by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
El Malecón in Havana, Cuba.
BORICUAS IN HAVANA: Calle 13’s free concert in the Cuban capital March 24 attracted as many as half a million fans. The hiphop/ reggaetón act, led by brothers René Pérez “Residente” and Eduardo Cabra “Visitante,” played at a public square known as the “Anti-Imperialist Plaza.” They performed on a stage set against the city’s famous Malecón seawall, not far from the U.S. Interests Section. Singer Pérez made several references to the U.S. government while presenting the song Querido FBI, about slain Puerto Rican independence advocate Filiberto Ojeda Ríos.
The concert was the highlight of a five-day stay in which the group visited schools and had exchanges with Cuban musicians and artists. At a press conference earlier in the week, Pérez urged other Puerto Rican musicians to visit the island.
Like all U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans must obtain permission from the U.S. government. The paperwork for nearly a dozen Calle 13 band members was processed without incident. Cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Cuba have become more commonplace since President Obama took office. In December, the R&B group Kool & the Gang held a concert in Havana, and in January, veteran Cuban salsa band Los Van Van played in Miami, the first of several upcoming U.S. dates.
As Calle 13 visited Cuba, artists around the world joined in a campaign to urge the Cuban government to liberate political prisoners. In February, dissident Orlando Zapata died after a hunger strike. Among those signing an iInternet petition were Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa.
Calle 13 was scheduled to play Miami on March 26 and anticipated some backlash from those in the exile community who opposed his trip. Just a day before, Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan was to have staged a protest in support of the wives and mothers of 75 Cuban dissidents jailed in 2003. Hispanic Link.
IN OTHER ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:
René Pérez y Eduardo Cabra
La MISSION, written and directed by Peter Bratt and starring Benjamin Bratt will be released in April. In San Francisco Bay Area, the long-awaited film will be ready for view in the local theaters on April 16.
La MISSION is the story of Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt), a San Francisco bus driver respected in the Mission district barrio for building beautiful low rider cars, yet feared for his tough and machismo ways.
A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che’s path to redemption is tested when he discovers that his pride and joy—his only child, Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez)—is gay. In a homophobic rage, Che violently beats his son, disowning him. Out of pride, Che loses his son—the “best friend he’s got”—and once again loses himself.
