HAVANA, Cuba - An international rock star is bringing a mega-concert to Cuba — a spectacle that could be the biggest visit by an outsider since Pope John Paul II's 1998 tour — while shrugging off death threats over an event he has dedicated to peace.
Juanes' show is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to the iconic Plaza of the Revolution, where the pope celebrated Mass and the scene of some of Fidel Castro's most famous speeches.
Juanes, who has won 17 Latin Grammy awards, more than any other artist, is known for his social activism.
Sunday's show, which promises a rare dose of big-name entertainment in a tightly controlled country starved for a release, is the second installment of Juanes' “Peace Without Borders" series.
The first concert in March 2008 drew tens of thousands to the border between Venezuela and Colombia when tensions between the two countries were high over a Colombian commando raid into neighboring Ecuador to kill a leading rebel commander.
Juanes has promised the afternoon concert in Cuba will be about music, not politics, but such sentiments are nearly impossible here.
Many Cuban-Americans in South Florida are angry about the show, saying that simply by showing up, Juanes has endorsed Cuba's closed communist system. The Colombian star has received death threats on his Twitter page, and police in Key Biscayne, Fla., say they are keeping watch over the homes of both the rocker and his manager, Fernan Martinez Maecha.
And the location of the concert itself makes this concert unique. Earlier shows, including performances by Billy Joel in 1979 and Bonnie Raitt 20 years later, have been held indoors or on the Havana waterfront. This show is slated for the iconic Plaza of the Revolution, which features a giant overhead likeness of revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che" Guevara and the heavily guarded offices of Fidel and Raul Castro.
Boycott and protest
Some critics have called for a boycott of Juanes' music and a small anti-Castro group known as Vigilia Mambisa has announced a CD-smashing protest to coincide with Sunday's performance.
Others in the Cuban-American community in Florida have voiced support for the event, and Spanish-language stations are gearing up for coverage.
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