Cuban improviser Tomasita recovers from heart attack and is discharged from hospital

March 24, 2025

Cuban improviser Juana Tomasa Quiala Rojas, popularly known as Tomasita, was discharged from the hospital this Monday after recovering from a heart attack suffered in mid-March.

The blind artist, recognized as "The Queen of Improvisation in Cuba" and for her support of the communist regime in power on the island, spent several days admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Leopoldito Martínez Hospital, in San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque province.

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The news of her recovery was confirmed by the ruling leader Miguel Díaz-Canel himself, who expressed his joy through the social network X.

"It brings me great joy to know you have recovered and are back home, dear Tomasita. And it brings me even more joy to hear it from your own voice and in your verses, always filled with love for #Cuba, with the true Cuban warmth that distinguishes you. Take care of yourself, Cuban Culture needs you".

A figure of improvisation

Tomasita, born in Banes, Holguín, on December 29, 1961, has been blind since birth and was educated at the Varona Suárez school for the blind. From a young age she stood out as an interpreter of décimas, a traditional Cuban poetic style.

She developed her artistic career at the Antonio María Romeu Provincial Music Center, in Havana, and gained national popularity through her appearances on television programs such as Palmas y Cañas. Her art and charisma made her deserving of the National Community Culture Award, and took her to international stages in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and Argentina.

Although she has been a visible figure of support for the Cuban regime, her talent and trajectory make her a referential figure of improvisation on the island.