Juanes' Sunday concert: a recap

The controversial Juanes concert in Havana yesterday blanketed Revolution Square in a sea of white, the color worn by both performers and concertgoers to symbolize peace. Different sources report various figures, but over 800,000 and possibly up to 1.15 million people attended the concert. Thousands showed up hours early to secure spots with a view, ignoring the government’s warning not to show up before noon.

The event was the largest by an outsider in Cuba since the Pope’s visit (John Paul II) in 1998. In that context, the criticism from Florida and elsewhere is misplaced: opportunities for the Cuban population to connect with the rest of the world in such ways are important because they are so rare, and do not undermine the current politics of US-Cuban relations (as many in the Miami community have claimed).

Nor does the concert mean that the performers condone the human rights abuses of the Castro regime—another claim made by those who opposed the performance. The concert’s message of “peace without borders” and Juanes’ final message from the stage—a cry of “Cuba libre!” and “One Cuban family!”—show a different sentiment altogether than that being thrust upon them.