Former Cuban President Fidel Castro described Juanes' controversial 'Peace Without Borders' concert in Havana as "extraordinary."
In one of his regular opinion columns, widely published Tuesday across the Cuban media, Castro said that the Cuban youth showed that "even in the midst of a brutal economic blockade unimaginable obstacles can be overcome."
Juanes and 14 other artists including the Puerto Rican Olga Tanon, the Spanish Miguel Bose and Victor Manuel, along with Cubans Silvio Rodríguez and the legendary group Los Van Van performed for a huge crowd in the Plaza of the Revolution, reported Colombian weekly Semana.
"I would have liked to talk about today's concert special ... but the stubborn reality forces me to write about a danger that threatens not only peace but also the survival of our species," Castro wrote, before engaging in a long article on environment and climate change.
Anti-Castro agitators in Miami threatened to kill Juanes and his family after the announcement was made that the concert would be held in Cuba, accusing the musician of allowing himself to be used by communist politicians.
Juanes said that he was nonpartisan, and Cuba congratulated itself Monday on a successful five-hour concert without incident.
