Silence followed the prolonged applause and cheers during the farewell to first-class actor Mario Balmaseda. Cuba said goodbye to a legend who portrayed multiple and diverse characters in theater, television and cinema, and had the capacity to be diversely Cuban. His tremendous legacy is indisputable.
In the lobby of the National Theater, where he made the public vibrate with his performances on stage so many times, his remains were guarded by the replica of the Machete Mambí of General Máximo Gómez and other awards that were granted to him. He also received floral offerings from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, the First Secretary of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and cultural institutions.
His work, present and eternal, with a deep social vocation and always committed to the homeland, showcased not only his versatility on the stage, but also in art in general. He was "an all-terrain man of culture," as director of the José Martí National Library of Cuba Omar Valiño described him at his funeral.
On the occasion, filmmaker Manuel Herrera recalled Balmaseda's presence on the big screens, from his debut in Los días del agua, through the iconic Baraguá, to his latest experiences. And he also assured that the true dimension of an artist is enclosed in him.
Along with those who always applauded him, his friends, relatives and great personalities of national art, were Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party and head of its Ideological Department; Minister of Culture Alpidio Alonso and president of Union of Cuban Artists and Writers (UNEAC) Luis Morlote, among others.
Going back to his work, both on the bigand the small screen, is a way to feel the privilege of having lived in the same time as Balmaseda, the actor and theater director, paradigm of the creator for his versatility and respect, for the talent he demonstrated countless times.
Translated by ESTI
