Living the Legacy of the Cimarrón: Race and Rebellion in Cuba

Georgina Herrera 
Cuban Author 

Dr. Sara Cooper 
Faculty, CSU, Chico & Editor, Cubana Books 

Born in 1936, renowned Cuban writer Georgina Herrera has the perspective of living in Cuba both before and after the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro. She notes that the Afro-Cuban underclass to which she was born has been subject to “five centuries of atrocities,” including slavery. She adds that wars for independence did not necessarily liberate the Afro-Cuban people. Ms. Herrera calls herself a “cimarrona.” This term, she explains, is for a person who one day finds herself in a new place, in a position to search for her liberation. The major themes of Ms. Herrera’s writing include gender, Afro-Cuban history, and the African legacy. She states that she has used language as a weapon, both defensive and accusatory. Ms. Herrera is best known as a poet, but her work is not limited to one genre - she has written poetry, plays, film and television scripts, radio dramas, and a memoir. 

Recorded: February 23, 2016