First Lady of Cuba explained

Post:First Lady of Cuba
Flag:Escudo de Cuba.gif
Flagsize:100px
Style:Her Excellency
Incumbent:Lis Cuesta Peraza
Incumbentsince:April 19, 2018
Inaugural:Genoveva Guardiola Arbizú
Residence:Palace of the Revolution
Termlength:5 years
Website:www.twitter.com/LisCuestaCuba

First Lady of Cuba (Spanish; Castilian: Primera Dama de Cuba) is de facto title of the wife of the President of the Republic of Cuba.[1] The current first lady of Cuba is Lis Cuesta Peraza, the second wife of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who is also the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the Cuban government. She is the first presidential wife to be referred to as "first lady" by Cuban state media since the 1960s.

History

The term "First Lady of Cuba" was first used as far back as 1913 to refer to the wife of the Cuban president. The role of first lady is purely ceremonial, and the first ladies since the Cuban Revolution hold little official influence on the politics of Cuba. Although the wife of the president of Cuba is referred to unofficially as the "first lady", it is used in state ceremonies, protocol events, and international tours. However, no official government position currently exists, particularly since the Cuban Revolution, when the term was largely eliminated by the Castro brothers.[2]

The position was regarded as a "remnant of capitalism" and fell into disuse during the rule of Fidel Castro.[1] Castro and his first wife, Mirta Díaz-Balart, had divorced before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, which contributed to the decline of the role as well, according to Cuban writer, Wendy Guerra.[1] However, Vilma Espín, Castro's sister-in-law and wife of Raúl Castro, took on the role of "Cuba's low-key first lady" for 45-years, even after Fidel Castro reportedly married Dalia Soto de Valle in 1980. Dalia Soto de Valle was not seen publicly until Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba in January 1998.

In recent years, the concept of a national first lady has been revived under President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta.In 2018, Cuesta became the first woman to be publicly referred to as "first lady" by some of Cuba's state-controlled broadcasters and other media outlets since the 1960s, while other state-run newspapers initially ignored her new role.[2] [3] Lis Cuesta Peraza was previously the Second Lady of the Republic of Cuba from the February 24, 2013, to April 19, 2018, during her husband's term as First Vice President of Cuba. As Second Lady of Cuba, she accompanied her husband on state tours to Angola, Laos, Vietnam, Chile, Russia, among others.

The current Second Lady of the Republic of Cuba is Julia Piloto Saborit (since April 2018), the wife of the current Vice President of Cuba, Salvador Valdes Mesa.

First ladies of Cuba

First ladies of the Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)

PortraitFirst Lady of CubaTerm BeganTerm EndedPresident of CubaNotes
Genoveva Guardiola ArbizúMay 20, 1902September 28, 1906Tomás Estrada PalmaBorn in Honduras, Veva Guardiola was the inaugural First Lady of Cuba.
América AriasJanuary 28, 1909May 20, 1913José Miguel Gómez
Mariana Seva de MenocalMay 20, 1913May 20, 1921Mario García Menocal
María de la Asunción Jaén y PlanasMay 20, 1921May 20, 1925Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso
Elvira Machado NodalMay 20, 1925August 12, 1933Gerardo MachadoElvira Machado was Machado's cousin.
August 13, 1933September 5, 1933Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y QuesadaBertini, who married Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in 1915, was Italian. Mother of writer Alba de Céspedes.
Polita GrauSeptember 10, 1933January 15, 1934Ramón GrauGrau, who was unmarried, appointed his niece, Polita Grau, as first lady during his first presidency.
Elisa Edelmann PonceJanuary 15, 1934January 18, 1934Carlos Hevia
Mercedes Márquez SterlingJanuary 18, 1934January 18, 1934Manuel Márquez Sterling
Carmela LedónJanuary 18, 1934December 11, 1935Carlos Mendieta
Marcela CleardDecember 11, 1935 May 20, 1936José Agripino Barnet
Serafina Diago CárdenasMay 20, 1936December 24, 1936Miguel Mariano GómezSerafina Diago Cárdenas was married to President Miguel Mariano Gómez, the son of former first lady, América Arias.
Leonor Gómez MontesDecember 24, 1936October 10, 1940Federico Laredo Brú
Elisa Godínez Gómez de BatistaOctober 10, 1940October 10, 1944Fulgencio BatistaElisa Godinez Gomez was Batista's first wife and first lady from 1940 to 1944. Batista divorced her in 1945 after leaving office and soon married his mistress, Marta Fernandez Miranda de Batista.
Paulina Alsina FernándezOctober 10, 1944 October 10, 1948Ramón GrauPresident Grau never married. He appointed his sister-in-law, Paulina Alsina Fernández, as first lady during his second presidency.
Mary Tarrero-SerranoOctober 10, 1948March 10, 1952Carlos Prío SocarrásTarrero was also a stenographer in the national Senate. Prio was overthrown by Batista in the 1952 Cuban coup d'état.
Marta Fernandez Miranda de BatistaMarch 10, 1952January 1, 1959Fulgencio BatistaBatista's second wife and first lady during his dictatorship. Both went into permanent exile following his ouster during the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
Ana DuránJanuary 1, 1959January 2, 1959Anselmo Alliegro y MiláInterim presidency
María Luisa Martínez Díaz January 2, 1959January 3, 1959Carlos Manuel PiedraInterim presidency

