— if Alan Gross’ story is any indication — is a pretty crap deal. See Tracey Eaton’s amazing analysis, here at Along the Malecón, of the shady dealings that he signed up for, which subsequently got him put in jail and abandoned there by the U.S. government. Here’s hoping that a second Obama term will hold only good things for U.S.-Cuban relations, and nothing like the Bush-era strategery outlined here.
I’m still undecided on the work of Tania Bruguera, but this is a very clear, straightforward assessment by her:
“Every country has certain censorship and self-censorship,” Tania says. “In capitalist places, it has to do with the economy. As an artist, if you don’t do something that is liked, the corporations won’t buy the work or the collector won’t collect it. In Cuba, it is strictly political, in the sense that there is a responsibility for the artist, who has been raised and educated for free, to not touch some subjects.”
(An old story, on the 1997 Havana Biennial, in the Brooklyn Rail)
Sometimes you’re just going about your day, listening to an 80s song like you do, and a Fidel Castro speech blares through the background of said 80s song. Such is the case with this 1983 Art of Noise track, which samples the comandante’s speech on imperialism plus U.S. Army announcements about the invasion of Grenada that year. It takes us back to a time when the U.S. would invade small nations in order to send messages to bigger ones — wait, hang on a sec…
Anyway, an interesting song from a great album. More info here.
It’s like a political soap opera: Chavez wins the first somewhat-close election in a decade, securing Cuba’s energy source and top trade partner for years to come, only to be felled by cancer just before his inauguration, tossing the fates of the two nations into uncertainty — OR WILL HE LIVE? No one seems to know if Chavez is dead, dying, or alive in Cuba, where he’s being treated. Everyone there, obviously, cares. Stay tuned…
Tough to imagine anyone perreando to lyrics about holding hands, but that’s what they’re going for: Cuban officials have announced they’ll start fining reggaeton’s filthier lyrics.
- No one was surprised when everyone in the U.N. — except the U.S., Israel, and Palau — condemned the embargo. Except, apparently, the White House press team. Twentieth time’s the charm?
- Everyone’s shocked that Obama got so much of the Cuban-American vote, including a majority on November 8.
- And the ambivalent item of the day is that Alan Gross is suing the U.S. government. It seems that the dude’s either a spy or overwhelmingly naive. Both? Either way, he’s taking to the courts.
Ai Weiwei does Gangnam style. A friend suggested that next, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could perform “Call Me Maybe;” I’d then nominate Yoani to do “Dancing On My Own.” Any more nominees for the Dissident Music Video YouTube channel?
Accent theme by Handsome Code
