Exiles Force Top Cuban Band to Cancel Concert in Miami
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MIAMI — Anti-Castro Cuban exiles, backed by city officials, have forced Cuba’s most popular dance band, Los Van Van, to cancel its Miami debut, the promoter said Saturday.
The show, which was scheduled for Oct. 9 at a downtown hall, was to have been part of efforts to bring artists from Communist-ruled Cuba to the exile bastion Miami and to foster contact between the estranged communities. Instead, it has plunged the city into fresh controversy over the behavior of hard-line exiles and whether they are restricting freedoms while claiming to fight for democracy.
“It’s off for now,” promoter Debbie Ohanian said. “They really strong-armed the management of the Knight Center.”
The company that runs the hall pulled out Friday night.
Ohanian said she would fight to reschedule the show.
Hard-line exiles went on the offensive after the concert was announced last week and Spanish-language radio shows urged listeners to seek the show’s cancellation.
Despite the U.S. embargo against Cuba, artists from the island can perform in the United States under a category of cultural exchanges.
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