We’re still wiping the tears after watching Bad Bunny’s heartfelt and sizzling Super Bowl performance. One thing that stood out the most to me was the powerful symbolism during “El Apagón” (“The Blackout”).
The powerline poles and the men climbing them, including Bad Bunny, during his historic Super Bowl performance, carried powerful symbolism. They reference the ongoing struggle for electrical power in Puerto Rico, due to a fragile grid that results in frequent power outages, especially after devastating hurricanes like Irma and Maria.
The beauty of the acrobatic dancing across power lines symbolized the pride of the Puerto Rican people, particularly the jíbaros, the island’s farmers, who wore their traditional pava hats and risked their lives restoring power and infrastructure when the U.S., under Trump’s first term, failed to deliver critical aid in a timely manner, post Irma and Maria. The imagery served as a tribute to Puerto Rico’s strength, resilience, and self-reliance.
Sadly, they still have not recovered from their grid challenges, and to this day, the brave people will take matters into their own hands to bring power to their neighbors, many of whom live in vulnerable communities.
These challenges were prevalent before Irma and Maria; however, the two hurricanes exacerbated Puerto Rico’s already sensitive grid, and for being a part of the U.S., it’s wild how little support they’ve received in terms of giving the people a reliable power grid, and one that the people can actually afford. According to several Instagram comments on our Reel, power in Puerto Rico is incredibly expensive.
“It’s very important to understand this because the Electrical Company is US & Canadian purposely tormenting the people with constant power outages and bills dramatically higher than anywhere else in the US, in a place where people are not earning as much money as the rest of the US.”
~ @kei_pirata
Diving in deeper, Bad Bunny mentions Hawaii during his performance. This can speak to the problematic and archaic infrastructure of power lines across the U.S. and to how electrical companies’ negligence has caused so many fires and the loss of lives and communities. From Lahaina to Altadena, and the Camp and Woolsey fires, and that’s just naming a few.
Dig in deeper and the Hawaii mention is a nod to stolen land. Hawaii too, was once a U.S. territory. I can wax on this even more, but I think I’ll hold here because that conversation needs its own article and video.
Bad Bunny’s performance was incredible. It made you laugh, it made you dance, and most of all, it made you think … and feel. The entire performance could be seen as a metaphor, with so many parts carrying deeply symbolic meaning.
If you look at the conversations surrounding the powerlines and the performance as a whole, so many people are moved. It was a love letter to all the gente across the Americas and beyond that have struggled against injustice and corruption.
It was a nod to the strength and resilience of the Puerto Rican people.
And a nod to all the gente who have suffered, leaned on each other, and endured.
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