US State Department bans Songwriter Silvio Rodriguez from Visiting the United States

HAVANA, Cuba, May 4 . The US Department of State, headed by Hillary Clinton, banned renowned Cuban songwriter and singer Silvio Rodriguez from travelling to the United States, where he had been invited to an homage gala for the 90th birthday of legendary US musician Pete Seeger.

In a message sent by Rodriguez to her sister and manager in Havana, he says that on May 1 he checked the webpage of the American embassy in Paris, from where he was expected to fly to New York on May 2, and he found that his visa application was delayed in process, what made him return to Havana.

“Today is May 1 and it is 8:40pm in Paris. I just connected online to the United States Embassy site in France, where information is published regarding visa solicitations. My visa application is listed as being in process, the same status that it has maintained since I made the application. Today being the day that I was to fly to New York, and given that the visa has still not appeared, tomorrow I will leave instead for Havana,” Silvio wrote.

Silvio considered the attitude assumed by the US State Department a lack of respect towards the persons who invited him to the homage of the US musician. “You can pass this message to Pete's grandson Tao, and to Bill the attorney, along with my gratitude for their efforts as well as my sorrow resulting from the lack of respect shown by the State Department to them for having invited me to celebrate the 90th birthday of our dear friend Pete Seeger, living legend of North American song,” the message reads.

Pete Seeger (born May 3, 1919 in New York) has been five times to Cuba and he has been very critical of the nearly-50-year US economic, financial and commercial blockade of Cuba.

“I believe that the attitude of the State Department is very contradictory, given the desire expressed by President Obama to bring the United States closer to Cuba. As a Cuban cultural worker, I continue to feel blockaded and discriminated against by other governments.

Hopefully this will truly change someday.”

(Impide el Depto de Estado a Silvio Rodriguez viajar a EE.UU.)