She left Cuba six years ago, unaware that she wouldn’t be able to return. I left Cuba six years ago, but I had no intention of not coming back. Daymé Arocena at her presentation at the Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards, September 4 Paul Morigi (Getty Images for Hispanic Herita)Q. Once I left Cuba and started seeing, playing alongside and interacting with other people from other cultures – and having access to the internet – my world exploded. Black singers in the industry don’t sing so-so: we have to do it spectacularly well to be given a space.