By Patrick Pillow

With Cuba seemingly becoming the next focus for the Trump administration, it is worth looking into previous efforts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the country. Today, we turn toward the agency’s connection with Cuban hip-hop.

In 2008, USAID launched the Cuban Civil Society Support Program, an initiative focused on supporting independent organizations and building communication networks on the island. Implemented by Creative Associates International, the four-year program ran until 2012. While presented as a democracy promotion initiative, internal documents revealed efforts to support artists and organizations viewed as potential challenges to the Cuban government.

Through the social media network TalentoCubano.net, Cuban musicians were promoted to the public. Publicly, the website presented itself as a platform to showcase Cuban musicians, featuring artist profiles, news, events, and online radio. With over two hundred artists on the platform, contractors hoped to connect young Cubans into a “social movement.”