The Music Can wait.

Written by: Paquito D’Rivera*

Paraphrased by: Roberto Sánchez (a.k.a. CubanCongaMan)

Published by: Diario Las Américas**
Published on: 08-04-2009

For nearly five decades, when Fidel Castro’s regime took power of Cuba, an army of protectors of the Cuban revolution came out from everywhere. They were armed by an uncontrollable and pitiful spirit of “compassion” for Cuba.  These people were the heirs of former admirers of infamous “revolutionary leaders” such as Lenin, Stalin and Mao, who had already been disgraced before the eyes of the world for the atrocities they had perpetrated on their own people.   After Che Guevara’s death, in 1967 and in the jungles of Bolivia, the image of this Argentine bandit emerging as a martyr fitted them like a glove to revive their antiquated, disturbing, and leftist idols of the past.  The main issue is that this viral-form of “Compassion for Cuba” only seems to affect those Cubans who sympathize with the oldest dictatorship on the planet and, hence, ignores and completely excludes from the mercy list the millions of Cubans in exile, broken families, marginalized political and religious figures, political prisoners, those murdered by firing squads, and the thousands who have perished at sea, while fleeing Castro’s paradise, where tourists from foreign revolutions come to bathe in their ideological holidays  (their invoices being canceled in U.S. dollars) with or without their own home government’s permission to travel to the island.  We may call those holiday trips a form of “psychological embargo”.

Recently, a group of American artists, educators, academicians, professionals, and business entrepreneurs wrote a letter to President Obama complaining that they have been adversely affected by the United States’ imposed cultural embargo against the Castro dictatorship.  They demanded their inalienable right to freely travel to the island and unconditionally welcome any artist the communist regime’s cultural ministry might choose to ship-off to American ports.  The letter does not mention a single word about the millions of Cuban citizens who are denied freedom to travel in and out of their own country.   Oh my …, what a selfish petition to a U.S. president!  How can they speak of  permitting an “uninhibited flow of art, culture, information, ideas, and debates “, while millions of Cubans are denied the right to the most basic information from the Internet, while dozens of independent bloggers live under continuous life threats or have been imprisoned with their only crime being to become informed or to inform others.  This seems like a joke!  Which Cuban citizen or group of Cubans on the island would be permitted to write this type of letter of appeal to Raul Castro without ending-up in a Cuban prison?  If this seems like an unbelievable question, ask poet María Elena Cruz Varela, who was forced to swallow her own writings!

The fact that this inopportune letter carries the signatures of Harry Belafonte, Carlos Santana, and other incoherent members of the elitist American “Leftist’s Caviar” is not surprising.  But the adherence of my countrymen and fellow musicians’ signatures to this petition, knowing full-well the true significance of words such as carrying “a respectful dialog with the Cuban government” seems to me like, at least, a ridiculous proposal.  It would have been much more meaningful for someone to write a similar message to Castro’s regime, requesting the rights for free speech for ALL Cubans, without repercussions, to enter and exit our own country without regime imposed hurdles, to democratically elect our government representatives, and then ask for the signatures of these American artists, educators, academicians, professionals, and entrepreneurs, who are so interested in the free-flow of ideas between our two countries.  In the meantime, the music can wait; don’t you agree?

*Paquito D’Rivera is an exiled Musician and Writer.

Photograph of Paquito D'Rivera holding clarinet by: Lane Pederson

For additional information about Mr. D'Rivera, please visit: paquitodrivera.com

** Diario Las America is an excellent Spanish-language Newspaper.  Additionally, it has been arguably the foremost news source for the Cuban-exile community for nearly five decades.  For additional information about Diario Las Americas, please visit its official Web-site at: http://www.diariolasamericas.com/

Plan to Bang at your own Drum-4-Freedom Rally

Written by: Roberto Luis Sánchez (a.k.a. CubanCongaMan)
November 07, 2011

\\CubanCongaMan.com is helping other drummers to plan a series of locally held drum-circles across America in which all of those who love freedom and drums will participate in Drum-4-Freedom Rallies.  The events will serve to warn others that Americans' freedoms are being threatened and we must vote and keep in office only those politicians who truly swear and work to protect the American Constitution.  If you believe in freedom, like to bang your drum, and want to have lots of fun with hundreds of other drummers, while working for America's freedom, come and join us.    To lead or join a local drum circle, register with us by visiting the Guest Book Tab above. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for more information on local rally news at: twitter.com/cubancongaman   

We hope to see you at a Drum-4-Freedom Rally!