In the summer of 2002 from August 27 through August 31 of that year, I had the pleasure as a young attorney and Billboard R&B Monitor Award Winning broadcaster (2000 Cox Radio WCFB-FM 94.5 Orlando, Florida) to have the opportunity to travel to Havana Cuba with the U.S. Cuba Legal Forum. It was an experience of a lifetime that shaped, forever, my view on this issue of diplomatic relations with the United States and Cuba. However, the most important experience of the visit (along with engaging on international legal issues at the University of Havana Law School) was the express and passionate embrace to me by the Afro-Cuban community (which, in my opinion, is largely ignored on the issue of U.S. - Cuba relations.) Upon my arrival, the Afro-Cuban population dominated Havana in all walks of life. And did so much to the degree, that I declared that Havana had the largest Afro population in a metropolitan city in the Western Hemisphere (and of course I have nothing to back up that declaration other than my own empirical evidence.) Additionally, I was invited, personally, to the home of the internationally famous percussionist Amadito Valdés who gave me a copy of this CD before the release internationally - Bajando Gervasio. I have provided the link from youtube for your listening pleasure as I have posted his music in the past. I met his beautiful wife, a lovely Afro-Cuban woman. I also had the outstanding honor of meeting the Cuban Quincy Jones the internationally renowned composer and arranger Juan de Marcos Gonzales of the Afro-Cuban All Stars fame and the Buena Vista Social Club fame. I was in the presence of Cuban musical royalty at the home of Amadito drinking very good, and very cold cerveza!! We talked music (as my legal colleague Cuban-American Luis Alcalde of Columbus Ohio was the interpreter and made sure we met.) Respectfully, I ask you all who read this post to carefully listen to the instrumentation on this composition and listen to the other links that you will see from this album which, by the way, got a Grammy Nomination. Lastly, I was moved by the heartfelt love and passion exhibited by the Afro-Cuban community once we met. It was like going home or meeting relatives separated by the vestiges of a tragic moment in human history known as the human chattel slave trade. On the issue of U.S.-Cuba relations, I submit to you all, until the Afro-Cuban voice can be heard, you cannot have a full, transparent and healthy debate on the issue. I am also noticing the Orlando Sentinels George Diaz on the substance of this post. Respectfully submitted. https://youtube/watch?v=xyZ5ngDQlYs
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:37:31 +0000
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