IDEAS and works of the celebrated Cuban 'son of the soil' Jose Marti are reflected in the book Trinidad y Tobago/Cuba Historia, Lengua y Literatura.
The book is not only important because of the contents within, but also due to the possibilities it opens for future research to enhance and deepen our understanding and knowledge about Caribbean societies and their outstanding men and women.
Dr Jacqueline Laguarda Martinez of the Institute of International Relations made these comments at the book's launch recently at the Humanities and Education Division, Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine.
Among those present were dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Dr Heather Cateau, head of the Department of History Dr Sherry Ann Singh, editors Dr Nicole Roberts, Dr Armando Garcia de la Torre and Dr Mauricio Nunez Rodriguez, Cuban Ambassador Guillermo Vazquez Moreno and historians Dr Debbie McCollin, Dr Michael Toussaint and Express columnist/historian Prof Bridget Brereton.
The book launch also commemorated the 165th anniversary of the birth of Jose Marti. Cuban Felipe Archival delivered a musical interlude.
1958 Cuban Revolution
Addressing those gathered, Martinez said: 'It serves as an occasion of reflecting on the ideas and work of the most universal among Cubans, Jose Marti. He was a poet, essayist, diplomat, politician and the highest symbol of Cuba's struggle for independence. His dedication to the fight for freedom turned him into a symbol of liberty. Marti was the architect of Cuba's victory against Spain by organizing and unifying the Cuban movement for independence.'
'As a true leader and political activist,' Martinez added, 'he was capable of changing the outcome of the 1958 Cuban Revolution. Not only did Marti influence the outcome of the Independence War. But he inspired future leaders of Cuba, Caribbean and Latin America.'
She continued to expound upon Marti's contribution.
'He wrote numerous pieces that spread across the Americas sending signals of independence and freedom. His literature was instrumental to light the flame for independence among the people of Cuba, but also was intended to educate on the values and the shapes of the republic to build once Spain was defeated. Marti emphasised the importance of building an inclusive republic where even the Spaniards remaining in Cuba after the war could be accepted.'
'In that spirit, Marti devoted many efforts to stress the idea no man has special rights because belonging to one or another race, because man is more than white, more than mulatto, more than black. Marti's vision of a 'raceless' nation is still that has not outpaced racial prejudices and discrimination... relevant for our multiracial region that has not outpaced racial prejudices and discrimination.'
La Torre, Marata, Rodriguez explore Marti's myriad interests She paid kudos to De La Torre for his attempt to help readers deepen their understanding of Jose Marti's ideas.
'He advances how advanced were Marti's perceptions on analysing the race rhetoric of his time that discriminated black and mulatto people while embracing a recognition of Western 'cultural supremacy. Marti denied all of it. He thought about a raceless society and called to appreciate cultures from their inherent values, without establishing hierarchies but understanding all of them, from their values and universal contributions to humankind.'
Another article by Anette Maria Jimenez Marata explains how Marti cultivated a healthy appreciation for cultures and knowledges, mostly in the Americas. An article themed 'The Diary of Jose Marti in Guatemala' reveals by an insightful reading of a personal diary, the process of Marti building his Americanist ideal, his anti-colonial vision and his social model based on social justice. By his description of the people he met, the way they acted and spoke, Marti also let us know how he understood the Latin American identity and the inner nature of the diverse Latin American peoples.'
Mauricio Nunez Rodriguez delves into the angle of Marti as a fiction writer. Rodriguez establishes that Marti's poetic vision was present in his literary creation as a storyteller and as a translator of novels and short stories.