The cycle of conferences on Cuba and its revolutionary process organized by the Turkish Association of Friendship with Cuba "Jose Marti" at the headquarters of this organization in Ankara concluded last Saturday with the screening and subsequent discussion of the Cuban fiction feature film "Portrait of Teresa". The event gathered about twenty Turkish citizens who enjoyed the film of the renowned film and theater director, Pastor Vega Torres. The meeting was also attended by the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Cuban Embassy in Turkey, Luis Javier Cabañas Álvarez and the head of Consular Affairs, Yaumara Williams Torres, who contributed to the pleasant exchange that took place after watching the classic film of Cuban cinematography. In the wide-ranging debate, the Cuban diplomats answered several questions about the role played by Cuban women in society as part of the process of transformations initiated with the triumph of the Revolution.
They emphasized that the social policy and economic development strategy of the Cuban revolutionary government have had among their fundamental objectives, the elimination of all forms of discrimination and exploitation based on class, race and gender. It has designed and implemented public policies that attach great importance to the advancement of women and, as a principle, works for the defense of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, to erase the cultural, ideological, psychological, economic and social barriers that kept women in conditions of subordination and backwardness. The Antillean officials recalled the figure of Vilma Espín Guillois, founder and first president of the Federation of Cuban Women FMC, who stood out for her sensitivity, simplicity, modesty, loyalty, fidelity, and tenacity in leading the tasks for the advancement of women.
She left a legacy of resistance and struggle for the rights of Cuban women. They also emphasized that today Cuban women hold positions in the National Assembly of People's Power, the highest legislative body in the country, and are protagonists in almost all areas of society. In addition, the Cuban diplomats emphasized that the decisive role of the female force is widely recognized in the country during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and in the research on new medicines, being an important part in obtaining the Cuban vaccines with which 89.7% of the Cuban population is immunized with the complete vaccination schedule. The participants in the event were grateful for the information and expressed their support to the Cuban revolutionary project.