US Lawmakers Express “Concern” Over Jay-Z, Beyonce Cuba Trip

[Casino67]

Caribbean Journal:

 

Above: US Congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

 

Two United States lawmakers are expressing “concern” over a trip to Cuba this week by music stars Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.

 

The two reportedly traveled to Cuba to mark their fifth wedding anniversary.

 

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart have written a letter to Adam Szubin, director of the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control, seeking information on the type of licence the pair of stars received for their travel to Cuba.

 

US citizens are permitted to travel to Cuba only under certain licences, such as people-to-people travel or educational endeavours.

 

“We would like to respectfully request, within all applicable rules and guidelines, information regarding the type of licence that Beyoncé and Jay-Z received, for what purpose, and who approved such travel,” the lawmakers wrote.

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Will me interesting to see where this goes.

[Valin]

Beyonce and Sonia: A tale of two black women in Cuba

Alberto de la Cruz

April 6, 2013

 

This is a tale of two black women in Cuba... One a victim of apartheid in Cuba, the other a beneficiary of apartheid in Cuba.

[Valin]

What Happens when Truth is Spoken to Power in Cuba?

Pejman Yousefzadeh

4/6/13

 

This:

 

The editor of a publishing house in Cuba who wrote a critical article in The New York Times opinion section about persistent racial inequality on the island, something revolutionaries proudly say has lessened, has been removed from his post, associates said on Friday.

 

The author, Roberto Zurbano, in an article published March 23, described a long history of racial discrimination against blacks on the island and said “racial exclusion continued after Cuba became independent in 1902, and a half century of revolution since 1959 has been unable to overcome it.”

 

On Friday, The Havana Times blog reported that Mr. Zurbano had told a gathering of Afro-Cuban advocates that he had been dismissed from his post at the publishing house of the Casa de las Americas cultural center, leaving the implication that the dismissal was connected to the article. Other associates said Mr. Zurbano told them he had been removed but would continue working there.

(Snip)

 

(Snip)

 

And yes, before anyone says anything, I think that the embargo against Cuba has proven to be stupid and pointless. We trade with the Chinese—who are still technically communists—and everyone trades with the Cubans, so I see no reason why we shouldn’t trade with the Cubans as well; it will give American industries access to markets, put more Cubans in touch with more Americans, and possibly engender changes in Cuban society and politics. I am all for dropping the embargo. But I am also for calling things by their proper names, and when it comes to Cuba’s treatment of its Afro-Cuban population, I am all for calling that treatment “racism.”

 

Nota Bene: Incidentally, is it just me or do others find it weird that the same people who demand that we boycott, divest from and sanction Israel for its relations with the Palestinians simultaneously seem to have little problem with dropping the boycott against Cuba, despite the persistence of racism when it comes to dealings with the Afro-Cuban population? I am willing to drop the embargo because I don’t think that it serves American interests to continue it, but at least I am willing to acknowledge the presence of racism in Cuba, which is more than the Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions-from/on Israel crowd is willing to do.

[Valin]

Beyonce, Jay Z Trip to Cuba 'Fully Licensed' by Treasury Department

DANIEL HALPER

4/8/13

 

The Treasury Department "fully licensed" Beyonce and Jay Z's trip to Cuba, according to Reuters.

 

"American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay Z visited Havana last week on a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the United States Treasury Department, according to a source familiar with the trip," Reuters reports.

 

"Beyonce and Jay Z celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in the Cuban capital, where big crowds greeted them as they strolled hand in hand through the city and posed for pictures with admiring Cubans.