Cubans honor centenary of icon Celia Cruz

Dozens of people on Tuesday attended a Mass in Havana to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Celia Cruz’s birth just days after Cuban authorities cancelled a theater performance in her honor without explanation, drawing criticism over what some say was an act of censorship.

Celia’s fan Maria Barrios, who attended the celebration, said that the singer “never died.” “She never left us. Celia’s music will always be alive and part of history,” she added.

“She was an ambassador of Cuban music, of Cuban rhythms in the world… of our flavor, of our dances, of our joy, of ‘that’ contagious thing,” said Father Ariel Suárez during his homily, at the Basilica of La Caridad in the populous neighborhood of Centro Habana.

He even recalled the popular cry that identified the singer’s performances: “Azúcar!”

The priest mentioned that the Mass was commissioned by “a group of artists” who admire Cruz.

Activities to honor the renowned island artist—one of the Caribbean nation’s most internationally recognized voices—took place around the world, except in Cuba, where she never returned after going into exile in the United States in 1960 and openly declaring herself a radical anti-Castro activist.

Among those present at mass were renowned artists including singer Haila María Mompie and jazz musician Alaín Pérez, as well as the United States Chargé d’Affaires, Mike Hammer.

“Her songs give hope and joy, but she also wanted freedom for all the Cuban people, which is something we all desire, so for me it is a great honor to be here today, to remember her life,” Hammer told reporters after the Mass.

The Mass was not attended by any government official or Ministry of Culture representative.

Born in Havana on Oct. 21, 1925, Celia Cruz, nicknamed the “Guarachera of Cuba” and the “Queen of Salsa,” built a solid career as a vocalist on the island before going into exile in 1960 and settling in the United States.

There, she also became an icon for a highly politicized community opposed to the Cuban revolution led by the late leader, Fidel Castro.

Cruz died in 2003 without returning to her homeland, although in 1990 she performed at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo, a territory under U.S. control that Havana historically has unsuccessfully claimed.

During her career, Cruz received little coverage in radio, television or print in Cuba, where authorities never forgave her for her hard alignment with the exile community and the United States.

In anticipation of her centennial, the theater group El Público had announced a tribute performance at the prestigious Cuban Art Factory on Sunday.

But a few hours before the performance, the state-run National Center for Popular Music announced briefly on social media that it would not take place. It did not provide an explanation.

There was no immediate reaction from the Cuban Art Factory.

But on Monday, the organization posted a photo on its Facebook account that showed an empty chair on stage illuminated by overhead spotlights, a scene that remained in place for the duration of the cancelled performance.

Artists and musicologists protested on social media what they considered an arbitrary act of censorship by authorities.

By Africanews