In early November of this year the world-famous Buena Vista Social Club will go on stage at the Beacon Theatre in New York City to play one last time before an adoring public. The concert is being marketed as a farewell tour to say adiós. After having performed more than once in the city and after having lost some of their most talked-about artists to old age, the Buena Vista Social Club, which gained its popularity in the 1990s playing traditional Cuban music, is finally calling it quits. While their concert is intended to give closure to a memorable era, others taking place in the city attempt to showcase the future. This is the case with Cuba Sí: El Futuro es Ahora, which took place at the New York Acura at SIR Stage37 on Saturday, October 3.
The New Yorker Festival sponsored this lively program that brought together an odd group of journalists, bloggers, and musicians for an evening of fun, excitement, and giddy anticipation. The event was divided into two parts: an introduction to the Cuba “moment” or coyuntura and a melodious taste of transnational Cuban music via two of its current interpreters.
Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker staff writer whose credits most recently include articles on entrepreneurship and the visit of Pope Francis to Cuba, was joined by Elaine Díaz, a journalist, blogger, and faculty at the University of Havana; Descemer Bueno, the Cuba-based singer who was catapulted to fame thanks to his collaboration with Enrique Iglesias in the irresistible hit “Bailando”; and Pedrito Martínez, the percussionist who’s fast becoming an essential part of the New York City music scene. Although invited, Cuban sci-fi writer Yoss was unable to attend.
Photo 1, left to right: Jon Lee Anderson, Elaine Díaz, Descemer Bueno and Pedrito Martínez. Yoss appears on the screen. Photo by the author
In its lieu, a photograph of him behind iron-wrought bars was shown briefly on a giant screen. Lest anyone interpret the image as a statement directed against the Cuban authorities, thus politicizing an otherwise cheerful event, Anderson was quick to clarify that the only reason Yoss wasn’t there was because the U.S. did not approve his visa on time. With Anderson as moderator, the guests had a conversation about the changes the Cubans feel have been taking place on the island since December 17, 2014.
The general tone of the dialogue was upbeat and optimistic, although a bit superficial. Descemer Bueno indicated that the opening meant more opportunities would come the way of Cuban artists. Musicians who had fled the island are now taking advantage of the new migration laws enacted in early 2013 and coming back to perform in Cuba, adding to the prospects for collaboration. Elaine Díaz was not allowed to attend an academic event in the US some time ago, but she was given permission to spend last year at Harvard on a fellowship. Díaz spoke of her new project, Periodismo de Barrio, an independent media outlet that aims to give voice to ordinary Cubans. This is a project for which she is not asking for a blessing from the Cuban authorities, yet she is determined to pursue it against all odds. Anderson told the audience about the Internet hotspots that allow Cubans to access information that was out of reach to them until just three months ago. With such a positive assessment of what is happening in Cuba, it is no wonder that Anderson spoke of a “feeling of portent” regarding this Cuba moment. On the other hand, Pedrito Martínez remarked that no matter what the laws permit, he would continue visiting Cuba only occasionally, choosing to remain in New York, his new home. When the three were asked what Cuba is going to look like a decade from now, they seemed to agree that having it become the New York of the Caribbean wasn’t a bad idea.
Photo 3: Pedrito Martínez on the congas and Descemer Bueno singing “Bailando.” Photo by the author.
The talk was obviously addressed to an estimated over two hundred Americans eager to hear about recent developments in Cuba. About a third of the audience raised their hands when Anderson asked who had been to Cuba. After the conversation, Pedrito Martínez and his band took over the stage to dazzle the audience with their magic. Martínez’s hands seemed like butterfly wings hovering over the mighty congas. Then it was Descemer’s turn, whose last song was “Bailando.” At some point, he got off the platform and on to the center aisle, inviting the audience to dance and sing along with him. For a moment, the line between the Cuban musicians and New Yorkers blurred, making it difficult to discern where Cuba ended and New York began. Surely most of us don’t want Havana looking like New York or the other way around, but the blending was a fitting end to an evening that chose to turn a blind eye to multiple challenges, celebrating instead the shortening of the distance between the two cities. In contrast with the Buena Vista Social Club concert scheduled for November, signaling the waning of special periods and cold wars, the Cuba Sí program highlighted the beginning of a future filled with rich possibilities. For an evening at least, the challenges to fulfilling those possibilities were put on hold.
All images by Iraida López. All Rights Reserved.
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