Two Cuban Musicians Awaiting U.S. Clearance

Scheduled concerts at the Conga Room tonight and Friday by the Cuban band Sierra Maestra have been postponed after the U.S. State Department informed promoters that visas for two of the nine band members had been put on hold while the CIA and FBI engaged in elaborate security checks.

Conga Room owners are livid, having already sold dozens of tickets and spent thousands of dollars on promotions. William Martinez, a San Francisco lawyer and promoter who filed the petitions for the musicians’ visas, said that he has been assured by the State Department that the visas for percussionist Eduardo Rico, 30, and tres (guitar) player Emilio Ramos, 33, would be issued by the end of this week. Anticipating approval of the visas, Conga Room co-owner Martin Fleischmann had also booked the band for performances Feb. 25-26. Those who have purchased tickets for this week’s shows may use them for the rescheduled performances, or may get a refund.

This type of problem is nothing new for American promoters attempting to bring Cuban bands to the United States. The U.S. has had an economic blockade against the communist Caribbean nation for the last 38 years, and travel between the two countries is forbidden, with few exceptions. Under the 1917 Trading With the Enemy Act, the United States forbids commerce with Cuba, meaning that even when Cuban acts perform here they are not allowed to receive wages. (Travel, lodging and meals can be paid, however.) After the 1985 implementation of the Helms-Burton act, the restrictions were tightened. There has been a loosening in recent years as the politically influential exile community in Florida has relaxed its stance toward Cuban artists, which has allowed many popular bands to tour the U.S.

Band members and promoters say they are surprised by the Sierra Maestra problems. On Jan. 5, President Clinton announced new measures intended to make cultural exchange between the U.S. and Cuba easier; included was a plan to streamline the visa process for Cuban musicians wishing to perform here.

Martinez said that changes have already made it easier for artists from both nations to obtain cultural exchange visas. The fault in this instance, he said, actually lies with the Cuban government, whose arts organization, MINREX, took too long to release Sierra Maestra’s paperwork to the U.S. government.

MINREX sent the paperwork to the State Department one week ago, and visas were quickly approved for seven of the nine band members because they had been cleared in 1997 for Sierra Maestra’s first U.S. tour. But, because Rico and Ramos are new band members and have never been to the states, U.S. agencies needed 21 days to conduct a routine security check on them.

Sierra Maestra, meanwhile, remains stranded in Toronto, where its monthlong tour began last week. Reached by phone in his hotel room, band leader Alejandro Galaraga said that he and the other band members are simply waiting. “I really don’t understand why this has to be so difficult,” Galaraga said with a sigh. “We’re artists, not terrorists.”

David Julien, an American living in Canada who has overseen the North American tours of many Cuban bands, including this Sierra Maestra tour, said he believed the fault was more on the American side, and criticized the U.S. government for “treating these internationally acclaimed artists like criminals” and said that he could not help wondering if the holdups were intended to “send a message to Cuban artists that yes, you can come here, but we’re not going to make this easy for you.”