Juanes in Havana:`This is the power of music'

[Jimmy2]

Hundreds of thousands of revelers filled Havana's Plaza of the Revolution on Sunday for Juanes' historic mega-concert, while in Miami, exiles watched on TV with mixed emotions.

As a sea of revelers jammed Havana's Plaza de la Revolución, Puerto Rico's Olga Tañon opened the controversial Peace without Borders concert Sunday with a sentiment that, despite all the debate on both sides of the Florida Straits, simply could not be disputed:

``Together, we are going to make history!'' she yelled. And the multitude, wearing white and hoisting colorful umbrellas that did little to alleviate the punishing heat, cheered. Then Tañon kicked off her performance with a merengue that, at least in Miami, seemed to carry a double meaning.

``Es mentiroso ese hombre,'' she sang. That man is a liar.

But whether she chose the lyrics as a dig to either or both of the Castro brothers seemed less relevant than the overall, palpable joy in the plaza.

Then, at the very end of the show, a major surprise from Colombian pop star Juanes, who was criticized by a segment of the exile community for organizing the concert because they believed it would lend support to the Castro regime. Juanes, who had insisted the concert had nothing to do with politics, made it political after all, to much approval from Miami's naysayers.

He moved away from the day's ambiguities and shouted a straightforward ``Cuba libre! Cuba libre!'' (Free Cuba!) And then he chanted, ``One Cuban family! One Cuban family!''

Reached by phone in Havana shortly after the concert ended, Juanes said the day was indeed about much more than music.

``There aren't words to talk about something so huge, something that's so beyond music,'' he said. ``This is the power of art, the power of music. We're so happy because the people are happy, and that's what matters to us.''

The crowd, which Juanes said from the stage was estimated at 1.1 million, was mostly young people; many had arrived as early as 7 a.m. to stake out spots near the stage. Although several trucks around the perimeter dispensed cold water, many people in the middle of the crowd could not reach them. Dozens of concertgoers who had been in the sun for hours passed out.

Yonder, 25, and his girlfriend Yaima, 19, retreated from the front of the stage after Yaima fainted. She lost a shoe in the crowd. ``She bent down to try to find it but wound up grabbing somebody else's shoes that were lost,'' Yonder said. ``There is a lot of pushing and shoving. There are shoes and sunglasses all over the ground.''

(The couple did not want their last names printed.)

The likeness of communist hero Che Guevara towered over the plaza that has been the site of endless political harangues by Fidel Castro over 50 years of dictatorship. But judging from the dancing, singing and arm-waving, what mattered most in Havana, at least for a few hours, was the partying inspired by this unprecedented mega-concert.

MIXED REACTION

Toward the end of the show, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami) said in an interview with WLTV-Univisión 23 that the event had been a triumph for the Castro regime, because there was no mention from the stage about Cuba's human-rights violations or about the many political prisoners who were behind bars for opposing the government. But many others in Miami called it a good start in trying to bridge the divide between the island and the exile community.

Whatever the show's lasting effects, it was still historic. All of Havana seemed mesmerized; as one walked the city's streets every TV set seemed to be blasting the concert. Never had the plaza, where Pope John Paul II addressed the Cuban people in 1998, been used for a such a lighthearted purpose. Never had the Cuban people been treated to such a musical blowout by major foreign acts -- something for which the island is always thirsty.

And never had Miami watched a live show from Havana. It was carried by local Spanish-language stations and by Univision.com. Channel 23 tagged it ``Concert of Discord.''

As with most matters related to Cuba, the gray shades of debate clouded the days leading up to the concert, which featured 15 artists from six countries, including such big stars from the island as Los Van Van and Silvio Rodriguez, government-backed and government-backing performers. Some Miami exiles criticized Juanes for agreeing to share the stage with them.

Members of the Cuban American National Foundation, which seeks to bring democracy to the communist island, tuned in from the Kendall home of president Francisco ``Pepe'' Hernandez. They watched in awe as Juanes performed, his lyrics and short speeches flirting with political commentary.

``To go to that same plaza -- where [Cubans] have been forced to listen to things they don't believe in -- for music? It's great,'' Hernandez said. To him, the concert symbolized a sharp turn away from isolationist policies used by pro-democracy Cuban exile groups during the last 50 years.

``I hope that all of the young people in the United States, in Miami, everywhere, lose their fear and change hate for love,'' Juanes told the audience.

Although the performers had agreed to not make overt political statements, the possibilities of political interpretation seeped into many of their songs. ``Down with the control. Down with those who manipulate you'' chanted a female rapper with X Alfonso, a Cuban rap and funk artist.

``We're all here together -- for the dream of concord, for the dream of dialogue!'' said Spanish pop singer Miguel Bosé. He was joined by Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela for Varela's Muro (Wall), which Bosé has recorded, about longing for the outside world from Cuba's seawall.

SONG OF PEACE

No one's songs were more emotionally loaded than those of Juanes, who took the stage to chants of his name. ``I can't believe it. This is the most beautiful dream of peace and love,'' he said. ``Whatever differences we have, at the end we are all brothers.'' He then launched into A Dios le pido (I'll Ask God), his huge hit that pleads for peace. Most of his statements, until his strong words at the end, were general but carried the possibly of much meaning.

``Youth of Cuba, of Latin America, the future is in your hands, guys!'' he said before singing No creo en el jamas (I Don't Believe in Never), which calls for hope against all odds. He turned the rocker Suenos (Dreams), about a kidnapping victim who longs for home, into a quiet ballad, telling the audience ``this song is for everyone who is imprisoned unjustly and seeks liberty!''

``Juanes is so brave,'' said Gabriela, 14, who went to the show with her sister, mother and grandmother. ``He didn't have to come here and confront all of those people who were against him. He did it because he wanted to sing for us. For Cuba.''

Many Cubans in Miami watched with conflicted feelings.

``This is supposed to be a concert for peace, but there is no peace without political discourse or democracy in Cuba,'' said paralegal Blanca Meneses, who lives in the Doral area. ``But I feel for the people in Cuba, because, obviously, they are enjoying this from a musical perspective. The truth is, I thought nothing good could come of this concert. But I did think that when Juanes and Bosé were singing `Libertad, libertad,' that was a positive message to the people of Cuba.''

[ilgatto]

My wife and I wanted to try to go but it was too short of notice. We saw him in Chicago and it was a great show. He is a talented musician and very humble for being so popular.