Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora (BUDPR) invites the community to reflect on culture, identity, and politics through the virtual event “Bad Bunny and the Voice of the Independence Movement,” which will take place this Thursday, February 5, at 6:00 PM ET.
Founded in 2017, Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora is an organization that works toward the education, mobilization, and self-determination of the Puerto Rican people from the diaspora. Its work focuses on making visible Puerto Rico’s colonial condition and promoting spaces for critical analysis that connect history, culture, and community participation.
For BUDPR, analyzing the figure of Bad Bunny goes beyond the musical phenomenon. The artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, represents an influential cultural voice who has brought elements of Puerto Rican identity—including its African heritage—to a global stage. Through his music, aesthetics, and public discourse, he has helped normalize conversations about race, class, inequality, and belonging—central themes in the Afro-Latin Caribbean experience and its diaspora.
“Bad Bunny is, without a doubt, the best spokesperson any political movement could have at this moment. His message spreads like wildfire, accompanied by music, conscious lyrics, and imagery evocative of patriotic symbols. He does not apologize for being Puerto Rican or for singing in Spanish.” This directly connects with his political vision and his stance against displacement and in favor of belonging, said Luis Ponce Ruiz, co-founder of BUDPR.
“What better spokesperson for the possibility of an independent Puerto Rico than the biggest artist of our time?”
Regarding the virtual event organized by Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora (BUD), organizers explain: “This event seeks to explain who Bad Bunny is, why he says what he says about Puerto Rico, and how his songs connect with issues such as displacement, Act 60, and the right of Puerto Ricans to remain on their land.”
“It is a conversation for people who love Bad Bunny, for those who don’t understand him, and for those who want to understand what his message represents within the independence movement.”
From this perspective, the discussion aims to analyze why Bad Bunny has become a point of reference for addressing issues such as racial identity, historical memory, cultural resistance, and aspirations for sovereignty. For Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora, his figure serves as a gateway to engage new generations in conversations about independence and the role that popular culture plays in shaping political consciousness.
The event will be virtual and free, open to the public and especially aimed at members of the Puerto Rican diaspora interested in understanding how art can become a tool for identity affirmation and social transformation.
For more information about the event and the initiatives of Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora, visit their official platforms: www.budpr.org.