Post Revolution (1959–Present)

PortraitFirst Lady of CubaTerm BeganTerm EndedPresident of CubaNotes
?January 3, 1959July 18, 1959Manuel Urrutia LleóInterim president following the ouster of Batista. No first lady appeared in public during his brief presidency.
María de la Caridad MolinaJuly 18, 1959December 2, 1976Osvaldo Dorticós TorradoThough married, President Osvaldo Dorticós did not introduce his wife, María de la Caridad Molina, as first lady (or any other public position) during his presidency.
Vilma Espín (acting)December 2, 1976February 24, 2008Fidel CastroThe concept of a public "First Lady" fell into disuse following the Cuban Revolution under President Fidel Castro. Little was known about Castro's private life during his rule and he was divorced when he officially became president in 1976, which contributed to the position's decline. However, Vilma Espín, wife of Raúl Castro, took on the role of "Cuba's low-key first lady" for 45-years, even after Fidel Castro reportedly married Dália Soto del Valle in 1980.[4] Espín was also a Secretary of State and had established the Federation of Cuban Women in 1960. Celia Sánchez, another Cuban revolutionary and close confidante of Castro, also served as a Secretary of State and fulfilled some of the roles traditionally attributed to a first lady as well.
Vilma EspínJuly 31, 2006June 18, 2007Raúl CastroVilma Espín died in Havana on June 18, 2007, during her husband's acting presidency.
Position vacantJune 18, 2007April 19, 2018Raúl CastroVilma Espín had died in Havana on June 18, 2007. Mariela Castro Espín, daughter of Vilma Espín and Raúl Castro, assumed a protocol role for her father at times during his presidency.
Lis Cuesta PerazaApril 19, 2018PresentMiguel Díaz-CanelThe concept and role of a first lady began to revive under Díaz-Canel and Cuesta. In 2018, Cuesta, a tourism executive, became the first woman to be called "first lady" by some Cuban state-run media outlets since the 1960s.

Notes and References

  1. News: Wendy . Guerra . ¿Primera Dama cubana? . . 2018-06-25 . 2022-06-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180618182128/http://www.elnuevoherald.com/opinion-es/opin-col-blogs/opinion-sobre-cuba/article213276399.html . 2018-06-18 . dead.
  2. News: Quién es Lis Cuesta, la esposa del nuevo presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, que retoma el título de "primera dama" eliminado por los hermanos Castro hace décadas . . 2018-04-23 . 2022-07-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220412232439/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-43861291 . 2022-04-12 . live.
  3. News: Mimi . Whitefield . Cuba's first lady is no mystery, but you would not know it from coverage in state media . . 2018-06-01 . 2022-07-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128053450/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article212211724.html . 2020-11-28 . dead.
  4. News: Obituary: Vilma Espín Guillois, wife of Raúl Castro, 77 . . 2007-06-19 . 2022-07-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220710011920/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/world/americas/19iht-obits.1.6204825.html . 2022-07-10 . live.