| 07/02/2021 – 2:56 PM (GMT-4)
A DNA test by the African Ancestry company, dedicated to the ancestral quest through genetic information, found the ancestors of the mythical Cuban singer Celia Cruz in the African ethnic group Balanta, from Guinea-Bissau.
According to a report from the agency, it is one of the largest communities to have also given that country a language EFE.
It was the artist’s maternal line that led the company’s researchers to the African nation’s ethnic group. Founded in 2003 and based in Washington DC, African Ancestry said in a statement that it was a way of honoring the famous Cuban singer.
“This is an exciting time for us as Celia Cruz has fully embraced her African heritage in her life and music, which is quite groundbreaking for her time,” said Gina Paige, president and co-founder of African Ancestry.
“Now we know that she belongs to the Balanta community (known as “those who resist”) and we are proud to celebrate his legacy in this unprecedented way, ”said Paige.
It was Celia Cody, Cruz’s niece and namesake, who presented her DNA through a simple cheek swab, the statement explains, as part of the aforementioned company’s “Remember Who You Are” campaign.
Linda Bécquer Pritchett, another cousin of Celia Cruz who lives in Georgia, United States, said on social media, “Very interesting to know where my African heritage came from.”
The Balanta ethnic group currently represents 30% of Guinea-Bissau’s population which was 1,683,000 in 2011. 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 borders Senegal to the north, Guinea Conakry to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The official language is Portuguese and there are 19 local languages.
In your music, Celia, a prominent representative of Cuban culture in exile, used to record elements of African music.
The “queen of salsa,” who has won four Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammys and millions of records sold worldwide in her prolific career, died in New Jersey in 2003 at the age of 77.
Born in Havana in 1925, the artist left Cuba in 1960, just one year after the triumph of the revolution led by the late dictator Fidel Castro, and was a staunch slander of Castroism.
He went into exile in the United States after a trip to Mexico, where he performed with “Sonora Matancera”. His figure is a world icon of Latin American music.
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