They discover that Celia Cruz’s roots are the Balanta African ethnic group

Miami. The African roots of the legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz (1925-2003) go back to the community of Balanta, in Guinea Bissau, one of the largest ethnic groups that has also been endowed with a language in this country, revealed this Wednesday the company African Ancestry, dedicated to ancestral research through DNA.

African Ancestry, founded in 2003 and based in Washington DC, used a test of ancestry to trace the maternal line of the Cross to the Balanta community of that African country and thus be able to honor it, according to a communiqué.

“It’s an exciting time for us, because Celia Cruz fully embraced her African heritage in her life and her music, which is quite innovative for her time,” said Gina Paige, president and co-founder of African Ancestry.

As part of this company’s “Remember Who You Are” campaign, Celia Cody, niece and namesake of Cruz, donated her DNA through a simple swab on her cheek, she explains. communiqué.

The test result led them to the Balanta ethnic group, which currently represents 30% of Guinea Bissau’s population.

According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the population of Guinea Bissau in 2011 was 1,683,000. The majority ethnic groups are Balanta (30%), Fula (20%), Manjace (14%), Mandinga (13%) and Papd (7%).

The Republic of Guinea Bissau was discovered in 1446 by the Portuguese explorer Nuno Tristão. It is located in West Africa and is bordered on the north by Senegal, on the east and south by Guinea Conakry and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Its official language is Portuguese, although there are 19 local languages, including Libra.

Born in Havana, and died in New Jersey (USA), Cruz generally incorporated in her interpretations the influences of the Yoruba tribe (a former Nigerian ethnic group), as a sign of her African pride.

“We now know that she belongs to the Balanta community (known as‘ those who resist ’) and we are proud to celebrate her legacy in this unprecedented way,” Paige said.

With a database of more than 30,000 indigenous African DNA samples, African Ancestry determines specific countries and ethnic groups of origin with an unparalleled level of detail, accuracy and confidence, reads its website.

Creu, an icon of Latin music and considered the “queen of salsa”, was one of the most popular singers in the industry, with a total of four Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammys and millions of records sold worldwide. world.

In 1960, a year after the triumph led by Fidel Castro, Celia Cruz left the island where she was born, taking advantage of an outing to perform in Mexico with the “Sonora Matancera” -an orchestra of which she was soloist-, he went into exile in the United States, and never returned to his island.