María de los Ángeles Santana and the Natural Compendium of Virtues
María de los Ángeles Santana was born on 2 August 1914. Thirteen years ago, she said goodbye to the world and to Cuba, the country that had witnessed her birth and growth. Tenacious, humble, sensitive, full of life, passion and love, María had a long career, sustained by her dedication and commitment, even when conditions seemed to be against her, as when she decided to perform despite having broken her hip.
«As early as 1948, she was crowned National Radio Queen by none other than Elizabeth del Río. This is why the diva was chosen as the first face of the promising Cuban television,» notes Rafael Lam.
The recipient of national awards for theatre, humour and television, María de los Ángeles Santana’s creative chalice was immense, as was the scope of her work and the imprint she left on the stages where she shared her talent.
As Remigia, she was one of the characters who made Cuban audiences laugh the most on the television programmes of San Nicolás del Peladero, in which she performed without interruption for 24 years. A testimony to this dedication is the description of Mariana Ramírez Corría in the book Yo seré la tentación by the researcher Ramón Fajardo Estrada:
«Sometimes a cook, sometimes a wife, sometimes a seamstress, sometimes a writer and translator, always an actress, with very little time for the necessary idleness of life: doing nothing, closing her eyes, dreaming. Likewise, at times she would wander around the house like Blanche Dubois, one of the characters who most fascinated her; at other times she would study and reread Garriga’s scripts, writing lyrics while inventing a «surprise» soup or a «trick» rice. When it was time to rehearse, she would put all her problems in a private bag and arrive at the studio with her immense professionalism, loaded with experience, always giving the best of herself and the support that others asked for or not.
«It would take more than a book to talk about Mami María. It would take thousands of roses, which she loves so much, to thank her for the way she has gone through life. It would take a Balzac or a Dickens to delve into her reality and the times in which she lived.
A founder of Cuban television, she took part in numerous shows throughout her life. As a promoter of Ernesto Lecuona’s recognition and of performances at the National Theatre, she also earned the admiration of other personalities. According to Lam, Eliseo Grenet and Adolfo Guzmán considered her a «true queen», and the specialist Mario Cabré described her as follows: «Cuba has many artists, but none like María de los Ángeles Santana.»
On the stage, she performed in several plays. Her role as Amparo in Una casa colonial by Nicolás Dorr is still memorable, as is her participation in Un sorbo de miel, Algo no dicho, La verbena de la paloma and Tía Meim.
«Sweet María lived another decade. She had everything and boasted of nothing. She touched the stars and never looked down from above… Without denigrating other greats, she was my star, because audacity and applause don’t matter if you work without presumption or unhealthy charm. Only those who can achieve the most popular feat without arrogance or fanfare are transcendent,» confesses the journalist Alain Amador Pardo.
An imperturbable smile and boundless kindness make María de los Ángeles Santana one of the most popular actresses in Cuba. Her talent, charisma and versatility reveal a woman who, through her simplicity and hard work, has brought the public closer to her virtues.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
