Click thumbnail for larger image. Ned Sublette says:
"A friend forwarded me yesterday this photo of a billboard in Cuba. I don't know who took it or when. It says: "… and now they say that we're terrorists!" — Ibrahim Ferrer, member of the Buena Vista Social Club.
The background is that Ibrahim Ferrer, when nominated for a Grammy, was refused admission to the US to attend the award ceremony on grounds of — get this — national security. This in spite of his having previously performed successful US concert tours, he, and all Cuban musicians across the board (except for those involved in the anomalous case of "Havana Night," which played at a casino in Las Vegas), have been denied entrance into the US for the last two years.
While the US did not actually apply the word "terrorist" to Mr. Ferrer as an individual, the perennial inclusion of Cuba on the United States' list of "state-sponsors of terrorism" (dating back to the Reagan administration) at present serves as the bottom-line justification for excluding all Cuban musicians from entering the US, effectively lumping Mr. Ferrer in with terrorists.
And here's a link to an amazing book Ned wrote called Cuba And Its Music: From The First Drums To The Mambo.
Reader comment: Laurent Haug says:
Just a quick note to let you know this: a friend of mine is a photographer currently working with Ibrahim Ferrer in Cuba. He told me on numerous occasions that the government is using M. Ferrer's image without his consent and for political purpose, just what you would expect from these people. So I think this display should be taken for what it is: government propaganda, not a personnal message from the jedi-old singer.
Adam Garcia says,
The picture used in that billboard was actually the photo of Ibrahim on the cover of his solo album. Link to image.
