that can stop the love we want to give to our country. We’ll be back soon brother. For now with faith, we continue. Mau and Ricky have also joined the support, who apparently planned to share the stage with Rawayana for their first performance in their native country: «We had the hope of getting up to sing with you and a few days before also for the first time there. Our dream will come true!!! “We hug them.”
In reality, it is not known if the cancellation of the tour comes from the same group or if it is a matter of the Venezuelan government. But as Beto hints, the pressure from the latter has made the former make the decision: «Due to issues of security and protection of our allies, I do not want to make statements. “What is seen from miles away does not require much explanation.”
In another interview with Rolling Stone magazine a few months ago, Beto assured that they are “accustomed” to dealing with these pressures. «After so many years, there comes a time when one manages to have a broader skin in that sense. I think that right now I feel a little clearer about what I am willing to do publicly, in some way, and what the situation represents on a more private level, which is very delicate. They are very complex situations, but, at the same time, right now I also understand the influence of what I say. “This time I feel clear about the role I play in my community.”
The canceled concerts were scheduled for December 13 to 29 and included dates in the cities of Caracas, Mérida, San Cristóbal, Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Lechería and the island of Margarita.
Rawayana won her first Latin Grammy last month for best pop song for the song ‘Feriado’, and received a Grammy nomination (to be held in February 2025) for best Latin rock or alternative music album for ‘Qué Trae The Cornets?’. Additionally, the band was just announced as part of the lineup for the 2025 Coachella festival, which will take place the weekends of April 11-13 and 18-20 in Indio, California.
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