Celia Cruz Celebration Serves as Opportunity for Reflection
October 28, 2025
Writer Rosa Marquetti joins us for an event celebrating the life and legacy of Celia Cruz.
Rosa Marquetti, author of the two-volume biography of Celia Cruz, Celia en Cuba (2024) and Celia en el Mundo (2025), joined the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center alongside Dr. Juan Carlos Quintero Herencia for a stirring and heartfelt tribute to the life and legacy of the legendary Cuban artist. Supported by Arts for All and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the event brought together students, faculty, and community members to explore Celia Cruz’s early years and the rich traditions that shaped her artistry, including Yoruba music and rumba.
As Marquetti emphasized, Celia was a “protagonista y testigo de su época,” a protagonist and witness of her time, which was marked by her early success as a standout singer in Cuba's vibrant music scene, the upheaval of the Cuban Revolution, and her years in exile.
Marquetti and Dr. Quintero Herencia cultivated a warm, engaging atmosphere where participants shared personal memories of their first encounters with Celia Cruz’s music and reflected on her enduring influence. Many spoke about how censorship affected their access to her work, particularly within the Cuban diaspora, sparking a thoughtful dialogue about memory and artistic legacy.
Read the article about the event in the Diamondback in Spanish here.