- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: GLORIA ESTEFAN PERFORMS IN CAPE TOWN
- Date: 12th March 1997
- Summary: (MARCH 17, 1997)(RTV) ESTEFAN PERFORMING
- Embargoed: 27th March 1997 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JOHANNESBURG/CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA24FYFAU1ZBG9LNUI13M38U5HA
- Story Text: Gloria Estefan's ongoing world tour is a family affair. She has been on the road since last year, taking baby Emily, 16-year-old son Nayib and husband Emilio along with her.
On Monday (March 17) fans in Cape Town were treated to two and a half hours of Estefan's hits in Spanish and English, driven by the pulsating rhythms that have made her a diva in the world of Latin American music.
That Cuban-born Estefan if able to perform at all, let alone tour the world, seems miraculous after she was almost paralysed in a serious road accident in 1990.
To keep going during the tour, Estefan said that she took vitamins, drank lots of water and led a quiet life, shunning nightclubs and parties and preferring to stay quietly in the hotel with her family. Speaking at a news conference when she arrived in Johannesburg, Estefan said that it was also important to take holidays along the way, and she was planning to visit Bali en route to the Australian leg of the tour.
She was also hoping to take Emily to see the wildlife in South Africa because her daughter was a big fan of the film "The Lion King" and wanted to see real lions.
Whilst two-year old Emily is too young to perform with her mother, she watches Estefan perform and slips away to play during songs she doesn't like. Nayib guests as a percussionist for part of the show, and Emilio - her husband of 20 years and her one and only love - takes care of the business side of Estefan's career.
An outspoken opponent of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, exiled Estefan nevertheless misses her homeland. Asked whenshe would return to sing for her Cuban fans, she joked, "It's up to Fidel - when he decides to take an extended vacation I'll be there".
Speaking about performing in Africa for the first time, Estefan said she was curious to see what the audience would make of Latin American rhythms - which originated from Africa in the first place.
As Estefan hit the stage in Cape Town, the audience's response was frenzied. Their approval was obvious. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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