- Title: CUBA-SINGER/OLGA TANON Puerto Rican singer Olga Tanon thrills fans in Cuba
- Date: 10th July 2015
- Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (FILE - 2009) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TANON DURING PEACE CONCERT
- Embargoed: 25th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cuba
- Country: Cuba
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVACGIYGVVOQVDL2YGDM2XUBY9NT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
Puerto Rican singer Olga Tanon was in Cuba on Friday (July 10) nearly six years after her first performance on the island in 2009.
Ecstatic fans of the Latin pop singer waited outside Havana's famous Hotel Nacional to get a glimpse of the 48-year-old star from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tanon, the winner of two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, said she was thrilled to be in the country following its historic rapprochement with the United States after decades of animosity between the two countries.
"The world has been ready for Cuba and Cuba has been ready for the world because Cuba has always been ready and for me, it is a great satisfaction to come here at this moment, especially when I am coming here for just a basic cultural exchange in music. I am more than happy because I am here to do a series of marvelous things," she said.
One fan, Daniel Figueroa, was euphoric after finally getting to meet Tanon in person.
"I saw her during the peace concert, I was far but I saw her anyway and today, my dream came true because I got to meet her for the first time. For me it was a very unique experience. I guess I could use that saying, 'I could die tomorrow,' because I have finally met her and that has been one of things that I have wanted most in this world, to meet my favourite artist," he said.
On her last visit, during the 2009 Peace Without Borders concert, Tanon performed in Havana's Revolution Square alongside other big names such as Colombian rocker Juanes and Spain's Miguel Bose.
The concert sparked criticism in Miami, where many Cubans fled after Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution and led Cuba during an era of long-lasting ideological enmity with Washington and the Cuban expatriate community in Florida.
Earlier this month, the United States and Cuba formally agreed to restore diplomatic relations, paving the way for a trip to Havana by John Kerry, who would become the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the country in 70 years. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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