Vol. 74/No. 25      June 28, 2010

Rodríguez is the best-known exponent of the Nueva Trova (New Song) movement from Cuba. For 15 years he was an elected representative in the National Assembly of People’s Power, the island’s legislature.

The Cuban troubadour applied many times for visas to play in the United States but was denied by Washington. Over the last two years, Washington has granted more visas to artists from Cuba, while maintaining a harsh economic embargo designed to undermine the revolution, which came to power in 1959.

Both nights at Carnegie Hall the singer was greeted by a standing ovation as soon as he took the stage. While Rodríguez performs songs on a wide variety of themes, many of them are inspired by the Cuban Revolution and by the fight of working people around the world against the ravages of capitalism. Throughout the concert, enthusiastic fans shouted out the names of songs they wanted to hear.

At both the June 4 and June 10 concerts, Rodríguez dedicated “Song of the Chosen One” to the Cuban Five, “whom we Cubans call our heroes.” The five Cuban revolutionaries—Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, René González, Antonio Guerrero, and Fernando González—were in Florida gathering information on right-wing groups with a history of violent attacks against Cuba, with the complicity of the U.S. government. They have been in jail in the United States since 1998 on frame-up charges ranging from “conspiracy to commit espionage” to “conspiracy to commit murder” in the case of Hernández.

A small number of right-wing demonstrators stood across the street during the first concert to protest against Rodríguez and the Cuban Revolution. A much larger group of supporters of the revolution and of lifting the U.S. embargo of Cuba demonstrated to welcome the Cuban artist and pass out literature in support of freeing the Cuban Five.

Rodríguez performs June 17 in Los Angeles and June 23 in Orlando, Florida.  
 
 
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