The Cuban announcer René González Dussac, awarded the National Radio Prize in 2020, passed away this Saturday in Havana after more than five decades of career in Cuban radio, according to reported by the Institute of Information and Social Communication (ICS) of Cuba.
The ICS highlighted that Dussac "distinguished himself through his performance and daily dedication, always available to the listeners," and that by family decision, his body would be cremated on the morning of this Saturday.
His radio story began in 1968 at a local station called "Amplificación Local," located in the Los Reinaldos sugar mill in the municipality of Songo-la Maya, Santiago de Cuba province.
In his extensive career, he was associated with Radio Cadena Habana, a station where he remained for over four decades and which is one of the historical pillars of Cuban broadcasting.
As an internationalist fighter, González Dussac worked on a Spanish program for Angola's National Radio alongside Cuban directors, announcers, and journalists, as part of an agreement between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, during the height of the Angolan civil war.
His international projection also took him to the Soviet Union, where he contributed to the teaching of broadcasting in the Latin American division of Radio Moscow International, to which he was appointed in 1991.
Throughout his career, he accumulated an extensive list of honors: the title of Artist of Merit from Cuban Radio and Television, the Medal of Internationalist Worker, the Diploma of Merit from National Radio of Angola, the Microphone of Cuban Radio, the awards for the 80th and 85th anniversaries of Cuban Radio, the Distinction for Cuban Culture, and the Félix Elmuza Award, granted by the Union of Journalists of Cuba.
These recognitions were joined by the Raúl Gómez García Medal, the title of Master Broadcaster, the Gitana Tropical award, and the so-called "Voice and Dream," created specifically to honor broadcasters with 50 or more years of professional experience in Cuban radio.
The ICS remembered him as someone "versatile and cheerful," who "could be seen everywhere on the airwaves, giving out kisses and smiles."
His passing occurs during a period of successive losses for Cuban radio. Since January 2025, the notable figures who have also passed away include Radio Reloj journalist Lázaro Chiang Macate, announcer René Parapal Reinoso, announcer Lilia Rosa López, announcer Noel Pérez Batista, and announcer Alberto Pardo Companioni, among other emblematic figures in the medium.
The National Radio Award is the highest honor awarded by the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) to professionals in the field for a lifetime of work, and González Dussac received it in 2020 along with other distinguished individuals in the industry, as confirmed at the time by the ICRT Board of Directors.
I extend my deepest condolences to your family, friends, and colleagues.
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