Alejandro Delgado Cabrera, the only son of the legendary Cuban actress Gina Cabrera, posted a heartfelt tribute to his mother on Facebook, recalling her as an artist who dedicated her life to her profession with absolute honesty and paid a very high price for not bending to the political system that cut her career short.
The text, accompanied by a photograph of the actress in her youth, evokes the brilliant career of someone who was known as the "Queen of Drama in Cuba" in theater, radio, and television, and laments that the unfulfilled promises of the communist revolution stifled a career that could have gone much further.
Alejandro recalls that Cuba has always been among the countries debuting cutting-edge technologies, and this was the case when television emerged. Gina, who was already recognized in theater and radio at that time, made the leap to TV "and made a strong impression there."
"She was also there, in those beginnings shining for our Homeland, as a seed of something magical that has brought and continues to bring joy, knowledge, and entertainment to entire nations," she emphasized.
"But a few years later, 'what deceived most people arrived, promising what was never fulfilled. This brought an end to her and other great Cubans who neither knew nor decided to escape in time, effectively cutting short their fruitful careers in one way or another,' she wrote."
It also notes that admirers from the United States, Spain, and Latin America still write to her today, remembering her mother, whom they heard on the radio or saw in movies and television decades ago.
He also laments that a significant portion of the recorded material from the early days of Cuban television was lost "due to destruction from poor care and even out of malice."
The tribute concludes with a phrase that captures the essence of her mother: "A simple and beautiful photo encapsulates in that image a brilliant yet humble Cuban woman, who never lied in her life, who devoted her mastery, her work, her art, and just as she enjoyed doing good for so many, she did so with nobility, perfection, and much LOVE. Kisses to heaven, mom!"
Gina Cabrera —whose full name was Luisa Georgina Cabrera Parada— was born in Havana on June 28, 1928, and was one of the founding figures of Cuban television. She starred alongside Alberto González Rubio in the first Cuban telenovela, "Soraya, a Flower in the Storm" (1957), written by Delia Fiallo, a television phenomenon that marked the beginning of the genre on the Island and its subsequent expansion throughout Latin America.
Her film career in the 1950s included titles such as "La renegada" (1951), "La mentira" (1952), "Ambiciosa" (1953), and "La rosa blanca" (1954). The Association of Radio and Television Journalists recognized her as the leading television actress in 1956, and in 2003 she received the National Television Award for her lifetime work.
However, by not participating in the political game that other artists accepted after 1959, her career gradually faded. Her last television appearance was in the soap opera "Sol de Batey" (1985). She passed away on January 3, 2022, at the age of 93, without any award, theater, or institution bearing her name.
Alejandro denounced the institutional neglect that his mother experienced. In December 2021, he publicly exposed the “miserable assistance” provided to her by the then Cuban Institute of Radio and Television: some rice, peas, leftover spaghetti trimmings, sofrito, and bulk oil.
On the first anniversary of her death, he denounced the "institutional mistreatment" received over the years and pointed out that Gina Cabrera died without official recognition, unlike artists who "played the political game."
Son of the esteemed actor Tony Delgado, he keeps his mother's memory alive by periodically posting texts about her on social media.
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