SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — A 64-year-old woman in the Dominican Republic was arrested after a video of her singing the national anthem to the beat of “dembow,” a popular local music genre, went viral on social media. The incident highlights the cultural tensions surrounding traditional displays of patriotism and contemporary musical expression.
Amarilis Brito Rodríguez was taken into custody on Monday, February 24, 2026, after police located her at her residence in San Víctor, according to reports. She had been accused of disrespecting the national anthem by performing it in the urban style at a restaurant called “Mofongo & Variedades Eddy.”
The video, which circulated earlier this month, shows Brito holding a microphone and emphatically gesturing with her free hand as she sings along to the dembow rhythm, with some patrons joining in.
“Disculpa, disculpa,” Brito reportedly told reporters with a smile as she was escorted in handcuffs toward a government building. She stated that she originally wrote the dembow version of the anthem 22 years ago, at a time when there was no law prohibiting such interpretations.
According to a police report issued on Tuesday, February 23, 2026, Brito faces charges related to disrespecting the national anthem. The laws of the Dominican Republic mandate that the anthem be performed with solemnity and respect. Primerahora.com reports that the dembow genre is widely popular among young Dominicans and commonly heard in cars and entertainment venues.
Yorelbin Rodríguez, the prosecutor for Espaillat, indicated that Brito has mental health issues and is medicated. “There is a reality and it is that the person has mental problems. She is medicated, her family was here. She is medicated and is better, a person who, according to reports, has had situations since childhood,” he said to the media. He added that the law prescribes penalties of three months imprisonment and fines for insulting the anthem.
The arrest has sparked debate about artistic expression and the boundaries of patriotic reverence. El Nuevo Herald reported the arrest on February 24, 2026.
