Candita Batista Batista

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Singer and vocalist for three-quarters of a century, known as The Black Vedette of Cuba and with performances in almost 20 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Born in Camagüey, she is a solo singer who holds the highest level at the Provincial Music Center in Camagüey. She was subjected to an initial evaluation by a tribunal composed of: Adolfo Guzmán, Rafael Somavilla, Aida Diestro, Jesús Ortega, Isolina Carrillo, Armando Romeu, Mario Romeu, Fernando Mulens, and José Ramón Urbay, all prestigious figures in Cuban music.

She began her artistic career in 1932, performing with the orchestra La Especial, directed by Víctor Agüero Boza and Aurelio Cedé, at the Victoria society in her hometown. She became a professional in 1936, being the first woman to join as a soloist with a male orchestra in the province of Camagüey. She worked at popular dances, societies, and radio stations in the city of Camagüey.

In 1937 she moved to Havana, where she began taking lessons and working under the direction of musician Obdulio Morales, while also performing in theaters, radio stations, and popular dances in the capital, accompanied by Obdulio Morales' orchestra and other musical groups. At the same time, she joined Paco Alfonso's company as a singer and actress, and in 1941 she performed at the "Martí" Theater as the lead figure of the country's Afro-Cuban Genre Company.

In 1941 she embarked on her first international tour, contracted to work in Mexico and later traveled through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. She joined the Batamú company and sang at the Teatro Lírico in Mexico City, Mexico alongside Yolanda Montes (Tongolele), Rosa Carmina, María Antonieta Pons, and Mary Esquivel. She returned to Mexico in 1948 and 1960.

She returned to Havana and was hired as an exclusive artist for the popular radio station Radio Cadena Suaritos, where she performed accompanied by Obdulio Morales' orchestra, singing all genres of Afro-Cuban music. She learned the Yoruba language, which allowed her to perform works by Teté Vergara, as well as Los afros Asoyí and Moquegeré, by composer José Claro Fumer from Matanzas, and Angelitos negros by M. and Blanco.

In 1948 she traveled to Mexico again and returned to Havana where she was contracted to perform in Spain. After completing the contract that took her to this country, she embarked on an extensive tour across the European continent that included Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, West Germany, and also Morocco and the Canary Islands, for a total of twenty countries. She also participated in a film shot in West Germany titled Mi tía Susana.

During these years she settled definitively in the city of Barcelona, Spain, where she became known as The Super Black Vedette of Cuba and also as The Black Afro-Cuban Woman, becoming one of the most popular artists recognized by critics and audiences throughout the old continent.

During these years she became an exclusive artist for the Columbia record company in Barcelona, while performing at the most important European theaters, including the Olympia in Paris, the Albéniz in Madrid, and the Victoria in Barcelona, sharing the stage with prestigious figures from Cuban and world art, among whom we can mention Lola Flores, Antonio Machín, Rita Montaner, Maurice Chevalier, Bola de Nieve, Carlos Pous, Candita Quintana, Josephine Baker, Esther Borja, Nat King Cole, María de los Angeles Santana, Miguelito Valdés, Dizzie Gillespie, Ernesto Lecuona, Charles Aznavour, and many more.

She visited her native country sporadically during these years, and in 1959 she returned definitively to her homeland, once the existing social conditions that forced her into exile had been overcome.

Based in Havana, she made recordings and performed at the Martí Theater again until the 1970s, when she returned to the city of Camagüey, creating a Cultural Gathering in her own home, through which the most important figures of Cuban art have passed.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS TO WHICH SHE BELONGS
National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC)

MUSICAL GENRES PERFORMED BY CANDITA
Afro-Cuban music in all its variants, Guarachas, Sones, Boleros, Rumba, Guaguancó, Traditional Trova, Filin, and songs in French and Italian.

ACTIVITIES IN THE COMMUNITY
She actively participates in cultural and political gatherings and activities throughout the province, performs at labor centers and educational institutions, works for international tourism, and maintains a Sunday Cultural Gathering in her home where the most authentic Cuban musical genres are preserved and to which musicians, poets, and friends attend.

RECENT GALAS AND PERFORMANCES
Gala of the National Prize for Interpretation and Composition at Teatro Amadeo Roldán. Havana. 1999.
Gala X Anniversary of ARTEX. Teatro José Luis Tassende. Camagüey. Cuba. 1999.
Gala Festival Boleros de Oro. Teatro Principal. Camagüey. Cuba. 1999.
Gala in tribute to artists from Camagüey. Teatro Principal. Camagüey. Cuba. 2001.
Gala of awards XXIV National Radio Festival. Sancti Spíritus. Cuba. 2002.

SOME AWARDS AND HONORS RECEIVED
Distinction for National Culture. Ministry of Culture.
Raúl Gómez García Medal.
Recognition Mirror of Patience. Provincial Cultural Sector. Camagüey.
Distinction Camagüeyan Elegy. University of Camagüey.
Distinction for XXV and XXX years of work in favor of National Art and Culture
Title of Distinguished Daughter of the Province of Camagüey. Provincial Assembly of the People's Power.
Title of Distinguished Daughter of the Province of Camagüey. Provincial Assembly of the People's Power.
Diploma Nomination to the National Prize for Interpretation. National Institute of Music. 1999.
Diploma for her merits and contributions to the development of Cuban art and culture. National Presidency of UNEAC.

Candita, with an artistic career spanning more than 50 years, has performed in important theaters, cabarets, and radio and television stations in more than 20 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Africa, sharing the stage with famous artists from around the world, among whom we can mention: Lola Flores, Charles Aznavour, Bola de Nieve, Rosita Fornés, Antonio Machín, Maurice Chevalier, Nat King Cole, and many more.

Every Sunday at 3:30 in the afternoon at the residence of Candita Batista, located on Cristo Street # 2, in the city of Camagüey, friends and musicians gather to chat, sing, and spend a very pleasant afternoon.

Afro-Cuban themes and rhythms predominate in the repertoire of Candita Batista, who has been awarded honors such as the Alejo Carpentier Medal, the Distinction for National Culture, and Distinguished Daughter of the Province of Camagüey.