Santiago de Cuba was once again the setting for a moving encounter marked by remembrance, gratitude, and solidarity. The rector of the University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Abel Tobías Suárez Olivares, welcomed the second European Convoy of solidarity with Cuba, “May Day,” on a day filled with symbolism.
The moment was imbued with memories that still resonate strongly. Abel Tobías is not only the host today: he was also one of the Cuban doctors who was part of the brigade that traveled to Turin, Italy, during the most critical moments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. There, in the heart of the crisis, bonds were forged that are now resurfacing with renewed intensity.
Amid the current context of energy scarcity facing the island, the convoy’s visit takes on special significance. It is a gesture that returns, a solidarity that multiplies and is recognized as its own, in a relationship that many of its participants describe as brotherly.
Some of the members of the convoy were, in those difficult days, translators for the Cuban doctors. Among them, they closely accompanied Abel Tobías himself, facilitating communication in extreme circumstances.
Personal stories intertwine and come to life in this new chapter. For instance, the story of Ileana Núñez, a Cuban soprano living in Italy, stands out. During the pandemic, she took on the role of translator in Turin, putting her voice—and her own safety—at the service of life. Her embrace with the rector encapsulated the emotion of a reunion that transcends the institutional.
The second European Solidarity Convoy is already leaving its mark in Santiago de Cuba, where the eastern part of the country is becoming the epicenter of these profoundly human exchanges, in which solidarity is once again confirmed as a bridge between peoples.
[ SOURCE: www.cubainformacion.tv ]
