BBC News Online.
Wednesday, 12 September, 2001, 09:36 GMT 10:36 UK
Promoters for Cuban artists in Miami in the US have said they are determined
not to let the threat of anti-Castro protests prevent them from bringing their
acts to the city.
Organisers for the Latin Grammys moved the show from Miami to LA because
Cuban exiles had said they would demonstrate at the event at the involvement of
Cuban musicians.
The Latin Grammys were postponed indefinitely from Tuesday following the
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
But also on Tuesday, arts group the Miami Light Project, announced that it
intended to host two Cuban musical groups and a festival involving Cuban
artists, in the city.
"They're absolutely going through," said Beth Boone, executive
director of the Miami Light Project.
"This is our commitment to present artists relevant to the community."
There are almost one million Cuban-Americans living in Florida and most are
in Miami. A further 38,600 live in Los Angeles County.
The planned musicals are Los Fakires, which is scheduled for 16 November,
and Los Munequitos de Matanzas, due to be staged next April.
The festival, also set to take place in April, will be a repetition of a
festival sponsored by the group earlier this year, to which they invited 20
Cuban performers.
The Miami Light Project also sponsored a performance by Cuban musicians
Grupo Vocal Desandann in June.
Political
The decision to move the Latin Grammys to LA upset members of the Latin
music industry who saw Miami as a natural home for the awards.
But the relocation did not calm the Cuban-American protesters.
Anti-Castro feelings run just as high among the hard-line anti-communist
Cuban-American groups in LA.
And demonstrators had said they planned to disrupt the awards ceremony
despite the change in location.
Francisco Garcia Martinez, a spokesman for around 60 Cuban exile groups
planning the protests, said no demonstrations were planned for the announced
Cuban performances in Miami.
"We can't protest for everybody. We protest only for the big events,"
said Garcia.
Garcia added that the demonstration at the Grammys would not have been
directed at the Cuban musicians but at the Cuban Government.
Cancelled
Elena Freyre of the Cuban-American Defense League said her group welcomed
Cuban artists.
She said visiting Cubans were considered a way of keeping "in touch
with our roots and culture".
But in Miami, and around Florida, many venues are hesitant to book Cuban
artists because of the fear of violence.
And in the wake of the threats to the Latin Grammys many also decided to
cancel bookings for Cuban musicians on their events diaries.
A new date for this year's Latin Grammys has not been decided. | 
