From the bolero to the mambo and from the rumba to the salsa, Cuba has a rich heritage of musical talent looking to take advantage of the renewed ties between Cuba and the United States.

 

Since the 1962 U.S. Trade Embargo¹, musicians in Cuba have struggled to take their music abroad.

 

Until the Bill Clinton presidency², it was not even possible to license³ Cuban music for American distribution.

 

But with change on the horizon, Cuban musicians like Israel Rojas, a member of the Guantanamo pop group, Buena Fe, are hopeful for the opportunity to share their talent.

 

"For the musician's guild⁴ you can imagine that this is an enormous opportunity. This country has extraordinary musicians, fantastic, they have a cultural force. Also, they are not even known yet, legitimately⁵, as a result of this policy of survival, the policy of denial of our musicians to bigger markets where music is distributed as a product. It's an opportunity."

 

This move has opened up a new chapter of engagement between the former Cold War foes⁶ with one of its next tasks being the dismantling⁷ of the former economic embargo.

 

Another Cuban Grammy nominee⁸, singer Cucu Diamantes, says that a more flexible American response to Cuban musicians will mean more exposure for local artists.

 

"If all U.S. policies towards Cuba start to be more flexible I think that Cuban artists will have more exposure, for example in the Latin Grammies. We have a large musical platform in Cuba but we have little presence in the Grammies."

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