By Juan Carlos Espinosa
Havana (EFE).- The centennial of Celia Cruz, Cuba’s “Queen of Salsa” and one of the most iconic voices in Latin music, passed largely unnoticed in her homeland on Tuesday.
While fans around the world celebrated her legacy, the Cuban government remained silent, and several local tributes were reportedly canceled, leaving only a Catholic mass in her honor as the sole public commemoration on the island.
The mass took place at Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre Church in Centro Habana, dedicated to the Virgin of Charity, Cuba’s patron saint and the singer’s namesake.
The ceremony was organized by a small group of artists and attended by just a handful of cultural figures.
“There’s a desire to express gratitude for her cultural legacy and what she meant as an ambassador of Cuban culture to the entire world,” said Ariel Suárez, parish priest and deputy secretary of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference.
He told EFE that he had not faced any official pressure regarding the event.
Cruz, born in Havana in 1925, among whose most known hits are “La vida es un carnaval” and “La negra tiene tumbao,” became one of the most recognized Latin artists of the 20th century.
Yet in her native Cuba, official media made no mention of the date, reflecting the long-standing estrangement between the state and the exiled singer.
Cultural events canceled amid accusations of censorship
The Cuban Art Factory (FAC), one of the island’s most prominent private cultural centers, had planned a special show on Sunday in Cruz’s honor but abruptly canceled it without explanation.
The venue symbolically placed an empty chair and observed an hour of silence, later referring on social media to the “art of resistance.”
Musician Alain Pérez, a Latin Grammy winner who attended the church service, criticized the lack of official recognition.
“It’s regrettable. Institutions are making a mistake by trying to ignore Celia’s meaning and limit her legacy,” he told EFE.
Cuban music researcher Rosa Marquetti, author of “Celia en el mundo,” condemned the incident, calling it “another chapter in the history of censorship and political control over Cuban culture.
Legacy beyond borders
Cruz left Cuba in 1960, shortly after Fidel Castro’s revolution, and settled in the United States, where she built a monumental career that made her arguably the most famous Cuban artist of the past century.
Her decision to remain in exile led to decades of tension with Cuban authorities, who barred her from returning home.
Despite the official silence, her songs can occasionally be heard in Cuban hotels and tourist venues, many managed by the military-run conglomerate GAESA, often at the request of foreign visitors.
For ordinary Cubans, however, the affection for “La Guarachera de Cuba” endures.
“I play her music every day. She was beloved by her people, by Cuba, by the whole world,” said Fredesvinda Marrero, 58, after attending the mass.
Her friend María Piñeiro, 48, added: “Cubans love her very much. She loved her people and was always humble and kind.” EFE
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