The day Celia Cruz returned to Cuba
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 9 July 2024
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In January 1990, Cuban singer Celia Cruz, known as ‘the Queen of Salsa’, went back to Cuba. Banned by Fidel Castro for opposing his regime, it was the only time in her 43 years of exile that she was able to visit the island.
She was invited to sing in the US naval base on Guantanamo Bay. The trip only lasted a day and a half, but it was full of touching moments and symbolisms. Omer Pardillo Cid, Celia’s manager and close friend, tells Stefania Gozzer about the mark this visit left in the singer.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: Celia Cruz holds a Cuban flag as she performs during the 'Combinacion Perfecta' concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, 1993. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast I'd like to quickly tell you about some others. |
| 0:05.0 | My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland. |
| 0:11.0 | It's a job I really love because we get to tell the stories that really matter |
| 0:15.1 | to people here, but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world. |
| 0:19.6 | And because the team is such a diverse range of skills and strengths. We have trained journalists, people who love digging through archives, we've got drama and even comedy experts. We really can do those stories justice. |
| 0:31.3 | So if you like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds where you'll find |
| 0:34.9 | plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK. Hello, you're listening to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service, with me |
| 0:49.2 | Stephanie Gotser. Today I'm taking you back to January 1990 when Cuban singer Celia Cruz, also known as the |
| 0:56.8 | Queen of Salza, broke a vow and hoped on a plane to visit her home country, |
| 1:01.8 | the one place she had promised not to go back to. |
| 1:07.6 | It's the start of the year and Celia has been invited to a short but deeply meaningful trip to the US Naval Base in Cuban |
| 1:15.2 | Territory, Guantanamo Bay. It's part of the celebrations of the Cuban American Friendship Day, |
| 1:22.0 | which takes place every year at the end of January. |
| 1:25.9 | In the 90s, Celia was a household name known for singing in one of the most popular Latin music |
| 1:32.4 | genres. |
| 1:33.0 | Salza, she had succeeded in a male-dominated industry |
| 1:38.0 | and helped bring visibility to black Caribbean communities. |
| 1:42.0 | Unlike most Cuban exiles, she had chosen New York over Miami as her new home, |
| 1:48.0 | and that trip to Guantanamo Bay would be the only time in her 43 years of exile that Celia would step on Cuban land again. |
| 1:57.0 | Havana, often the Mecca for gamblers sees seized the jackpot payoff of a political long shot. |
| 2:06.0 | Baring 26th of July banners, joyous followers of Fidel Castro sweep triumphantly through the Cuban capital hours after their rebellion had toppled the regime of Fulgenzio Batista. |
| 2:17.0 | Celia Cruz left Cuba a year after Fidel Castro's victory. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.