In Miami, there was jubilant celebration over Fidel Castro’s death; in Havana, shock and disbelief.
In La Tropical dance spot in Havana, a salsa band suddenly stopped playing on Friday night when the news of Castro’s death became public. An announcer came on stage and said simply: “Force majeure. We have to suspend the activities. Fidel Castro has died.”
“There was no audible response. Just quiet. Any Cuban in the audience younger than me has never known any other reality,” said Ned Sublette, the 65-year old US jazz critic and author of a history of Cuban music. “I stood there with my jaw open; a woman came up to me and pushed it shut.”