Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés, also known as “Plácido,” was born in Matanzas, Cuba. A poet of African descent, Plácido became renowned for his lyrical and romantic poetry. Despite his literary acclaim, he was accused of participating in a supposed slave revolt and was executed in 1844 during Cuba’s “Year of the Lash” (La Escalera), a brutal crackdown on Afro-Cubans. His life and work remain symbols of Black artistic excellence and resistance in the face of colonial repression.
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