It was at this time that rumors (unfounded & untrue) were spread that Juan Luis was a communist, especially when he partnered back then in concert with Cuban singer/songwriter Sylvio Rodriguez in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The entire album of “Areito was considered by many in the music industry to be a commercial disappointment and even potentially destructive for Juan Luis’ musical career because it was “too personal” (i.e. read that as “politically incorrect”). He followed this with the more commercial “Fogarate” which although a commercial success by Latin American music standards was not the global success of “Bachata Rosa”. After a 4 year absence, Juan Luis released “El Niagra en Bicleta” as the first single of his “comeback” album, “Ni es lo mismo, Ni es igual.” (There was great significance to that title.) We debated a great deal whether or not to make this the first single because of the song’s critique of the Dominican healthcare system but apparently Dominicans could only agree with Juan Luis’ presentation of it and the rest of the world couldn’t care less – it didn’t (doesn’t) touch them.

Naboria Daca(and the You tube video with song) should be used in history classes so that a complete picture of the colonization of the Americas is presented to U.S. students. They should be made aware of and conscientized of the massacre of the Tainos and continued oppression of Latin America. We focus so often on African slavery and the Holocaust (with due need and respect I maintain) but tend to obviate this portion of American history. The goal would NOT be to create divisiveness and hatred which would only undermine the death of the thousands of Tainos, but to bring to life the words Juan Luis utilizes in his song…(paraphrased) we are all servants and blood brothers, let us not kill one another.

By the way, I don’t think it’s fair to single out the U.S. — it was the Europeans who colonized the Americas in the first place, which is largely what Mr. Guerra was critiquing in his 1992 album (the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the Americas).

Thanks