Saturday, September 19, 2009
By Paul Haven, The Associated Press
HAVANA -- An international rock star is bringing a mega-concert to Cuba
-- a spectacle that could be the biggest visit by an outsider since Pope
John Paul II's 1998 tour -- while shrugging off death threats over an
event he has dedicated to peace.
Juanes' show is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to the
iconic Plaza of the Revolution, where the pope celebrated Mass and the
scene of some of Fidel Castro's most famous speeches.
Juanes, who has won 17 Latin Grammy awards, more than any other artist,
is known for his social activism.
Tomorrow's show, which promises a rare dose of big-name entertainment in
a tightly controlled country starved for a release, is the second
installment of Juanes' "Peace Without Borders" series.
The first concert in March 2008 drew tens of thousands to the border
between Venezuela and Colombia when tensions between the two countries
were high over a Colombian commando raid into neighboring Ecuador to
kill a leading rebel commander.
Juanes has promised the afternoon concert in Cuba will be about music,
not politics, but such sentiments are nearly impossible here.
Many Cuban-Americans in South Florida are angry about the show, saying
that simply by showing up, Juanes has endorsed Cuba's closed communist
system. The Colombian star has received death threats on his Twitter
page, and police in Key Biscayne, Fla., say they are keeping watch over
the homes of both the rocker and his manager, Fernan Martinez Maecha.
And the location of the concert itself makes this concert unique.
Earlier shows, including performances by Billy Joel in 1979 and Bonnie
Raitt 20 years later, have been held indoors or on the Havana
waterfront. This show is slated for the iconic Plaza of the Revolution,
which features a giant overhead likeness of revolutionary icon Ernesto
"Che" Guevara and the heavily guarded offices of Fidel and Raul Castro.
Some critics have called for a boycott of Juanes' music, and a small
anti-Castro group known as Vigilia Mambisa has announced a CD-smashing
protest to coincide with tomorrow's performance.
Others in the Cuban-American community in Florida have voiced support
for the event, and Spanish-language stations are gearing up for coverage.
Carlos Saladrigas, head of the Cuba Study Project, a business-oriented
group of Cuban-American leaders that advocates increased dialogue and
trade between the countries, called the concert "a great opportunity for
the Cuban people to have a window to the outside world."
What anger exists across the Florida Straits comes despite the fact that
leading Cuban dissidents on the island have voiced support for the
concert. This month, 24 of the 75 Cuban opposition activists arrested in
a 2003 government crackdown on political dissent signed a letter saying
the show should go on.
Puerto Rican singer Olga Tanon, one of at least 14 artists who will
perform in addition to Juanes tomorrow, said she has come to the island
for just one reason: to sing.
"I have not come to Cuba to talk about politics because I am not a
politician," she said Wednesday.
Still, Tanon said earlier from Puerto Rico that she would like to see
more opening with respect to the island. "Obviously, we want there to be
a bit more communication at the global level with Cuba," she said.
And despite the nonpolitical aims of the organizers, some Cuban
officials have used the event to take a swipe at U.S. policy on Cuba,
particularly its 47-year embargo, which Cuba refers to as a blockade.
The concert "is a reflection that international public opinion is in
favor of a change in the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba,"
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Wednesday. "It is a statement for
peace. The blockade is an act of war."
On the streets of Havana, however, most people said they did not care
about any of that. They were looking forward to a great show.
"This has nothing to do with politics," said Alejandro Pujol, a
20-year-old student. "This is a concert for peace."
Cuba gears up for mega-concert for peace amid controversy (19 September
2009)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09262/999055-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml
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