Gloria Estefan refuses to perform in Venezuela as long as Nicolás Maduro remains in power

Singer Gloria Estefan recently stated that she will not perform in Venezuela as long as Nicolás Maduro's regime is in power. She did so on the program Chisme No Like. She went on the show with her daughter, Emily, to talk about the mother-daughter duo's upcoming projects.

When the host asked Estefan if she would tour in Venezuela, which has requested certain artists to perform to help promote tourism, she did not hesitate to answer: "It would be difficult for me because I have not sung in Cuba for that reason. I think it is very difficult when there is a government that controls so much". She was referring to the Maduro regime, known for its limitation of freedoms and which bears several similarities to the Cuban government. Moreover, Estefan does not approve of political dictatorships that eliminate fundamental rights of their citizens: "I don't like to go anywhere where they tell me what I have to do or what I can't do."

However, the Hispanic performer also stated that she would love to go on "a tour celebrating the freedom of the people." In fact, she explained that her dream would be to be able to sing in places like Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. However, it's something she doesn't see possible at present, not without being able to "say something about what's going on there." As Gloria Estefan herself explained, her father was a political prisoner of Fidel Castro. The singer claimed, "Politics has been something very difficult and painful and I don't like to mix that up," and that going to Venezuela would be "something very political that I will never do".