María Cristina Camilo, 107 years old, the pioneer of Dominican broadcasting

Affectionately known as Maíta, María Cristina Camilo is and will be an essential part of the history of communication, culture, and art in the Dominican Republic.

With a career spanning over seven decades, her life became a testament to passion, discipline, and love for the craft of communication. Broadcaster, actress, presenter, nurse, and trainer, Camilo is, without a doubt, one of the most influential women of the 20th and 21st centuries in the country, a true living heritage of the nation.

Humble Beginnings

María Cristina Camilo Rodríguez was born on December 25, 1917, in San Francisco de Macorís, Duarte province. She was orphaned of her mother when she was just a girl, and was raised by her aunt Basilia Camilo Pantaleón and her husband Bartolo Amarante Méndez. She was the second cousin of the Mirabal Sisters, as her father, Basilio Camilo Pantaleón, was a first cousin of Mamá Chea, the mother of the Mirabal sisters. He studied at the Inmaculada Concepción School in La Vega, where he trained in music and learned piano and mandolin. That early training gave him excellent diction, a melodious voice, and an artistic sensibility that would later make a difference in his professional career. Later, she graduated as a surgical nurse, a profession she practiced for over a decade in a clinic in the province. However, her destiny was written in front of a microphone and a camera, as the call of communication became irresistible.

The Dominican Republic's Transition to Television

The big leap in her life occurred between 1948 and 1949, when she responded to a call at La Voz del Yuna, a station that would later become La Voz Dominicana. There she became the first female announcer in the country, a fact that broke the mold in a conservative society where women barely had a presence in the media. On August 1, 1952, her name was etched in history: María Cristina Camilo was the host of the first program broadcast on Dominican television, the show Romance Campesino. With this, she also became the first female television presenter in the country and one of the pioneers in Latin America. That same year, she began her relationship with the National Lottery, where she worked as a presenter for the draws for more than 60 years. Her presence, full of sobriety and elegance, accompanied several generations of Dominicans who recognized her as a figure of trust and respect.

But her talent was not limited to announcing or presenting. María Cristina Camilo also shone in theater, music, and soap operas. She participated in productions such as Cosas de mi Tierra, Felipa y Macario and El Estelar de Brugal, which marked Dominican television in the mid-20th century.

Over the years, he also ventured into cinema, acting in films such as "Un macho de mujer" (2006), "Mi novia está de madre!" (2007), and "Arrobá" (2013). In more recent times, he returned to conquer television with the program "Abuelos 911", broadcast by RTVD, in which he addressed especially the elderly, offering guidance, accompaniment, and motivation.

Acknowledgements:

Her career has been recognized on multiple occasions. On April 18, 1977, she was decorated with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella in the degree of Knight. She has received the Golden Microphone from the Association of Art Chroniclers (Acroarte) in 1991, in addition to multiple awards for her contribution to broadcasting and television. In 2021, at the age of 103, she was distinguished with a special Sovereign Award for her career. In 2022, the Maíta Awards were established, bearing her name as a tribute and seeking to recognize outstanding communicators in Dominican television. Likewise, the Chamber of Deputies and other state institutions have declared her a "living legend" for her invaluable contribution to the national culture. The Dominican people remember her as a symbol of professionalism, ethics, and dedication. Not in vain, for decades she has been considered "the reliable voice of the nation."

María Cristina Camilo was not only a pioneer in television and broadcasting, but also opened doors for thousands of women who today work in the media. In an era when female presence was limited and questioned, her talent and determination demonstrated that women could successfully occupy leadership positions and be a reference in the public sphere.

His life is a testament to the fact that the art of communicating goes beyond the voice or the image: it is also a commitment to the truth, education and the culture of a country.