In an unexpected turn of events, a song by Bad Bunny, “DtMF” (Debí Tirar Más Fotos), has become the unofficial anthem of villages struggling with displacement and devastation. The song, which is part of her latest album “A Summer Without You,” has resonated deeply in Gaza and Lebanon, where people use it to accompany videos on social media as they return home after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
What is shocking about this phenomenon is how a musical piece by a Puerto Rican artist has managed to cross borders, carrying messages of nostalgia, loss and hope in the midst of destruction. ” I should have taken more pictures”, reads one of the verses in the song, a message of regret and lost love that, while at first might seem exclusively Puerto Rican, has become a universal voice for those who have seen their homes reduced to rubble.
Following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to northern Gaza on Monday, many of them after more than a year living in tents as a result of the armed conflict. The internet was flooded with videos of Ghazis accompanied by the DtMF song, where they show images of what were once their homes and now have been reduced to rubble after the conflict.
However, they reflect a desire to rebuild what has been lost. The Palestinian people recognize that never a song of foreign origin, with rhythms and lyrics so far from our reality, had such an impact here, but that has changed, since “DtMF” has a symbolic load, that we have touched a sensitive fiber in the hearts of those who have experienced the tragedy of seeing their lands devastated.
But it is not only in Palestine that we hear it, but also in Lebanon, where songs like “What happened to Hawaii” stand out for their message of support for the independence of Puerto Rico, which is marked by a history of colonialism and struggle for self-determination and oppression.
Although the situation in Gaza and Lebanon cannot be equated with the economic and social crisis in Puerto Rico, the three places share a common struggle against dispossession and loss. Bad Bunny, with his music and political message, has made his voice heard beyond the borders of the Caribbean, connecting communities that, although geographically distant, feel the same pain.
