A tribute to Cuban culture and to the prominent writer Miguel Barnet, president of the Fernando Ortiz Foundation, took place at the Congress of the state of Veracruz, the Cuban Embassy in Mexico announced on Saturday.
According to the source, the International Confederation of Universities awarded Barnet an honorary degree (*Honoris Causa*) and the Emiliano Zapata Medal.
The poet and anthropologist expressed his gratitude for the tribute, the praise, and the solidarity shown by the Mexican people toward Cuba. He also addressed the blockade imposed by the United States, noting how it affects the population of the Caribbean nation in unimaginable ways.
He condemned what he described as a “silent genocide” and spoke of the creative resistance of the Cuban people in the face of “imperialist barbarism.”
He also paid tribute to the great Mexican masters of anthropology—a school of thought he considers one of the most important and prestigious in the world—and credited them for his own academic formation.
According to a post by the diplomatic mission on the social media platform X, the event was organized by legislator Victoria Gutiérrez and the state’s Secretary of Culture, Xochitl Molina, in collaboration with the Association of Resident Cubans and the international cultural organization Timbalaye.
Molina praised Miguel Barnet’s life and body of work, expressing what an honor it was to host the author of *Biography of a Runaway Slave* (*BiografÃa de un Cimarrón*)—along with other major works of Cuban and world literature—and highlighted the significance of the bond between the two cultures, which was further strengthened by this gathering.
For her part, Gutiérrez welcomed the Cubans, referring to them as “comrades-in-arms in the struggle for the independence of our peoples—nations with which we share geographical proximity, a love for music and dance, and a common history.”
For his part, the Cuban ambassador, Eugenio MartÃnez, expressed his gratitude for the event, which commemorates the first time the Caribbean nation’s national anthem was sung — an occasion that took place just days after the start of the initial struggle for independence.
He highlighted the significance of holding this commemoration in Mexico — a country he described as a “brother” nation — and denounced the tightening of the blockade and the aggressive rhetoric directed at the Caribbean country, labeling such actions as despicable.
For more than six decades, the United States has maintained an economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba — a policy that was further intensified this past January through an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The lack of access to fuel, resulting from this intensification, has had a drastic impact on critical sectors in the Caribbean nation, including electricity generation, the operation of hospitals, food production and distribution, and water pumping systems.
The threats issued by the Republican president, along with other coercive measures taken by Washington against the island, have drawn widespread condemnation and opposition from grassroots groups, governments, and political figures in Mexico and across the globe.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
