Cuba’s military publicly handed 79-year-old folk singer Silvio Rodriguez an AKM assault rifle and a framed ceremonial replica after he posted on social media that he was prepared to take up arms should the United States attempt an invasion. Rodriguez, who rose to prominence in the 1960s with the "nueva trova" musical movement, made the statement in response to a series of provocative remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump about how he might "take" Cuba and that he could do "whatever I want" with the country.
In his online post, Rodriguez said plainly: "I demand my AKM, if they throw down. And mind you, I’m being totally serious." Two days after that message, he appeared on Cuban state television flanked by senior military leaders and President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who wore green military fatigues at the event.
The AKM, a later development following the Soviet-era AK-47, is the standard rifle of Cuba’s armed forces. Officials presented Rodriguez with both an operational weapon and a framed replica during the televised ceremony.
Speeches at the event emphasized both Rodriguez’s cultural stature and the government’s insistence on national defense. General Victor Rojo, who heads the armed forces political directorate, said that while threats from the United States continue to hover over the island, Rodriguez had done more than sing - his words had become a call to national conscience.
Cuban state television has been running frequent segments stressing military preparedness, showing civilians across ages and body types training alongside regular forces. These broadcasts form part of the government’s declared "War of the Entire People" strategy, which the Communist leadership describes as preparing the population to be mobilized if necessary.
The government has also pointed to an ongoing economic crisis and what it calls a U.S. oil blockade as factors behind its posture of resistance. President Diaz-Canel reinforced that message on X, saying that in a worst-case scenario any external aggressor would face "an impenetrable resistance."
The presentation of a functioning AKM to a prominent cultural figure and the circulation of footage showing broad-based civilian training illustrate how Cuban authorities are linking symbolic gestures and public messaging to a larger narrative about national resilience amid heightened tensions with the United States.