Emilio Estefan was invited to Mexico to the Festival de Guadalajara, where he spoke about the two things occupying his mind at the moment: his upcoming musical “On Your Feet” and his concerns about the situation in Cuba. Estefan came to the US at the age of 14 from Cuba and reinvented himself to start over, “Many immigrants also do it, they put aside the dreams or plans they had. The things they did in their native countries, to work many jobs so their kids can have a better life.”
In terms of the situation in Cuba, Estefan dismissed Cuban-U.S. negotiations as insignificant in the face of continued rule by the Castro brothers. “[The opening up] provides plenty to talk about. It’s a step towards freedom, but while the Castro family continues on, it will remain like it is right now,” he said, in an interview with El Universal. His family’s exile led to years of separation as they moved separately through Spain and Miami. He also claims that members of his family were killed by the regime. “[Fidel] brought great sadness to my family. As long as there isn’t a change in regime and a new generation in the government, our country will not be free,” Emilio insisted.
On a happier note, he spoke about the musical he and his wife Gloria are putting together. The play will include songs from Miami Sound Machine; the same band which catapulted the couple into stardom with host like “Conga” in the 80s. “It will show lots of things we’ve been through, that people don’t know; in past previews, the audience cried through the entire first part and ended up dancing; the new music was written by my daughter which makes me extremely happy. There’ll be things no one ever knew, like how much my mother-in-law disliked me,” joked Estefan. He also hopes to one day perform in Cuba. “If I could have one with, I’d say that me and [my wife] Gloria would like very much that my country were free, and to have the power to perform in a free Cuba, the be able to have a concert; for us that would be very exciting.”
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