It's not just Ibrahim they've banned, of course, but a whole bunch of Cuban musicians. ("Ibrahim Ferrer; Manuel Galván; Barbarito Torres; Guillermo Rubalcaba; Moíses Hernández, conductor of the National Concert Band; the Ignacio Piñeiro Septeto Nacional")

Here's a piece in the Miami Herald pouring scorn on the ban - "What is lost by denying visas to these artists? The usual. Hearts and minds. Both the U.S. government and the Miami exile community -- reviled by Castro as "the Mafia" -- look like yahoos. Once more."

And here is Granma, from Havana - Apartheid continues:

Perhaps they might get to hear over there what the venerated Rubalcaba commented with fine irony: "I am concerned at being labeled a terrorist, as the only terror I have is of is a piano sounding bad."

I see the US Government has now said it's not that they really think that Ibrahim and the others are terrorists, but they are worried that some of the money might get back to the Cuban Government.

They somehow never seem to have those kind of worries when it comes to putting money in the direction of the Chinese Government.