Juanes en Cuba: Are you for it—or against it?

This is a post written by Intern Melissa Duque.

Grammy-winning Colombian rocker Juanes is set to perform on September 20th in Cuba for his Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace without Borders) concert.

The event has fueled both outrage and support from the Latino community.

Juanes has received death threats posted to his Twitter account, and yet his tweets are all about promoting peace and support for the event.

All this controversy about whether Juanes should perform in Cuba has me confused. I have read editorials for and against the concert and I have read articles about those who support and who are against it. I have listened to all the Cuban artists and as well as Latin artists who are for and against the performance.

I am still undecided.

Whether the event will bring about positive opportunities or not remains to be seen. All I know is that Juanes is a fantastic musician and I know whenever I listen to his lyrics I am always moved.
Read an article in Spanish from the Miami Herald about those who support the concert. The article talks about the positive message the concert will bring about and talks about the controversy the Pope had when he visited Cuba and how in the end it was a beneficial trip.

For an article in English from NBC Miami about the critics of the concert click here. In the article, critics are quoted as saying that the concert is a “pandering gesture to the Cuban government.”

Some quick disclaimers:

• I am not Cuban.
• I do not live in Miami
• I do not support Castro.
• I do love the music Juanes makes.
• I was listening to Para Tu Amor by Juanes while writing this.