Bad Bunny: "He has four months to learn Spanish."

BarcelonaA couple of weeks ago, the announcement of the performance of Bad Bunny In the halftime of the 2026 Super Bowl, a multi-million dollar event on many levels, also for the viewers who follow it, it aroused the enthusiasm of many people and also some criticism: the musician excluded the United States from his world tour because he did not want raids by Imi Trump's Service before and after the concerts. Those who disagreed with his performance, in February, wonder if the raids are the same now. Bad Bunny, forceful and at the same time very friendly, responded to them from the Saturday Night Live, a flagship NBC show known for its irreverent and unabashed humor, hosted by countless stars. In Spanish, in his opening monologue, he said he was happy to perform at the Super Bowl and praised all those Latinos who, before him, have worked to open doors, asserting that it's not his success, but a collective one, proving that no one will ever be able to erase the mark of Latinos and their contributions to the United States. In English, he added: "If you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn it."

I applauded him, imagining that the attendees and organizers of the LéaLA festival must have applauded even louder than I did. Just a few days earlier, I had been with its director, the Mexican Marisol Schulz, who also directs the Guadalajara International Book Fair, who explained to me how that year's edition had gone. LéaLA is the Los Angeles Spanish Book Fair and Literary Festival, organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation, USA. It has changed over the years, and for economic reasons now has a more modest format than when it began, but it remains a benchmark, necessary festival for the city's Latino community, and especially for children: a very high percentage of attendees are children who come to them from the school district, who suddenly find themselves in a place where all the readings and activities are in Spanish. Schulz told me that there are 65 million Spanish speakers in the United States, and that in Los Angeles they represent 60% of the population. "There is a vibrant Hispanic community, where Spanish, in reality, is not a second language." The fair's motto is "Let's build peace together"And although Schulz makes it clear to me that they have no political agenda, he says that for them it is important to help build a sense of belonging to the Spanish-speaking community.

There is a very important issue of identity, and even more so after what they have seen in this year's edition, which just closed. "There is a politics of terror; they can arrest you for looking Mexican, Latino, or for speaking Spanish. We have had fewer visits from families for this reason." Teachers from participating schools tell terrible stories: the anguish of those without documents is growing, and they have had cases of children who have found themselves alone after their parents were expelled from the country. That's why both the school board and other institutions ask them not to fill out. They are clear: it is more important than ever.