Draft:Eva Gaspar

Eva Gaspar was born in Les Cayes in the South Department of Haiti in 1910. In 1918 her parents placed her in the care of her paternal grandparents in Jaronú in the province of Camaguey. They later moved to Violeta in the province of Ciego de Avila, site of a batey. After the Cuban Revolution, Violeta became Primero de Enero. A sugar mill with a large smokestack and a railroad still dominates Primero de Enero.

Afro-Haitian music and dance inspired Gaspar to organize and direct the Nagó dance company. Since 1999 the municipality of Primero de Enero has presented the Festival Eva Gaspar in Memoriam, a three-day program featuring music, dance, foodways, and a research colloquium. The Festival celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2024.