Babalu Blog: The smell of Las Orishas

April 23, 2006

The smell of Las Orishas

There's a popular Cuban rap band called 'Las Orishas.'

They live in Paris, but they remain pro-castro. That alone doesn't sound too normal. But now some other things are happening. They seem to be allowing themselves to be used as an instrument to advance Chavez's big drug plans for the region.

Local Venezuelans report here (it's in Spanish) that these Orishas are the stars of a government-paid-for concert in Caracas, and at it they are showing big pictures of Chavez and castro together, with sneering claims that Chavez will win 10,000,000 votes in December's election.

That isn't the only thing, though. They also are advertising it with little logos of pot leafs. Meanwhile, at their concert the air was alive with the smell of marijuana.

I am not gonna moralize heavily on marijuana, but I will say it's generally an illegal drug. That's why it's particularly bad for Venezuela. Venezuela has gotten itself a new reputation as the New Colombia, and this concert, paid for with the ample funds of the Chavista government, has a pretty odd way of doing political advertising.

Do they want to create a 'context' for the legalization of drugs, so that they can ship them any place they like? Already they are becoming the New Colombia as far as drugs go, and increasingly, huge drug shipments are being intercepted with Venezuelan origins. There's talk that Chavez is opening the gates to Bolivia's coca.

And now, at a government paid for concert, pot-smoking is endorsed. Doesn't sound too good.

Posted by Mora at April 23, 2006 08:20 PM

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Comments

Marijuana is completely illegal in Cuba, right?

Posted by: DC at April 23, 2006 08:40 PM

That kills me. I love 'Orishas.' I worked at a radio station in Miami years ago and was one of the first to play them in the US (after serendipitously hearing them during a trip to Paris).

It's a shame that they taint their talent with ignorant pro-castro & pro-Chavez propaganda.

Posted by: machete at April 23, 2006 09:29 PM

Another spiraling downward step in the descent of Venezuela into the Chavez-induced darkness. This time using an inescapably favorite medium, music. It's a soft-sell of a hard-core problem.

I believe in taking a narrow view of all artists, talented as they may be, who use their work to support dictatorships: boycott.

Posted by: Gigi at April 23, 2006 10:47 PM

yup. they're dead to me.

Posted by: machete at April 23, 2006 11:28 PM

I totally relate, Machete. Prior to this, I had only heard good things about them. Then I saw that they were taking money from Chavez & castro. My heart sank. What a shame. They've gone down Carlos Santana Lane, letting themselves be used by thugs like that.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at April 24, 2006 12:01 AM

If there's anything that might exonerate them, I'll put it up.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at April 24, 2006 12:02 AM

Mora,

I'll agree that pot is illegal, but if anything it would be a good thing for Venezuela. It would be nice to see something take the fiery edge off of Hugo's rhetoric.

Posted by: Fielding at April 24, 2006 01:27 AM

Many Venezuelans say that Chavez drives them to drugs. He is that disgusting.

Posted by: A.M. Mora y Leon at April 24, 2006 02:34 AM

I think its funny that they display pro-pot messages with images of Fidel/Chavez right in Chavez'turf. You know the appartchicks have no clue about this stuff.

Article in the Miami New Times about Orishas, who, whatever their politics are a very talented group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2csp_0t2U4w&search=Champ%20Car

Posted by: Boli-Nica at April 29, 2006 10:37 PM

Hey reading an article on pot smoking it is not linked back to Lung Cancer... This article is on WebMD.com

Here is the URL: Study Shows No Increased Risk for Even the Heaviest Marijuana Smokers

Tazz

Posted by: tazz at September 14, 2006 11:54 AM