The 47thAnniversary of the Cuban Revolution and the 163rd Birth´s Anniversary of José Martí, National Hero, were held at the headquarters of the Clement Payne Chamber in a crowded political and cultural activity in which the Cuban Embassy and the Association of Cuban Residents "Martyrs of Barbados" shared with Barbadian friends from various social sectors an excellent evening, which political party had as featured speakers the President of the Barbados-Cuba Association of Friendship, David Denny, the President of the Clement Payne Movement, David Comissiong, and the Cuban Ambassador to Barbados, Francisco Fernández. The cultural closure consisted of a joint concert between established artists and young Barbadians talents who showed the richness of Caribbean cultural integration.
David Denny highlighted in his words that the Cuban Revolution that triumphed in 1959 restored freedom to the Cuban people, who fought for over a hundred years for its independence and has resisted with dignity the cruel blockade imposed by US imperialism for nearly six decades. He described it as "one of the most important revolutions in the world for humanity" and added: "Cuba has maintained, above all the difficulties and sacrifices of its people, the militant solidarity with many African states helping their development and even participating in their struggles for independence as it was in Ethiopia and Angola, and decisively contributed to defeat apartheid regime in South Africa, facts that will be unforgettable for us".
Meanwhile, David Comissiong who was also the Master of Ceremonies and interventions nuance various times of the Cuban Revolution´s work and the political and intellectual life of the Cuban National Hero, extolled the celebration of two anniversaries together. He said the successful historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, had taken the teachings of Master (José Martí) who became the ideological mentor of the Revolution from the first phase of the struggle for independence.
Finally, the Ambassador stressed that this year's commemoration is done on a special occasion to pay tribute to Marti's ideals for the unity of "Our America" because precisely during these days the IV Summit community of Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is held in Quito, Ecuador, the first organization created by the heads of state and government of our region without the call for foreign powers to discuss our problems in full sovereign equality.
Fernández Peña ended his speech by remarking that "Cuba believes in cooperation, solidarity and the need for collective action, and in that sense, we believe that we CELAC principles and mechanisms are essential to achieve these goals; the best example has been the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, solemnly signing the Declaration of the II Summit Meeting of Havana, on January 28th, 2014.