The centennial of Celia Cruz’s birth was commemorated this Tuesday in Cuba with a Mass at the Parish of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre in Havana.
A photo of La Guarachera de Cuba next to the altar presided over the ceremony which, according to the parish priest during the Mass, was a request from several Cuban artists.
Singer and producer Alain Pérez, singer Haila María Mompié and urban singer Yomil, artists who have always shown their love for Celia Cruz and her work, attended the Mass.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer, was also present during the tribute.
“As a representative of the United States here in Havana, it is a great honor for me to be able to commemorate the life of Celia Cruz, a very important Cuban figure who has made significant contributions to humanity. Her songs give hope, they bring joy, but she also wanted freedom for all the Cuban people, which is what we all want,” Hammer told the press before leaving the church at the end of the Mass.
“I was blessed and had the privilege in life to work with Celia Cruz as a musician, conductor of her orchestra, and on record productions. She sang my songs. I met Celia, I lived with her, I met her on stage, on a plane, in a room, in a hallway, and Celia Cruz was a person full of love, a person who brought the name of Cuba to the most important and humble places in the world. She was and is a representative of our Cuban culture,” said Alain Pérez, who just returned to Cuba after participating in a tribute to the Cuban salsa singer at Lincoln Center in New York.
“I would have loved for all the musicians and artists to have come to this tribute in the church, praising her in the name of God and what she represents to us spiritually, emotionally, historically and culturally,” added the artist, who called it “unfortunate” that not all tributes to the singer are held in Cuba yet.
Haila is one of the Cuban singers who has most fervently demonstrated her admiration for Celia Cruz since the beginning of her career. She paid homage to the Queen of Salsa at this Mass and also with her music.
“Today we are releasing the first single titled ‘Mi vida es cantar’ (My Life Is Singing), from a symphonic album I am making in tribute to her and for the 25th anniversary of my first album, which was also dedicated to her,” she told OnCuba.
Haila told us: “I carry her legacy like a luxury handbag, with great care and protection.”
“Today is the birthday of Doña Celia Cruz, and what could be more beautiful than coming to the church of Our Lady, to whom she was a great devotee; in fact, her middle name was Caridad, and we are here to pray for her soul, to continue giving her light so that her legacy lives on more than ever, so that her music continues to resonate throughout the world.”
For his part, urban music singer Yomil proudly displays a tattoo of Celia Cruz’s face on his arm and tells us: “I have great admiration, respect and affection for Celia and her work, and she is the only artist I have tattooed on my skin, because for me, she is the greatest of all Cuban artists. She made Cuban music so famous around the world and even today, several years after her death, she is still remembered, and everyone who is Cuban should feel proud to have someone as great as her.”
The Mass honoring Celia Cruz’s centennial took place in complete tranquility and spiritual peace, but surrounded by the events of recent days, when Cuban cultural institutions once again canceled a tribute to her.
“I think there are many prejudices and it’s going against the tide, against history. There are things that can’t be erased, much less taken away from the people. We artists are ambassadors with our music, and no matter how many obstacles or things are imposed, no one can stop us because, in the end, if we win people’s hearts we will live in their hearts forever,” Yomil says.
“I personally believe that a mistake is being made in trying to blind and limit Celia’s significance; but it’s not a mystery, nor something that those of us who are familiar with this situation don’t know,” declared Alain Pérez.
The 100th anniversary of the birth of the singer, who is one of the most important Cuban voices worldwide, has sparked debates on social media in recent days after the National Center for Popular Music suspended the presentation of a tribute work by Teatro El Público scheduled at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano.
Havana’s important cultural center responded with an empty seat in the middle of the stage and an hour of silence at the time the performance was due to take place, followed by a musical session by the Queen of Salsa.
