Jay-Z and Beyonce accused of ‘propaganda’ for Castro as they holiday in Cuba
Republican Congress members complain to Obama administration over trip to restricted country
Shawn Carter could have been any American visitor strolling through the streets of a Caribbean town, dressed in standard-issue tourist fare of blue T-shirt and shorts, fedora on head and fat cigar in mouth. His wife, Mrs Carter as she likes to be addressed, did that other classic tourist thing - she slung a large and ostentatiously expensive camera around her neck.
Despite what they presumably thought was their clever tourist disguise, the Carters caused quite a splash when they came to town last week, so much so that local police had to keep the adoring crowds at bay. As the blogger of the Cuban government, Yohandry Fontana put it, “Beyonce takes Havana by storm”.
It was partly who the visitors were - the undisputed First Couple of popular music. He a hip-hop star turned impresario and now sports agent, she about to embark on a world tour of her The Mrs Carter Show.
The kerfuffle was also a product of the destination that Beyonce and Jay-Z had selected for a short break to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Havana is not quite as accustomed to dealing with mega-celebrity as Beverly Hills, say, or Monte Carlo.
It also happens to be subject still to a trade embargo imposed by the US government that has lasted substantially longer than the Bey-Jay marriage. Ten times as long in fact; now in its 52nd year.
The embargo technically prohibits all US tourism to the island, which is inconvenient for Beyonce and Jay-Z because as a result of the unexpected attention the inevitable inquisition has followed.
Two Republican Congress members for South Florida, whose constituents include many enduringly embittered Cuban exiles, have raised the issue of the Carters’ visit with the White House, denouncing it as having provided sustenance to the “murderous” Castro regime.
