Cuban Musicians Resuming U.S. Performances

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http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50023


New York City recently hosted its first Cuban band in five years, after the group Septeto Nacional became the first to win a visa that allowed it to accept a booking there.

The group performed at the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture in the Bronx in early November. It was the first Cuban band to play in New York since 2004, when the George W. Bush administration began systematically denying Cuban musicians cultural exchange visas.

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In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cuban musicians like the Muñequitos de Matanzas, the Buena Vista Social Club and Los Van Van played regularly in the United States. The Hostos Center brought "maybe 10 groups" from Cuba between 1996 and 2003, according to Director Walter Edgecombe.

Then, in early 2004, the Bush administration stopped approving cultural exchange visas for musicians, without ever announcing an official policy change. The measure coincided with general tightening of the half century- old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. Cuban-Americans' ability to travel to Cuba or send money to relatives living there was restricted, and long-ignored laws prohibiting the Cuban government from circulating the dollar began to be enforced.

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Likewise without announcing any shift, the Barack Obama administration began approving Cuban cultural exchange visas in October 2009. The U.S. State Department approved Cuban folk singer Pablo Milanés' visa to play a concert in Puerto Rico.

Singer Omara Portuondo became the first Cuban ever to come to the United States to receive a Latin Grammy award, after her album "Gracias" was awarded "Best Tropical Music Performance".

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"I think that the Obama administration has made it clear that they would like to see more cultural relations," said Sublette, in a telephone interview. But until the "arcane system" of approvals is changed, it will always be financially hazardous for U.S. venues to work with Cuban musicians, he added. "One can only hope that it will get a lot easier."
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we can hope