The sugar cane fields, tíos playing domino, the joyero, food stands, more than 300 dancers, a real wedding, representation for Liam Conejo Ramos, everything Latin, and everything American…

From kids sleeping on plastic chairs at a wedding to a casa that is all too familiar for the rest of the world… Bad Bunny reminded America not only what America is but also shoved into their eyes, the beauty of the common “culture” the rest of the world grew.

In Bulletin!, I have been discussing protests over the world for the last three issues, so you might be wondering what a Super Bowl performance has got to do with Kurye’s mainly political corner. What I saw on my screen was a protest coming from Bad Bunny, therefore a protest through art deserves to be written here as much as a protest with pepper spray does. Considering the current political climate of the United States, pretty much anything is a protest anyway, if it is coming from a person of color.

I think the significance of this performance comes from the fact that it was a Super Bowl half show, an event millions look forward to. Not only millions but mainly a traditional sport event, which is probably a refuge for straight white men from “everything that is wrong with America”. Well, this can be argued since with 128.8 million viewers this was the second most watched performance of all time among the half-time shows. As much as I can say, social media received it as a blessing, considering I saw international content derived from it for the whole of next week. Great news!

The reactions were mixed, however, strictly divided into two: “this is culturally significant and sensational” vs. “America will never be great again”. The second part was mostly carried by republicans, and no surprise there. In the last issue, I focused on the ICE protests in Minnesota, marking the emerging crisis around immigrants. The joke here is that Bad Bunny is not even an immigrant, even he’d be one, he would be a really influential one anyway. Of course, the mathematics of a person do not hold any kind of significance when it comes to one obtaining basic human rights in a country prominently known for decades of segregation. What a fame, right!

What matters here the most is that, my 82 years-old grandma has no idea who Bad Bunny is but she knows what U.S. stood for centuries. A nation of opportunity, only if you check some boxes regarding your skin tone, you know. A tiny, bitty, silly request! That is why I am glad artists like Bad Bunny are reminders of these facts and they are willing to fight for their communities.

This show, beautifully, showed us how little things can unite people as well. The wedding bit, I think, was the most prominent piece of it. Because it said, no matter where you are from, culture unites people, especially on special days, celebrations. So, yes, we should celebrate culture, celebrate happiness, celebrate diversity and we should be able to do that safely. We should celebrate life, for it is the only thing that can bring us together.