By Fatoumatta K Jallow
The Ambassador of Cuba on Saturday 20th October bid farewell and also celebrated the cultural day of the Cuban people. October 20, 1868 was the day when poetry, music and patriotism were melted in the heat of battle, to begin the process towards their cultural identity, the Ambassador, Lazaro Herrera Martinez, narrated.
The Ambassador in his remarks said October is a month of historical meaning for the Cuban people, “the beginning of the wars for our independence in 1868, the missile crisis in 1962, the killing of the Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967, the Cuban airplane, which cost the lives of 73 young athletes in 1976. All these and other events tested and reaffirmed important components of the Cuban culture, such as rebellion, heroism and love for the motherland and the rest of humanity.”
He noted that Cuban is the result of the struggle for independence, sovereignty and liberation, “first against Spanish colonialism and later against US imperialism. That is why ours is a culture of resistance. “You cannot talk about Cuban culture without talking about rebellion,” he explained.
In conclusion he thank the Gambian people and assured that with dedication it will be a better place because they have the potential to make this small country a prosperous nation, an African paradise.
Cecilia Lora Guzmaa Head of the Cuban Medical Brigade said the day is a special day where their national anthem was sang in the city of Bayamo for the first time, since then it has accompanied the Cuban people in their uninterrupted struggle to achieve and maintain their freedom.
“That is why this day is celebrated in our country on the day of national culture, a day of reaffirmation of our identity as Cubans,” she stressed.
Gambian, Cuban graduates also thanked the ambassador, saying that he is great person.
