Juanes sang in Havana, along with an assorted group of Latin artists from Cuba, Europe and the United States. Will life change in Cuba because of it?
For Americans living 24-7 and used to fast food, instant polling and more choices on television than a typical Cuban on the communist island can imagine, the answer is No. Cuba remains a dictatorship, with laws against dissent, with a constant churn of political prisoners and food rations for the masses.
But for Cubans, there may have been a nugget of hope. As Yoani Sánchez of the award-winning Generation Y blog wrote from Havana after the Sunday concert: "It would be unfair to demand of the young Colombian singer that he propel those changes that we ourselves have not managed to make, despite wanting them so much."
As much as Juanes insisted that his would not be a "political" event, there's no way to remove the face of Ché Guevara — who oversaw the revolution's firing squads — from the concert's backdrop. But in a small way, Juanes nudged the tent of ideas open when he called out at the end of the concert: "Cuba libre!" and "For one Cuban family!" The Generation Y blog showed video of young Cubans cheering those proclamations.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Miami Herald.
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