Kingston, Jamaica, 5 March 2021. Doctor Opal Palmer Adisa, University Director of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, visited the Embassy of Cuba in this capital, and had a fluent conversation with the Ambassador of the Greatest Island in the Antilles to Jamaica, Mrs. Inés Fors Fernández.
The problem of gender and all related challenges; as well as the possibility of exploring actions to promote exchanging experiences between Jamaican and Cuban institutions were the subject matter of the discussion between the Jamaican academic and the Cuban diplomat.
Dr. Palmer acknowledged the positive results achieved by Cuba in terms of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Cuba holds second place worldwide in relation to the number of women in Parliament; 53.22%; more than 60% of higher education graduates are female. Women account for 48% of the country's research and development force and 70% of the workforce in the health sector.
A writer, playwright, gender specialist and cultural activist, Dr. Palmer Adisa has lectured in the United States, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, Spain, France, England and Prague. She has twenty-two titles to her credit as a writer, including the novel It Begins with Tears (1997), hailed as one of the most motivating works for young people.