Example of South-South cooperation
By María Josefina Arce
History, roots, culture and a friendship based on respect and mutual help unite Cuba and Gambia, where for almost three decades Cuban health professionals have been present to help improve the health indexes of the African nation.
With this objective in mind, a new group of collaborators from the Greater of the Antilles arrived in Gambia this month to join the Medical Brigade present there, which works in health centers and in the communities.
Shoulder to shoulder, the Gambian and Cuban doctors and technical personnel work side by side, and they are the recipients of the affection and gratitude of the population and the authorities. In fact, the president of the country, Adama Barrow, has highlighted the solidarity assistance of the archipelago.
The support of the Cuban cooperants in the confrontation with the COVID 19 in Gambia, where they were in the direct attention to those infected with the virus, was important.
Also noteworthy in the health field is the fact that Gambian doctors are studying their specialties in Cuban territory, through scholarships granted by Havana.
In addition, teachers from the Caribbean nation train future generations of professionals from the West African state at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Banjul, in the capital, created by the initiative of the historic leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro.
The impact of cooperation on Gambian soil has been such that in 2020 the two countries renewed the Collaboration Agreement on health that they have had for years.
The two countries also cooperate in agriculture, construction, trade, science and sports. On that path, in 2021 they signed a sports agreement to expand and strengthen ties in this area.
Although Cuba has offered its solidarity aid to Gambia, the people and government of that nation have always stood by the archipelago in all international scenarios.
Gambia has accompanied the Cubans in their struggle against the genocidal U.S. blockade, both in the UN General Assembly and in the African Union, supporting resolutions that reject and demand an end to the hostile U.S. policy.
An example of South-South cooperation are the links between Cuba and Gambia, in which solidarity, brotherhood, mutual respect and the political will to move forward together in favor of both peoples prevail.
