Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Quotable

“For honorable Cubans the concert of Juanes will be a grotesque spectacle…I don’t intend to politicize art; if the key is not to politicize music and art, then I call upon the Castro regime also to invite famous Cuban musicians in exile to the concert, such as Willy Chirino and Donato Poveda, who can surely sing for the peace, justice, and liberty that our people need so much.”

– Jorge Luis García Pérez, a.k.a. “Antúnez,”former political prisoner, quoted in Miscelaneas de Cuba

“Let [Juanes] sing in Cuba and then let him sing for peace in Miami, and may both concerts be so successful that they are repeated in both places. And in those concerts, let Juanes bring Gloria, Willie, and Albita to Havana and let him bring Silvio, Pablo, and Amaury to Miami. That would be a real bridge that the great majority of Cubans on both sides desire.”

– Silvia Wilhelm, Puentes Cubanos, from letter in El Nuevo Herald

1 comment:

theCardinal said...

I agree that Juanes' show should go on but Antunez's statement is the more sincere of the two statements quoted. He throws out Willy Chirino's knowing full well that he won't be allowed to play.

Wilhelm knows better and mentions Willy also - that is either cynical or stupid. Los Van Van have already played Miami - Amaury would not sell out a restaurant and Silvio doesn't have THAT much of a following either.