Cuban actor and comedian Andy Vázquez, the Facundo from Vivir del Cuento, announced that he will give away coins featuring the image of Celia Cruz: "I have a hundred," he stated.
The artist, based in Miami, stated that it was an honor for the image of the Cuban guarachera to circulate on 25-cent coins in the United States.
He also showed a bag with a hundred of them that he is willing to give away to his followers, who have expressed their desire to get one.
And it's that many Cubans long to keep one of these coins.
Even several residents on the island have requested to be sent some.
In July, comedian Ulises Toirac suggested that Cubans residing in the United States begin sending coins with the image of Celia to Cuba as a way to honor the iconic artist who passed away in 2003.
The 25-cent coin (quarter) dedicated to Celia began circulating this August in a special edition that was part of the American Women Quarters 2024 program, with which the U.S. government recognized five illustrious female figures of the nation.
In the description provided by the United States Mint (US-Mint), it can be read that the obverse (heads) features a portrait of George Washington, designed and sculpted originally by Laura Gardin Fraser to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the first president of that country.
On the other hand, the reverse side features Celia Cruz showing her dazzling smile while performing in a rumba-style dress. Her characteristic slogan “¡AZÚCAR!” is inscribed on the right side.
The Queen of Salsa, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1977, is the first Afro-Latin personality whose image will be immortalized on a coin in the United States.
Celia, one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century, was born in Havana on October 21, 1925. In 1960, she went into exile and her music was banned from the media by the Castro regime. However, Cubans residing on the island circumvented the censorship and continued to listen to her privately.
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