Kingston, 25 June 2026. The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, hosted the forum ‘Perspectives on the current Cuban crisis: facts, impact and imperatives’ this morning. The event was organised by the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles, and was attended by the Ambassador of Cuba to Jamaica, Tania López Larroque.
During her opening remarks, the Cuban diplomat provided an update on the devastating effects of the sanctions imposed by the US administration, as well as the measures adopted by the Cuban government to mitigate them.
The main panel comprised Dr Miriam Nicado, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Havana; Bert Hoffman, senior researcher at the German Institute for Global and Regional Studies; Jessica Byron-Reid, former director of the UWI Institute of International Relations; Andy Knight, Distinguished Professor at the University of Alberta; and Indira Rampersad, Head of the Department of Political Science at the UWI, St Augustine Campus. In their remarks, the academics described Cuba as a country of peace, recognising its commitment to solidarity with the peoples of the world. They also denounced the negative impact of the blockade, which they described as the main cause of the internal situation on the island.
The panellists reaffirmed the importance of Caribbean unity and the need to support the Greater Antilles in the current complex situation, as a gesture of gratitude for the Cubans’ altruism towards humanity.
The forum, held in a hybrid format, was attended by Jamaican academics, lecturers and students from the UWI, and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Jamaica.
