Has a daughter Iddia Veitia from her first husband and two children, Ibis Hernandez and Alfredo Hernandez, from her second husband.
Trained as a musician and ethnographer at the Conservatory of Music in Havana.
Raised by her paternal grandmother and four aunts, she grew up surrounded by Afro-Cuban professionals, including family members who played in the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra.
Wrote for the youth magazine Mella and for the Communist Party newspaper Noticias de Hoy (News of Today).
At the Instituto Cubano Del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) she served as assistant director to Jorge Fraga, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, and Agnès Varda.