Cuban singing legend granted US visa
September 30 2009 by Mark Johnstone
Omara Portuondo gets US visa
The world renowned singer Omara Portuondo has won a six year battle to be the first Cuban performer to be granted a US travel visa to perform in San Francisco in October.
Portuondo, a member of Buena Vista Social Club, began her career in Cuba in the 1940s.
The musical legend, called “the queen of Caribbean vocalists” by the Los Angeles Times, will perform at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco on October 20. Later that same week, she will perform on the campus of UCLA on October 23.
The US visa granted to Portuondo, and the performances made possible by it, are an example of the Obama Administration's efforts to improve political and cultural relations between the US and Cuba, which have been strained for more than four decades.
In response to being allowed her move to US, Portuondo said: “Music is at the heart of every culture, something to be shared among all people, regardless of borders and politics. It has always been a universal language for people who might not otherwise understand each other. Perhaps, through these performances, I could be a goodwill ambassador between these two countries."
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