(Taken from the Zografou Municipality website)
Yesterday, Tuesday, May 12, the Solidarity Concert for the Cuban People was held with great success at the Zografou Municipal Theater, co-organized by the Zografou City Council, the Cuban Embassy in Greece, and the ¡Salud Cuba! Project.
The warm participation of the audience was moving, with the theater packed to capacity, which confirmed in practice the feelings of international solidarity and support for the Cuban people.
The event was attended by Mayor Tina Kafatsaki, the Cuban Ambassador to Greece, Mr. Aramis Fuente Hernández, as well as deputy mayors and members of the City Council.
The concert was a special and deeply moving evening, in which prominent artists participated free of charge, expressing their support for Cuba through their art.
A special moment of the evening was the presence of Natasha Bofiliou, whose powerful performances demonstrated once again that culture and art can go hand in hand with solidarity, humanism, and respect among peoples.
During her address, the mayor welcomed the Cuban ambassador and said, among other things:
"Dear Ambassador, dear friends,
We are here today to express our solidarity with the Cuban people. But also to declare our support for their struggle for the obvious: their right to determine their own destiny.
Solidarity with Cuba today means defending peace and the right of all peoples to exercise their sovereignty.
We cannot remain silent in the face of the inhumane U.S. blockade that deprives children and families of basic goods, medicine, and energy.
Cuba taught us what humanitarianism means, sending doctors to every corner of the world when there was a need. Today it is our turn to reciprocate.
Today, our own country and all of us must be present wherever there is injustice, wherever a people is deprived of the basics, wherever dignity is tested. We stand together, with our hearts and eyes set on a free Cuba.
Cuba is not alone!"
The Cuban ambassador, for his part, emphasized, among other things:
"Dear Mayor Tina Kafatsaki,
Residents From the beautiful municipality of Zografou,
First and foremost, I want to thank the Zografou City Council, you, Madam Mayor, and the tireless colleagues who took the initiative and promoted the "Health – Cuba" Project. Of course, we also express our special and sincere gratitude to the artists and all those who, in one way or another, made this beautiful evening of friendship and solidarity possible. To all of you, we extend our fraternal greetings and the solidarity of a people who do not surrender and who defend their ideals, as well as their right to build a more just society.
In the municipality of Zografou, the deep and sincere feelings of friendship and solidarity that unite the peoples of Cuba and Greece are clearly affirmed. These are the sentiments enshrined by the apostle of Cuban independence, José Martí, from whom we received the legacy of working tirelessly to strengthen and cultivate love and fraternity between both peoples and nations.
With events like the one we are celebrating with you tonight, as well as the concert featuring renowned musicians, it is demonstrated once again that Cuba is not alone and that the solidarity of the people and honorable men and women of the world grows stronger every day.
Cuba and its heroic people have had to face the most brutal and varied aggressions from the United States, as well as defend themselves for more than 60 years against its constant attacks, including the imposition of the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade, designed to try to subdue the Cuban people through hunger and deprivation.
Thank you for all the expressions of friendship and solidarity shown in this important municipality, especially for the donations of medicines that have been made to support the Cuban people in the face of the difficult situation imposed by the application of this unjust and criminal policy of persecution and hatred.
We appreciate everyone's massive participation and this practical demonstration of solidarity.