Babalu Blog

Latin Grammys and the Protest

There were about 1000 protestors outside of the American Airlines Arena last night where the Latin Grammy ceremony was taking place. These people were protesting the fact that they did not believe any Cuban (as in from the island) should be allowed take to the stage as, and there is a certain truth to this, their mere presence would in essence be lauding the Castro regime.

Personally I find that to be a bit of a stretch for me even though I am pretty staunchly anti-Castro. But, as with everything in life, there are those that take things to the extreme. I argue that sometimes, by protesting certain things, the Cuban community is affording Castro exactly what he wants: to divide the Cuban community. Divide and conquer.

I happen to love the music coming out of the island. Compay Segundo, Buena Vista, Ruben Gonzalez... there's quite a few brilliant and incredibly talented musicians in Cuba. So, I am not one of those to protest a Cuban act getting center stage. Unless of course, it is a Sylvio Rodriguez type that praises the revolution with his work.

There is, however, a very sound reason to protest Cubans in the Latin Grammys.

There were artists from all over the Latin spectrum at the ceremony last night. Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico...and many more. The difference between these other latin artists and their Cuban counterparts painfully obvious. The people of Colombia or Mexico or Puerto Rico are free to listen to all the musical talents showcased at the Latin Grammys. Cuban people on the other hand, are not.

The Castro regime cannot afford to have it's populace exposed to all aspects of the outside world. The free world. And music is perhaps the bastion of free expression. Fidel simply won't allow anything to subvert his choke hold on his nation.

Celia Cruz, the undisputed Queen of Salsa that passed away a few months back and who was given a Funeral ceremony both here in Miami and in New York fit for royalty, is not allowed to be played in Cuba. She never has been. It's a terribly sad thing too. All Celia ever wanted, throughout an wonderful career that spanned for decades, was to be heard on her island. She wanted the people of Cuba to be able to live their lives a she did, freely and without censorship or repression.

This is an irony for me of epic proportions as the first 10 minutes of the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was a tribute to Celia Cruz performed by artists from all of Latin America. I, like Celia, am lucky to have been able to appreciate the music and culture and freedom the rest of the world has to offer.

Posted by Val Prieto at September 4, 2003 08:55 AM | TrackBack