| 02/02/2021 – 14:56 (GMT-4)
A DNA test of the African Ancestry company, dedicated to the ancestral search through genetic information, located the ancestors of the legendary Cuban singers Celia Cruz in the African ethnic group Libra, from Guinea Bissau.
It is one of the largest communities that has also endowed the country with a language, according to an agency statement EFE.
The artist’s maternal line led the company’s researchers to the African nation’s ethnic group. African Ancestry, founded in 2003 and based in Washington DC, said in a statement that it is a way to honor the famous Cuban singer.
“It’s an interesting time for us, as Celia Cruz has fully embraced her African heritage in her life and music, which is quite revolutionary for her time,” said Gina Paige, president and co-founder of African descent.
“It simply came to our notice then is part of the Libra community (known as “those who resist”) and we are proud to celebrate his legacy in this unprecedented way, ”said Paige.
Celia Cody, Cruz’s niece and namesake, who offered her DNA through a simple tampon on her cheeks, explains the statement, as part of the company’s “Remember Who You Are” campaign. .
Linda Bécquer Pritchett, another niece of Celia Cruz living in Georgia, United States, said on social media: “Very interesting to know where my African ancestors come from.”
The Libra ethnic group currently represents 30% of Guinea Bissau’s population, which in 2011 was 1,683,000. The other ethnic groups that make up the country are Fula (20%), Manjace (14%), Mandinga (13%) and Papd.
Discovered in 1446 by the Portuguese explorer Nuno Tristão, the Republic of Guinea Bissau is located in West Africa and is bordered on the north by Senegal, on the east and south by Guinea Conakry and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Its official language is Portuguese and it has 19 local languages.
In your music, Celia, an important representative of Cuban culture in exile, used to incorporate elements of African music.
“Salsa Queen”, who has won a total of four Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammys and millions of records worldwide, died in New Jersey at the age of 77 in 2003.
The artist, born in Havana in 1925, left Cuba in 1960, just one year after the triumph of the revolution led by the late dictator Fidel Castro and was a strong detractor of Castroism.
He went into exile in the United States after a trip to Mexico, where he sang with “Sonora Matancera”. His figure is a world icon of Latin music.
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