1924-2003
Posted on 07/17/2003 5:21:06 AM PDT by Luis Gonzalez
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This is such a great loss. I was lucky enough to see her last year in Austin. I took my mom and kids to see her. Celia's last trip to Austin was 25 years ago, so we were REALLY lucky to see her. She was wonderful as usual.
The consolation is that she is finally with her mother (whom Fidel kept her from saying goodbye to by not allowing her to return to her funeral.) You know her spirit is roaming through her beloved Cuba right now.
Descanse en paz, Celia. Azucar!
"The consolation is that she is finally with her mother (whom Fidel kept her from saying goodbye to by not allowing her to return to her funeral.)"
I am sorry all of you have lost a woman who seems to have embodied the national soul of a Free Cuba.
I am convinced that those who have left this mortal life will rejoice in Heaven, when once again you all set foot on a Cuba free from Castro. And I think it will be soon.
AZUCAR Y LIBERTAD!
''Students often ask me what I think will happen when Castro dies,'' said Gustavo Pérez-Firmat, professor of literature at Columbia University and author of several books on Cuban-American culture. ``I say that whatever happens, it will have happened too late, thinking of my father and my grandfather and the hundreds of thousands of Cubans who have died in exile. Celia Cruz is part of that generation that you sometimes see the remnants of, walking like lost souls up and down Calle Ocho.''
Fidel Castro was the only topic that seemed to ruffle her gentle demeanor. On April 7, 1962, her mother died in Cuba. But Celia wasn't allowed to return for the burial. The government, which saw her as a traitor, did everything in its power to erase her from the collective memory. Celia Cruz records were considered contraband. They circulated anyway, and her freshest hits were beamed from Miami radio to the island's still-fervent fans. She made more than 76 records, won two Grammys and three Latin Grammys, appeared in several films (including The Mambo Kings and The Pérez Family), collected honorary degrees from Yale, the University of Miami and Florida International University, scored a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and was immortalized in wax.
But she was most proud of taking Cuban music to every corner of the world. Her biggest dream was to go back home, even if just for a last glimpse. But she refused to do it with Castro in power.
``If I wasn't allowed into Cuba to visit my mother's grave, why would I go now? I adore my country. I miss it terribly. But New Jersey is home now. It may not look like Santos Suárez, but then, Santos Suárez doesn't look like Santos Suárez. It's turned to dirt.''
The closest she ever came was a trip to the Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay in 1990, where she performed in a celebration that honored Cubans who worked on the base.
''She was crying the whole time,'' said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who traveled with her. ``She walked over to the fence that separates the base from the rest of Cuba and reached through to take soil from the Cuban side. Then something eerie happened. She was performing on this very hot, still day. But all of a sudden, the Cuban flag starts to ripple. There was no wind, and the base's flag that was a few feet away didn't move. But the Cuban flag was waving. We were all astounded.''
Very symbolic.
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