Overview
- Artists and cultural promoters in Cuba reported efforts by authorities to quash centennial tributes, leaving the milestone largely unmarked on the island despite her music still playing in tourist hotels.
- Havana’s Fábrica de Arte Cubano canceled a planned homage at the last minute and marked the absence with an empty chair and an hour of silence in a symbolic protest.
- A Catholic mass for Cruz was held at Nuestra Señora de La Caridad del Cobre in Havana, and the parish priest said he received no official pressure surrounding the service.
- Cuban exiles gathered at Miami’s Ermita de la Caridad to celebrate Cruz as an emblem of identity and resistance, underscoring the contrast with the lack of official commemorations in Cuba.
- Executor Omer Pardillo-Cid warned against unauthorized uses of Cruz’s name and announced the Celia Sinfónica tour starting Nov. 22 at Miami’s Arsht Center, with stops planned for Spain, Mexico and Peru, alongside ongoing performances of Celia, el musical.