My censorship begins: It seems that speaking out against the Venezuelan dictatorship, against its manifestly catastrophic social and economic failures, and against those supporting it - overtly, tacitly or implicitly - comes with a predictable but ultimately banal personal price. My participation in a scheduled tour I had with a European orchestra in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil has been suddenly cancelled. Some of the promoters have asked for a different soloist, and it is impossible to get more information as to why. The orchestra has nothing to do with this. Censorship is alive and well! Let me be clear again. I will never prioritize my personal gain over the greater good of the Venezuelan people. To me, music without conscience is, in Shakespeares words, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing! I will continue to speak out against anyone who climbs into bed with one of the most corrupt, incompetent and socially destructive governments operating in the world today. This is not a battle of opinion or abstract political ideologies. It is my way of confronting and challenging the evidence-based reality of a human rights crisis endemic in Venezuela today, one whose causes lie directly and irrefutably in the failed policies of Chavismo. Artists have no moral justification doing business with this kleptocracy masquerading as a government! And to those promoters who have the courage not to bow to outside pressures, who recognize that the stage has always been a place for artists to create metaphors of protest, I promise a continuing commitment to building bridges of empathy between audiences worldwide and my fellow Venezuelans, whose voices simply must be heard in these sinister and censored times.
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 21:18:23 +0000
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