Beautiful Horizons

The Definition of Insanity

Apparently it still is's doing the same thing over and over expecting different results as the attempts to strongarm and intimidate Colombian singer, Juanes, from staging one of his Peace Without Borders Concerts in Havana next month.

The differences break down typically along generational lines:

Predictably, those opposed to the concert tended to be older and had arrived earlier in the United States, while supporters tended to be younger and either recent arrivals or born in this country. Over 60 percent of those 50 and older opposed the concert, while 35 percent of those 18 to 34 supported it. Forty-five percent of those who arrived in the U.S. after 2000 were in favor of the concert, while 64 percent of those who came before 1970 opposed it.

There is some encouraging news here:

The poll also gauged respondents' thoughts on cultural exchanges with Cuba: 50 percent of those surveyed said they supported such exchanges, 33 percent were opposed and 17 percent were undecided.

The strongest unanimity was on the subject of a small exile group that staged a demonstration in Little Havana and burned Juanes' CDs last week.

Overall, 74 percent said the protest by Vigilia Mambisa had a negative effect on the image of Cuban exiles in the United States.

Even Gloria Estefan is taking what I believe is a sensible position:

Gloria Estefan said she supports Colombian rocker Juanes in his quest to sing in Cuba, saying Juanes has his heart in the right place.

Estefan said she was ok with his decision to perform in the September 20th concert, according to a Spanish article published on Univision.com.

The Cuban-American singer and songwriter was quoted saying, "I know Juanes has his heart in the right place and wants to do something in the name of peace," according to an interview with Notimex.

Good for her. The hardline policy has done absolutely nothing but play into the castro dynasty's hands. It's past time to try a different tack.

Cachao, Rest in Peace

Israel "Cachao" Lopez, a major figure in the history of Cuban music and the person largely credited with the invention of the mambo, died yesterday at the age of 89.

Here's a look at his huge talent in this performance with his compatriot, Bebo Valdes:

And here's a look at the man:

I Wouldn't Put It Past Him

Did Diego Maradona, promise help for someone imprisoned in Cuba, through his contacts with Fidel Castro, accept $50,000 for it and do nothing.

Right now it's little more than he said, he said, but I wouldn't put it past him. Nothing Maradona does or is accused of doing would surprise me. Nothing.

Ibrahim Ferrer, R.I. P.

Ibrahim Ferrer, one of the stars of the Buena Vista Social Club, died on August 6 in Havana. He Was 78.

Ferrer was the delicate-featured man with the omni-present cap and the beautiful voice:

Ferrer's manager, Daniel Florestan, said the singer had died of multiple organ failure after returning from a month-long European tour on Wednesday.

Despite his fading health, Ferrer, who had suffered from emphysema, had continued to perform.

His wife, Caridad Diaz, said she was "deeply affected" by his death. She told the Associated Press: "He was a very worthy person; to be admired, not only as a musician, but also as a father and a husband".

Rest in peace.

RIP - Guillermo Cabrera Infante

Guillermo Cabrera Infante, one of Cuba's most extraordinary writers, winner of the Cervantes Prize in 1997 and another example of how the Cuban Revolution became just another example of a revolution eating its young, died yesterday at the age of 75.

Cabrera was born in 1929 in Gibara, Cuba, to parents who were founding members of the Cuban communist party. After the Castro-led revolution and overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Cabrera became editor of  Revolución, the literary supplement of the new regime's mouthpiece. However, he fell out of favour after opposing the government's decision to ban a documentary on Havana nightlife made by his brother. Castro publicly rebuked him in a trial and he was henceforth forbidden to publish; instead, he went on to accept the position of Cuba's cultural attaché in Brussels in 1962. After returning to Cuba for his mother's funeral in 1965, he accepted that he could no longer continue to live in his home country. After a brief period in Madrid he settled in London and took on British citizenship, saying in 1997 that "I have not been back (to Cuba) since I left in 1965, and will not until Fidel Castro leaves power".

And like Célia Cruz and countless others he went to his grave never seeing his native land again. Rest in Peace.