Castro
Unveils Statue Of Lennon
In Havana On December 8, 2000
Once-Shunned
Lennon
Now Feted In Cuba
Havana,
Cuba Communist-run Cuba came full circle Friday
to fete John Lennon, whose music was once frowned
on as a decadent Western influence, as a "revolutionary"
hero.
Official
honors for the Beatles star on the 20th anniversary
of his death included a documentary by President
Fidel Castro's personal cameraman, the unveiling
of a bronze statue of Lennon in a Havana park
and an open-air concert planned for Friday evening.
In
the 1960s and 1970s, the Beatles' songs were considered
"ideological diversionism" by Cuban
authorities. Local music- lovers recount that
the Fab Four were barely heard on the island,
with the exception of clandestine parties where
smuggled tapes might be listened to with the lights
off.
In
the still tightly-controlled but culturally more
liberal Cuba of today, Lennon is now cast as a
man who was a born rebel and a constant victim
of U.S. harassment.
Friday's
honors were intended to "integrate Lennon
into the patrimony of the cultural values that
our people admire and respect," an official
statement said.
"Declassified
FBI documents have made public the aggression
he suffered for his radical position against the
Vietnam War during Richard Nixon's administration,"
it added.
While
the majority of Cubans love the Beatles, and now
listen to them openly, some were left scratching
their heads at Friday's celebration of the cultural
volte-face.
 "What?
Now they're going to honor Lennon? I can't believe
it," mused one self-styled former Cuban "hippy"
as he stopped his bike opposite the arena where
preparations were under way for the Lennon homage
concert Friday night.
Communist
Party daily Granma last year included the Beatles
on a list of the most "relevant" figures
of the 20th century, below Castro, Russian revolutionary
Vladimir Lenin, and Argentine-born guerrilla Ernesto
"Che" Guevara.
Castro
Hails Once-Shunned Lennon
As Fellow Dreamer
A
statue of John Lennon, made by artist Jose Villa,
is unveiled in a park in Havana on December 8,
2000
by Isabel Garcia-Zarza
Havana
- President Fidel Castro led a day of homage on
Friday to John Lennon as a ``revolutionary'' hero
in a cultural about-face by Cuba's communist authorities
toward the Beatles star, whose music was once
frowned on as a decadent Western influence.
To the musical backdrop of ``All You Need Is Love,''
a military-dressed Castro, aided by star Cuban
singer Silvio Rodriguez, unveiled a bronze statue
of Lennon sitting on a bench in a Havana park.
``What makes him great in my eyes is his thinking,
his ideas,'' Castro told reporters after the ceremony,
which was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary
of Lennon's murder in New York.
``I share his dreams completely. I too am a dreamer
who has seen his dreams turn into reality,'' added
the 74-year-old former guerrilla who took power
in the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
Other honors for the Beatles star included a documentary
by Castro's personal cameraman, Roberto Chile,
tributes from state media and an open-air concert
on Friday evening in Cuba's ''anti-imperialist''
arena opposite the U.S. diplomatic mission.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Beatles songs were considered
''ideological diversionism'' by Cuban authorities.
Local music lovers recount that Liverpool's Fab
Four were barely heard on the island, with the
exception of clandestine parties where smuggled
tapes might be played with the lights off.
In the still tightly controlled but culturally
more liberal Cuba of today, Lennon is now cast
as a born rebel and a constant victim of U.S.
harassment. Friday's honors were intended to ''integrate
Lennon into the patrimony of the cultural values
that our people admire and respect,'' an official
statement said.
``Declassified FBI (news - web sites) documents
have made public the aggression he suffered for
his radical position against the Vietnam War during
Richard Nixon's administration,'' it said.
No
Time To Listen
Despite his enthusiastic tribute, Castro confessed
that he did not listen much to the Beatles in
their heyday because ``I did not have much time.''
He added with a smile that unlike others around
the world who cut their hair Beatles-style, ``I
never cut my hair modeled on anyone.''
What would he say to Lennon if the singer and
songwriter were still alive? ``'I'm sorry I didn't
meet you before,''' Castro said.
While most Cubans love the Beatles and now listen
to them openly, some people were left scratching
their heads at Friday's celebrations.
``What? Now they're going to honor Lennon? I can't
believe it,'' mused one self-styled former Cuban
hippie as he stopped his bike opposite the arena,
where preparations were under way for the Lennon
homage concert.
``You see this bump on my head? I got this when
I was a kid for listening to the Beatles and playing
their music!'' he added with a laugh, showing
what he said was the lump left when his ideologically
strict father smashed his guitar over his head.
The Communist Party daily, Granma, put the Beatles
on a list of the most ``relevant'' figures of
the 20th century last year, below Castro, Russian
revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, and Argentine-born
guerrilla Ernesto ``Che'' Guevara.
Underlining the importance that Cuba's senior
leadership decided to give to Lennon on Friday,
National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon attended
the unveiling of the statue. He praised the British
singer in a speech as ``the paradigm of a free
and creative intellectual.''
Castro said the tribute to Lennon had made him
feel young, adding, ``Youth is all about thinking,
enthusiasm and the capacity to dream.''
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