Irish rap trio Kneecap have announced that they will be joining the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba next week.
The Nuestra América Convoy is an international plan to deliver aid to Cuba in response to the country’s ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis. It was first intended to take the form of a flotilla, before expanding into a global mission that will deliver humanitarian supplies by air, land and sea.
It’s set to arrive in the capital, Havana, on March 21.
“Next week, we will join the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, delivering critical aid to the Cuban people,” they wrote on Instagram. “The Trump administration is strangling the island, cutting off fuel, flights, and critical supplies for survival.
“It’s time to break the siege – and stand up for Cuba, as they have stood up for us.”
In recent days, Cubans have protested on the streets amid power outages with people banging pots and pans in the darkness. This form of protest has been used by Cubans on a few occasions in recent years, with citizens growing increasingly frustrated by issues including shortages, blackouts, rising inflation and currency depreciation.
Cuba relies heavily on imported oil, mostly purchased from Venezuela and Mexico. These shipments have been disrupted following a US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, worsening fuel shortages on the island.
Subsequent blackouts and shortages, as well as the knock-on effects on healthcare and education in Cuba, have prompted the protests.
It’s been reported that the US is seeking regime change in Cuba by the end of the year, while president Donald Trump has urged Cuba to “make a deal before it’s too late” and suggested that the US could implement “a friendly takeover” of the country, per Reuters.
The UN High Commission for Human Rights has warned that “intensive care units and emergency rooms are compromised, as are the production, delivery, and storage of medicines,” while the Nuestra América Convoy’s website states: “There is no time to waste, as the Trump administration ramps up its assault on the island and its campaign to isolate its people.”
Last week, meanwhile, Kneecap joined the likes of Fontaines D.C. and Geese in donating prizes to the ‘Records For Palestine’ online raffle, which will take place in May. Over 200 artists and 27 record labels have signed up to donate prizes in the name of raising money for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).
The rap trio also have a new album, ‘FENIAN’, coming out soon. The album, which is set for release via Heavenly Recordings on April 24, is available to pre-order here.
Kneecap have shared two singles from the album so far. ‘Liars Tale’, which sees the band take aim at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, came out on January 28, while the electric ‘Smugglers & Scholars’ followed on February 24.
Also coming up for the trio are a run of live dates, beginning with a series of out-stores across the UK towards the end of April. They’re then set to play European festivals including Primavera Sound, Open’er, Roskilde, Reading & Leeds and Boomtown over the summer, while their biggest headline show to date is coming up at London’s Crystal Palace Park on June 27 – find tickets to their summer shows here.
NME gave their huge OVO Arena Wembley show in September, which came a week before terror charges against rapper Mo Chara were thrown out, a glowing five-star review, meanwhile, describing it as “a Keir Starmer-baiting Wembley invasion”.
Mo Chara’s ongoing terror case is currently going through an appeal.
The case against the rapper (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) was dropped last September due to a technicality relating to the way in which it was brought about. At the time, the Chief Magistrate told the court that the charge was “unlawful” and “null”.
It stems from an alleged incident where he reportedly displayed a Hezbollah flag during a live show in November 2024, and shouted, “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. Both are listed as proscribed terrorist organisations by the UK government.
In a statement announcing ‘FENIAN’, the band said: “They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap ‘terrorists’, with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself. We had all the motivation we needed…this isn’t a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed.”