Gloria Estefan reacts to Fidel Castro's death: 'It can only lead to positive change'

Griselda Flores


"Although the death of a human being is rarely cause for celebration, it is the symbolic death of the destructive ideologies that he espoused that, I believe, is filling the Cuban exile community with renewed hope and a relief that has been long in coming," Cuban-born artist Gloria Estefan wrote on Instagram following the death of former Cuban president and Communist revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Estefan, who left her native country as a child with her family as a result of Castro's dictatorship, and whose her father was jailed for two years after fighting in the Bay of Pigs, shared a powerful and poignant reflection after Castro's death was confirmed Friday (Nov. 25) by Cuban president Raúl Castro.

"And although the grip of Castro's regime will not loosen overnight, the demise of a leader that oversaw the annihilation of those with an opposing view, the indiscriminate jailing of innocents, the separation of families, the censure of his people's freedom to speak, state sanctioned terrorism and the economic destruction of a once thriving & successful country, can only lead to positive change for the Cuban people and our world," Estefan continued.

See photos of Fidel Castro throughout his life:

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Although the death of a human being is rarely cause for celebration, it is the symbolic death of the destructive ideologies that he espoused that, I believe, is filling the Cuban exile community with renewed hope and a relief that has been long in coming. And although the grip of Castro's regime will not loosen overnight, the demise of a leader that oversaw the annihilation of those with an opposing view, the indiscriminate jailing of innocents, the separation of families, the censure of his people's freedom to speak, state sanctioned terrorism and the economic destruction of a once thriving & successful country, can only lead to positive change for the Cuban people and our world. May freedom continue to ring in the United States, my beautiful adopted country, and may the hope for freedom be inspired and renewed in the heart of every Cuban in my homeland and throughout the world. 🇨🇺🇺🇸 Aunque la muerte de un ser humano es raramente causa para celebrar, es la muerte simbólica de las ideologías destructivas que el patrocinó que, en mi opinión, están llenando al exilio Cubano de esperanza renovada y un alivio que ha tardado mucho en llegar. Y aunque el agarre del régimen Castrista no se aflojara de un día para otro, el deceso de un líder que supervisó el aniquilamiento de aquellos con puntos de vistas opuestos al suyo, el encarcelamiento de inocentes, la separación de familias, la censura de la libertad de expresión, el esparcimiento de terrorismo sancionado por su gobierno y la destrucción económica de un país exitoso que prosperaba, solo puede llevar a cambios positivos para el pueblo Cubano y el mundo. Que la libertad siga viva en los Estados Unidos, mi bello país adoptivo, y que la esperanza para la libertad crezca y se renueve en los corazones de cada Cubano en mi tierra natal y a través del mundo.🇨🇺🇺🇸

A post shared by Gloria Estefan (@gloriaestefan) on Nov 26, 2016 at 9:48am PST

She ends her post with a call for peace and unity: "May freedom continue to ring in the United States, my beautiful adopted country and may the hope for freedom be inspired and renewed in the heart of every Cuban in my homeland and throughout the world."

Earlier this year, the "Mi tierra" singer said in a video interview for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum that she didn't plan on going back to Cuba anytime soon to perform.

"I can't get on a stage with a million Cubans in front of me and not say something. I don't want to look at Che Guevara watching me while I sing 'Mi Tierra' or 'Cuba Libra,' which is a joke, and leave the people in the same situation as they are," she said. "I don't wan to go to a restaurant where the Cubans don't have the right to go and eat. I don't want to go and have a vacation in a place where the people that live in that country can't enjoy the same things that I can as a Cuban exile. It's very tough for me, and my father sacrificed a lot and I really, I can't do it personally. But I am great with anybody going and really trying to push that a little further open."


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