One of the accusations against the "Paz Sin Fronteras" concert in Cuba was that event implied support of the Castro regime. Yet some of the musicians who performed at the concert have denounced the Cuban government for nearly forcing a last-second cancellation of the gig.A recording made public last week showed Colombian musician/concert organizer Juanes denouncing how he was under constant surveillance by the government. His anger boiled over, however, when he was informed that security segregated concertgoers and even barred some individuals who were not dressed in white:
`This is it, we're leaving now! We're very angry, very angry, very angry. We came here to sing to the young people of Cuba, and that's why we are here. But we've encountered strong obstacles, and this is it!'' Juanes is heard saying in the recording. The discussion took place in front of the lobby elevators of the Hotel Nacional, where the singer was staying.Juanes and Spain’s Miguel Bose would even threaten to cancel the show hours before it was to take place, yet that idea was dropped after some convincing by Puerto Rican star Olga Tañon.
An article on Friday in the Cuban press claimed that Juanes was "clearly nervous" and had mistakenly identified a hotel worker as his “spy.” Nevertheless, Tañon later said that Juanes endured “excessive pressure” and implied that he may’ve been harassed by the government.
Hundreds of thousands of Cubans attended the "Paz Sin Fronteras" concert and viewed performances by over a dozen artists from the Americas and Europe. A possible next edition of the concert could be held along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Image- AFP (Juanes and CuCu Diamantes took the stage at the "Paz Sin Fronteras" concert in Havana).
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Miami Herald, AP, Canadian Press, examiner.com, USA TODAY
