What is done here with culture, on a limited budget, is heroic; this is being Cuban, said Lancelot Cowie, ambassador from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, speaking with Granma International, after participating in the Pensamiento Congress, the Festival of Ibero-American Culture’s central event.
Regarding the meeting that brings together intellectuals and artists from several countries, the diplomat said that cultural horizons are expanded since Spaniards also arrived in the English-speaking Caribbean, recalling, “At one point, my country was under Spain’s governance.”
“Strengthening ties, joining forces is a 21st century way of thinking. I did not feel a visitor here; I noticed a real connection with shared histories. In the Caribbean there are many cultural ties relevant today,” said the man who has united a 30-year academic career in South American Studies with his diplomatic work.
“My books deal with all of Latin America. In them, and in the articles I write, the vision is always to bring the Caribbean closer,” he said after noting that the three years he has spent in Cuba promoting commercial and cultural ties, have served to enrich his intellectual heritage.
He said that one of the greatest satisfactions that his stay in this country has given him is participating in such academic forums.
With respect to the Holguin event, during which he made profound reflections on what identifies Caribbean and Latin American nations, he insisted that follow up is essential, and that ways of financing projects and agreements must be sought.
When he was asked about the presence of Cuban doctors in his nation, Cowie said that it is a strong agreement. “The entire Oncology departments of hospitals in my country are staffed by specialists from Cuba. We continue to request them given their high level of performance and humane conduct.”
Regarding the international campaign to discredit Cuba’s international medical collaboration, the diplomat referred to those who promote such misinformation, insisting that a single country or a ruler cannot make rules for the entire world.
(Granma)