Last month, the MINCULT censored the work dedicated to the Queen of Salsa, which could not take place at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), as planned.
MIAMI, United States. – The tribute to Celia Cruz that would be held at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC) on October 19 if it were not canceled by the Ministry of Culture (MINCULT), was finally presented on the night of this Sunday, November 9, at the El Cabildo Cultural Center, headquarters of Ópera de la Calle, in Miramar, with the show Celia, from the El Público theater group.
The confirmation and details were disclosed by protagonists and witnesses in Facebook posts.
The singer Ulises Aquino Guerra himself, general and artistic director of Ópera de la Calle, announced hours before the function. Then, after the presentation, the musician celebrated the gesture and questioned cultural censorship: “Nothing does more harm to any nation than censorship.” He also maintained that “denying Celia is denying Cuba too.”
In his message, Aquino highlighted the identity dimension of the artist: “My patriotic, ethical and citizen feelings make me feel deep pride in a poor black woman who took the Cuban identity to all the ends of the Earth and made the cry of ‘Azúcaaaaar’ be identified as a paradigm of Cubanness with her flag on her chest and the lone star in the middle of her heart.”
The musician compared Celia’s exclusion to other banned or ignored figures: “It’s the same as not recognizing Aroldis Chapman and his 105 miles on the ball, or Yuliesky Gourriel, or pretending that Kendrys Morales, Randy Arozarena, Adolis García, etc., etc., etc., etc.” And he concluded about the counterproductive effect of censorship in the digital age: “Forcing me to be silent is not synonymous with forcing me to think.”
Film critic Frank Padrón Nodarse confirmed on his Facebook profile that the tribute was held and described the format of the show: “Finally, the long-awaited El Público theater show in tribute to the centenary of our countryman Celia Cruz took place.”
According to his chronicle, “several ‘Celias’ took turns to, from their applauded repertoire and juicy anecdotes, put together a portrait of the illustrious sonera.” Padrón also pointed out that, “although in absentia for ‘that’s what’s going on’ (…) Carlos Díaz, director of the performance, was evoked with loud applause at the end.”
Music historian Rosa Marquetti—author of the books Celia in Cuba and Celia in the world— publicly supported the carrying out of the tribute and the restorative meaning of the act: “Sincere tributes and restorative attitudes deserve to be disseminated at all times. Thank you, dear Ulises Aquino, Carlos Díaz and Norge Espinosa, and all the actors, technicians, participants. Thank you to everyone who was there on the night of Sunday, November 9, 2025.”
On October 17, two days before the date announced for the staging of the work, the Programming Subdirectorate of the National Center for Popular Music, an entity attached to the MINCULT, reported that the presentation would not take place, without offering explanations.
The measure caused immediate rejection among artists and intellectuals inside and outside the Island, who described the event as a shameful act of cultural censorship against an artist who, despite exile and the ban on her music in Cuba, continues to be a symbol of national identity.
The work Celia It has texts and musical advice from Norge Espinosa Mendoza, and the participation of renowned performers such as Estrellita, Lucho Calzadilla, Freddy Maragoto, Roberto Romero, Georbis Martínez, Danielito Tri-Tri, Brian Pérez and Chai Deivis Torres, in addition to the collaboration of La Mansión Castillo.
