Sigfredo Ariel, the poet, passed away in La Habana

July 26, 2020

Sigfredo Ariel passed away this Sunday in Havana, a victim of cancer. He left behind upon his death a vast and prolific body of work as a poet, narrator, essayist, illustrator, radio, film and television scriptwriter, and music producer. He had been born in the city of Santa Clara on October 31, 1962.

He was a winner of awards such as the David Prize for Poetry in 1986 and the Julián del Casal Prize from Uneac on two occasions (1998 and 2005) and several Cubadisco awards for album notes.

Sigfredo was also an advisor on the film Buena Vista Social Club, a producer of recordings of traditional and popular Cuban music, and among other recognitions, he earned the Distinction for National Culture and the Commemorative Medal for the Founding of the City of Santa Clara.

Regarding the poet's death, journalist Michel Hernández wrote: Sigfredo was not only an excellent poet but a thorough researcher of Cuban music. Through his work he delivered a comprehensive testimony of the origin and evolution of the country's musical creation. A chronicler of his time, the legacy he leaves us is essential to knowing and understanding the culture of the island. Sigfredo maintained a dialogue with reality through a poetic work that did not lose its charm and rigor from the time he began in these endeavors more than three decades ago.

With his death, Cuba loses one of the referents of the 1980s generation in poetry and an intellectual whose work is required reading in the field of poetry, music, essay, and cultural promotion.

His poem The Light, Brother, the Light is one of the representative documents of his work and one of the most visible marks of the work of his generation and of contemporary Cuban poetry:

"And the names and dates will be erased
and our blunders
and the light will remain, brother, the light
and nothing else".