The renowned Cuban singer, Daymé Arocena, has spoken out about the cancellation of her anticipated performance at Blues Alley, a jazz club in Washington D.C. The show, which was to feature her alongside trumpeter Kalí Rodríguez-Peña, was reportedly canceled after the musicians requested that their performance not be associated with the Cuban Embassy in the United States.
"Our show today in Washington D.C. was canceled to preserve relations with the Cuban Embassy in the United States," Arocena disclosed in a Facebook video.
She further commented, "We were canceled because we stood firm with the Cuban cause, our homeland... and with the suffering and quest for freedom of our people."
This event was part of a Cuban jazz series that Blues Alley—recognized as the nation's oldest continuously operating jazz club—had planned as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. The club had partnered with embassies from various Latin American countries, including Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Honduras, for the series.
It was musician Paquito D'Rivera who first informed Arocena that the event's promotion portrayed it as a Cuban jazz day organized in collaboration with the Cuban regime's embassy. In response, Rodríguez-Peña and his team promptly contacted the club, requesting the removal of any association between their performance and the diplomatic representation of the regime.
The club's reaction was to cancel the performance just a day before it was scheduled, without any further justification.
Arocena clearly articulated why such an association was unacceptable: "The embassy is the primary representative of the Cuban dictatorship, from which we first fled, and it is the oppressive regime that has been in place in our country for over 60 years."
She continued, "This does not represent us in the same way it might for a Mexican artist associated with the Mexican embassy."
The cancellation was unexpected. "Yesterday, Kalí's band and I sat in a park, trying to comprehend how this happened, especially in a country that values freedom," she said.
Arocena criticized the club's stance: "Their alliance with the embassy was deemed more important than the concert we were set to perform, showing no empathy for our stance."
This is not the first time Arocena has encountered issues related to the Cuban regime, whose influence extends beyond the island. In October 2022, she reported that propaganda supporting the regime was distributed during her concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Concluding her video, the artist apologized to fans who had intended to attend the concert, expressing hope that such incidents would not recur: "We never imagined something like this could happen; hopefully, another concert can be organized in that city soon, and I hope these things don't continue."
"We came to this country to live in freedom, and I hope our freedoms are respected," she concluded.
FAQs on Daymé Arocena's Concert Cancellation
Why was Daymé Arocena's concert canceled?
The concert was canceled because Arocena and her team requested that their performance not be linked with the Cuban Embassy, leading to the club prioritizing its relationship with the embassy over the show.
What was the event at Blues Alley part of?
The event was part of a Cuban jazz series organized by Blues Alley as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, collaborating with various Latin American embassies, including that of Cuba.
How has Daymé Arocena dealt with similar issues in the past?
In 2022, Arocena encountered a similar issue in Gothenburg, Sweden, where pro-regime propaganda was distributed during her concert, highlighting the regime's influence beyond Cuba.