“THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.”
It is a sobering reflection of our times that a sentiment so seemingly self-evident is considered a radical political statement. Perhaps it always has been, which is a societal fault in itself. However unfortunate a reality, it is one we must boldly confront with recognition of our shared humanity.
On Monday, 9 February, the NFL hosted the 2026 Super Bowl. Officially it was Patriots vs Seahawks. Unofficially, it was Benito Bowl.
Making history on its 60th rendition and the centennial of NBC, Bad Bunny, aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, graced the American public as the first ever solo Spanish-speaking headliner in Super Bowl history. This milestone follows his streak of achievements, including being the first artist to ever win a Grammy for Album of the Year with an entirely Spanish project, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”). The album cover, featuring two white plastic garden chairs, is a deceptively simple yet profound symbol of community, shared culture, and belonging.
Arguably, the Super Bowl half-time show is the main attraction of the event. Bad Bunny transformed for thirteen minutes on American football’s biggest stage into a message that transcends cultural or geographical borders. Against the socio-political backdrop of rising anti-immigrant rhetoric in the United States, his performance was a vibrant, unapologetic celebration of Puerto Rican and Latin American culture. Most notably, his performance was unapologetically human.
For those of us watching from the sidelines, let me set the scene:
The curtains open to a deluge of greenery enveloping the central stage – a sugarcane field. In a striking metaphor, the “cane” was composed of real people dressed in grass costumes. This was a poetic nod to the labourers who work and sustain the land while reflecting the intertwined history in which Puerto Rico was folded into the US economy following the 1901 Presidential Proclamation. It was a reminder of the enslaved labour on which Puerto Rico’s sugar cane industry was built for much of the 1800s. Among them stood workers in traditional pava straw hats, paying homage to rural farmers. On the world’s most expensive commercial event, Bad Bunny gave unseen labour a face. Faces, in fact. It is a necessary reminder that without people, an economy is but a husk.
Bad Bunny’s manifesto of a setlist was poignantly defiant. As the camera moved across the field, the audience was exposed to various aspects of Latin American culture, from children sleeping outside La Casita, depicting a typical Puerto Rican house party, to a tributary setting of Latin American businesses and culture in NUEVAYoL (the Caribbean-Spanish spelling of New York). Later, Bad Bunny is seen handing over his Grammy to a small Latino boy dressed in a brown striped shirt reminiscent of his younger self. Launching into his song “MONACO”, Bad Bunny spoke directly to the audience in Spanish saying, ”If I am here, it is because I never stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You are worth more than you think.” Before panning to a Latin arrangement of “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Bad Bunny sang his song’s introduction which says, ”Dime, ¿esto es lo que tú quería?”, translating to,”Tell me, is this what you wanted?” – a not-so-subtle critique of the expectations posed on Latin people to assimilate into English-dominated culture and the gentrification and erasure of culture scourging the United States. Gaga was styled in the light blue shade of the original Puerto Rican flag, recognising the initial design that was forcibly replaced by an “Americanized” dark blue in 1952 following the oppressive “Gag Law” which illegalised its display. In an act of historical reclamation, Bad Bunny ended the segment waving the original light blue flag.
Alongside a crowd of people waving international flags, Bad Bunny marked the finale of his performance shouting the words, ”God Bless America!” and calling the countries of the Americas from South to North, effectively decentering the United States and reframing America as a continent, not a single country built independently of transcontinental support.
Criticisms that Bad Bunny is “not American enough” to headline a quintessential American event, especially a performance almost entirely in Spanish, reveal more historical illiteracy than intellectual acuity. Puerto Rico has been a US territory for over a century, making Puerto Ricans US citizens by birthright. Moreover, the United States has no official language, but that is beside the point. The impulsion to gatekeep “America” underscores why a performance centred on a boundless humanity was not just appropriate, but necessary.
The final screen projected the words “The Only Thing Stronger Than Hate is Love”, as Bad Bunny stated, ”Segiumos aquí – We are still here.”
End Scene.
As a South African, this message felt familiar. Multiculturalism is not a threat; it is a gift. And it is a gift that we, as South Africans, are so privileged to hold in abundance. We understand the weight of inheriting a painful colonial history. We know the cost of division. We also know the difficult, courageous power in reconciliation, and love. Our tapestry of cultures, history, and identities allows us to understand the message on 9 February loud and clear. Our “plastic chair” stories, our mixed masala of culture and history, connect us. I don’t know about you, but love is not political.
