July 24, 2007
Betrayal
Cubans are accustomed to betrayal. Batista betrayed his country when his 1952 coup ended any possibility of the rule of law as enacted by the Cuban Constitution of 1940. The United States in turn betrayed Batista by supporting a convicted murderer and seditionist, fidel castro, who they had bets would become the new leader of Cuba. The Maximum Leader betrayed his country in ignoring all of his promises of reform. The United States, again, betrayed Cuban freedom fighters on Playa Girón abandoning men whom were willing to fight for the liberty of their country.
One of the worst betrayals to Cubans (and those of us Americans who were born on the island) has been the forty year love affair with a man so despicable, so evil, so wretched and twisted, that he was proud of the fact that he could deliver the coup de graçe to executed prisoners in the Cabaña with his small pistol. This beast, this monster, has been the darling of many, gracing shirts, caps, advertisements, marketing campaigns, even cell-phone wallpaper. It is this beast that holds a fascination with so many of the ignorant jet-set, the so-called beautiful people, whose ignorance is only matched by their arrogance. This poor excuse for a human being, ernesto "che" guevara, was displayed prominently on a shirt worn by guitarist Carlos Santana. "He's the man!" Santana exclaimed. Which is why the new Gloria Estefan album, and the video featuring Santana, a man that idolizes che, who murdered and ordered the murders of so many, is another example of betrayal. And che wasn't even Cuban.
We may get accustomed to the betrayals and take them in stride now fifty years on, we may not expect the world to understand our cause, we may not even dare to hope that the world acknowledge the evil that has been wrought by fidel and che. But to have one of our own support a man who tacitly endorses one of Cuba's executioners hurts beyond words. Gloria Estefan has allowed this che guevara sycophant to be featured in the video from an album that is ostensibly a paean to Cuba, the island of Gloria's birth and mine.
I was willing to be fair and give her the benefit of the doubt when this kerfuffle started months back. After all, she had never really disappointed us. But now, all she has accomplished is to vindicate Santana and his pals in their ignorant idolatry of a murderer. It's one thing to have him be on the album as a guitarist, as a side man; it's quite another for him to be on a video of the first single of the CD! This is a slap in the face to the Cuban-American community and an insult to the family members of every victim che killed or had killed. I won't spend a dollar on their album and I will certainly urge everybody I know not to buy it. If she and her minders care more about money than doing what is right, then let them reap the whirlwind.
Posted by George Moneo at July 24, 2007 04:50 PM
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Comments
"Cubans are accustomed to betrayal" - I would word that differently. I believe Cubans want to believe. We want to believe in people and have been disappointed countless times. For example, think of the many politicos over the years pandering to our community and then not thinking about us until the next election. Gloria and Emilio do not surprise me. They are superb masters of their own story ala JFK and Camelot. Over the years I kept hearing stories of not so kind things they have done to people along the way. Gloria's cousin and singing partner - where is she now? Kiki Garcia - what happened to him? People from the community were snubbed years ago when their success was gigantic to us but still was nowhere near where they are today. When she had her accident I saw her "milk" that into another great publicity coup. What I have seen is that their daughter's godfather is not Pepe from la Esquina but probably the best music producer in the business. Emilio is no dummy. This is all about money and they see us as extremist right-wing whackos and they are waa-ay above us. Best bet: Ignore them. They have ignored us.
Posted by: Calabaza ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.babalublog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 24, 2007 07:48 PM
Calabaza, it's an image thing around the world. They "represent" us whether we like it or not. But no more, no sir. They do not represent me any more. This "intransigent, hard-line extremist" does not need to be represented by anyone or any group who, even in the smallest way, countenances evil like che.
Posted by: George L. Moneo at July 24, 2007 08:01 PM
I understand the power of money. It was clear when Val initially spoke to Emilio Estefan that Emilio wanted to make sure everyone knew that he and Gloria still considered themselves part of the CA community but their response did not assure anyone that they would reconsider their position. So it came as no surprise to me that Santana would remain on the agenda. After all, Emilio Estefan did not get to where he is today by trying to please all of the people all of the time. He is an empresario and thinks of $$$.
As I said this morning, what I take issue with is that of all the possible singles to release first, THEY CHOSE THE ONE WITH SANTANA.
As far as I'm concerned, and I USED TO BE a major Gloria fan, the Estefans are tremendo sellouts.
Claudia
Posted by: Claudia at July 24, 2007 08:42 PM
Kinda sad to be a "sell out" when you don't really need the money. Just how much money/recognition/ego do these folks need?
Posted by: Calabaza at July 24, 2007 08:58 PM
Would be nice to have a 'CD burning' event.
Posted by: LaConchita at July 24, 2007 09:05 PM
As I informed Babalu back in March of this situation, I still stand by what I felt like back then. The Estefans are out of touch with "their" community. They slapped us in the face by inviting Santana to be on their album. Now they include him on the first single and video. That tells me that they don't give a shit about none of us. We only represent "$$$$$$$" to them. When I created the petition in March, I collected over 2,000 signatures of angry fans, Cubans, Bay of Pigs veterans, ex-political prisoners, etc. You get the point. Some decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, I hope they learned now. I am pissed off and if I had any ounce of "benefit of doubt" left, I can assure you that it's all gobe by now. Shame on you Estefans !!!!
Posted by: FREEDOM4CUBA at July 24, 2007 09:19 PM
Freedom4Cuba, your instincts were right on the money. I will no longer give any quarter to anyone who even remotely supports these evil causes ever again. Like I said, this is a betrayal, and that is a word I chose very carefully. Thank you for your position.
Posted by: George L. Moneo at July 24, 2007 09:27 PM
I think from now on, Carlos Santana should be known as Carlos Satanas
Posted by: Peshkatari at July 24, 2007 10:00 PM
Folks, the Estefans didn't take the risk of using Santana to keep him discreetly out of sight and out of mind--and he wouldn't have accepted that anyway. I'm sure the deal was for him to be featured prominently, in keeping with his status, and that's what's happening. Does anybody believe the Estefans didn't want people VERY aware he was involved? Do women get boob jobs and wear revealing clothing to avoid attention? Please. OF COURSE Santana is in the video of the first single released. You think they're paying Mr. "Music Legend" big bucks to be overlooked?
Status, by the way, is what we're talking about here. Having Santana on your Latin-music album is a status symbol, just like flashing a bulky gold Rolex or driving a Porsche. Having him on board was a way to add punch and notoriety to the project. The Estefans were clearly looking beyond the Cuban-American audience, with whom Santana is obviously more of a liability than an asset. We're not the people his presence was meant to impress or attract. We're not the point here. As far as using Santana is concerned, we're BESIDE the point.
Posted by: asombra at July 25, 2007 09:42 AM
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