Hundreds of thousands of Cubans flocked to sprawling Revolution Plaza on Sunday for an open-air “peace concert” headlined by Colombian rocker Juanes, an event criticized by some Cuban-Americans who say the performers were lending support to the island’s government simply by showing up.
Miguel Bose of Spain, one of the other singers in the five-and-a-half hour concert, announced the crowd size at 1.15 million — which would be one of every 10 Cubans. It was impossible to independently verify that number, but Juanes’ visit to Cuba was clearly the biggest by an outsider since Pope John Paul II’s 1998 tour.
Hundreds of public buses ferried young and old to the concert site, and the government laid on even more transportation, hoping for a large turnout.
PHOTO: AFP
Most concertgoers wore white — to symbolize peace — and some held up signs reading “Peace on Earth” and “We Love You Juanes.”
Puerto Rican singer Olga Tanon opened the concert with a loud shout-out to the crowd, packed under a broiling Havana sun.
Juanes came on stage three hours into the show, gazing out at the multitudes in evident disbelief.
“I can’t believe what I am seeing with my own eyes,” he said.
“We came to Cuba for love. We have overcome fear to be with you and we hope that you too can overcome it,” Juanes said. “All the young people in the region, from Miami in the United States and in all the cities ... should understand the importance of turning hate into love.”
Before the show started, colorful umbrellas sprouted like flowers across the vast square as revelers shaded themselves from the unrelenting sun. Ambulances set up behind the stage treated those felled by dehydration and other ailments.
“We are going to stay as long as we have the strength,” said Cristina Rodriguez, a 43-year-old nurse accompanied by her teenage son, Felix.
They and thousands of others arrived hours before the concert to get a good spot, ignoring government warnings not to turn up until noon.
“We’ve been here since three in the morning waiting for everyone, waiting for Juanes and for Olga Tanon,” said Luisa Maria Canales, an 18-year-old engineering student. “I’m a little tired, but I am more excited.”
That excitement did not extend to some across the Florida Straits, where Juanes had endured death threats, CD smashing protests and boycotts since announcing his plan for the “Peace Without Borders” concert in Havana. Still, the criticism from Florida was far from universal. Spanish-language stations covered the event and several exile groups voiced support, describing it as a rare chance for Cubans to get a glimpse of the outside world.
Some Cuban officials used the opportunity to deride US foreign policy toward Cuba, and the 47-year trade embargo in particular. But Juanes insisted the concert was about music, not politics.
The show also featured Cuban folk legend Silvio Rodriguez and salsa stars Los Van Van, as well as performers from Spain, Ecuador, Italy and elsewhere.
The festivities took place below a giant likeness of revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara and near the heavily guarded offices of Fidel and Raul Castro.
Juanes, who has won 17 Latin Grammy awards, more than any other artist, is known for his social activism.
His first “Peace Without Borders” concert last year drew tens of thousands to the border between Venezuela and Colombia.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of