An island and a sorrow in the voice of Celia Cruz

Ahead of what would have been Celia Cruz's 100th birthday, (October 21, 2025), VOZ spoke with Rosa Marquetti, Cuban philologist, intellectual property specialist, researcher, producer and musicographer, devoted to the work of the "Guarachera de Cuba."

In the interview "Una Isla y Una Pena en La Voz de Celia Cruz," the specialist discusses issues related to cultural identity, Celia Cruz’s legacy, and the historical complexities surrounding the global significance of the Cuban singer.

Marquetti discusses how Celia Cruz transcends music and is part of the construction of a collective cultural memory in Latin America. She emphasizes that Cruz’s voice—and the way she interpreted Afro-Cuban rhythms—has been central to multiple symbolic readings connected to the diaspora, exile and ethnic identity.

She also reflects on the contemporary reception of Celia Cruz—how modern generations listen to, reinterpret, or reassess her—and on the responsibility of scholars, producers, cultural institutions, and the public to preserve that memory without reducing it to mere consumer iconography.