"We are here for the music and it is a message of peace and unity, not only for Cuba, but for the entire region," Juanes shouted into the crowd of 1.15 million at Havana's Revolutionary Square last Sunday afternoon. Despite harsh criticism and even death threats from the outspoken anti-Castro crowd in Miami, the event was a "beautiful dream of peace and love" to the Latin-Grammy-laden singer.

The concert was the second in a series called Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders), coordinated by Juanes and his friends in locales where political tensions run high. The first Paz Sin Fronteras show was held on the Simon Bolivar Bridge, which connects the countries of Colombia and Venezuela across the Tachira River. The event celebrated reconciliation between the nations of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela after the Andean Diplomatic Crisis and military conflict earlier that year. Performances included Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz and Carlos Vives.

This year, the message of Paz Sin Fronteras was a bit confusing - Juanes was not commemorating any historic moment of compromise, nor was he claiming any particular stance other than "peace and love." And this may have been the reason for the extreme backlash he experienced. The images of Juanes alongside the iconic iron structure of Che Guevara's profile seemed pretty clear to the Cuban-American exile community. Some protestors in Miami publicly crushed Juanes CDs with a steamroller. Residents in one New Jersey town went so far as to cancel an upcoming local concert featuring Cucu Diamantes, to demonstrate their opposition to her performance at Paz Sin Fronteras.

But a Youtube video of the singer, leaked hours before the concert, caught him on camera visibly upset with a hotel employee. Seemingly on edge in Cuban territory, Juanes accused the employee of following him. After what must have been a difficult process in obtaining visas from the U.S. government (which were specially approved by secretary of state, Hilary Clinton) and traveling with a large contingent of concert staff and engineers, not to mention his co-stars, Juanes may have simply been overwhelmed. But his shouts of "Cuba libre!" at the end of the concert drew further confusion and online buzz. Whose side was he on? Did he understand the deep-rooted nature of this conflict?

Ultimately, the intentions of Paz Sin Fronteras 2 were good: music can bridge culture and bring people together, regardless of politics. However, as an "outsider" to the conflict - one that has torn families apart and led to violence - Juanes may have wanted to be more sure of his stance before taking the stage. At the first show in Colombia and Venezuela, the message was simple: we have made peace and that is good. In Cuba, the definition of "peace" remains to be seen.

Even so, president Obama's comment was unfortunate. "These kinds of cultural exchanges - I wouldn't overstate the degree that it helps," he said. First lady Michelle Obama, who led the spouses of G20 leaders on a cultural tour of arts institutions in Pittsburgh this week, might have taken issue with her husband's comment. She was quoted this week saying, "It's through constant [cultural] exchange...that we learn from each other and we inspire each other...It is a form of diplomacy in which we can all take part." 

Indeed, we are in a time when the global community should be engaged in cultural conversations that bridge political boundaries. We should encourage creative expression around the globe to be clear and open to dialogue. It might get awkward, but cultural exchange has a great power to help. People like Juanes and Michelle Obama are taking the first steps in the "diplomatic" process. Let's keep it up.

Erica E Phillips is a student in the Specialized Journalism (The Arts) Masters program at Annenberg. She is obsessed with all things "pop" and "folk," most especially music, dance, craft art, and culture. Before moving to Los Angeles, Erica spent several years working in Chicago at The Old Town School of Folk Music [http://www.oldtownschool.org], where she learned to play guitar, dance Bhangra, and put on a slammin' back-up go-go act. While there, she also wrote for two of her favorite zines: Is Greater Than [http://isgreaterthan.net] and Venus [http://www.venuszine.com]. In Global Pop, Erica will discuss current trends and historical pop culture phemonena from around the world. Comments and discussion are encouraged!