Unknown history of Cuban television’s early years revealed

By Barbara Gutierrez [email protected] 10-28-2025

In the late 1940s the radionovela "El Derecho de Nacer," or "The Right to Be Born," enraptured audiences in Cuba.

Produced and written by Félix B. Caignet, the series was a milestone for the island, and it went on to become a sensation throughout Latin America. Thousands of people were glued to their radio to hear every episode of a story that was driven by intriguing family secrets. The story was later adapted for cinema and television.

By the 1950s, Cuba's television industry had not only been the first in Latin America but also considered the best. Havana had six television stations offering drama series, news, sports, and variety shows. The country was a pioneer of audience engagement strategies, as well as technological advancements. There was even color TV.

An upcoming exhibit at the University of Miami Libraries' Cuban Heritage Collection called "The Telenovela Archives: Serialized Fiction in Cuba Before the Revolution" will present photos, newspaper clippings, films, and promotional materials from programs developed during that period.

The exhibit opens with a reception on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavillion on the Otto G. Richter Library's second floor. The reception is open to the public. Those wishing to attend must register through Eventbrite.

Curators for the exhibit were Juan Andrés Bello, documentary researcher and producer, and Constanza Burucúa, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who focuses her research on cinemas in Latin America. The items on display came from Cuban Heritage Collection archives as well as from The Telenovela Archives collection, a research and creation project supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and director of the Cuban Heritage Collection, said: "We're thrilled to share this exhibition with the University and local community. It spotlights the creativity of Cuban writers, actors, and producers who shaped the telenovela genre beginning in the 1940s, with stories that resonated throughout Latin America."

Bello said the exhibit will show how advanced Cuban television was prior to the revolution.

"Cuba was considered a pioneer in the television industry and produced high-quality programs, all done live," said Bello. "They had excellent production teams and set creative and technical standards across the continent."

Stations like CMQ built state-of-the-art studios. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to watch a film that shows behind the scenes images of work at CMQ, which includes scenes of their news units, advertising department, and a production crew producing a musical.

The exhibition will also showcase pictures of many famous television stars of the time-people like Minín Bujones, Gina Cabrera, Alberto González Rubio, Raquel Revuelta, and Manolo Coego. News clippings of their lives are also on display.

Visitors to the exhibit will be met with a surprise: a fresh new look and feel to the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion. The recently refurbished space has been transformed into a more welcoming, modern environment designed to enhance the experience of students, faculty and staff members, and the local community, alike.

The pavilion now features sleek new furniture, contemporary lighting fixtures, and upgraded flooring throughout, creating a bright, inviting setting for research and public events. The former Elena Díaz-Versón Amos Conference Room has been reimagined as a dynamic classroom, equipped with new furniture to support both instruction and special programs.

To meet the needs of today's researchers, the space boasts enhanced audiovisual technology to ensure seamless integration of digital tools and interactive learning experiences.

The renovation was funded by a bequest from the late Olga Casteleiro de Goizueta, said Moreno-Schroeder.

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