Conference on Cuba Wraps Up in Canada

HAVANA, Cuba. The president of Cuba's Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, said the academic conference on the 50 years of the Cuban revolution that wrapped up its work in Kingston, Canada, had been very constructive.

Under the title "The Measure of the Revolution: Cuba, 1959-2009," the conference, took place at Queen's University.

Speaking at the closing session of the meeting, Ricardo Alarcon said debates were led in a fruitful environment and he talked about the achievements of the Revolution in health, education and international cooperation.

Granma newspaper wrote that the three-day meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of topics related to Cuba, including international relations, culture, gender, economy, environment, sexuality, politics, migration, race, education, health and religion.

Addressing more than 200 scholars from 14 countries attending the event, the Cuban official referred to the impact of the recent measures announced by US President Barack Obama as insufficient and a simple return to what things were like before the administration of former
president George W. Bush.

The academic conference was held from May 7 to 9, organized by Queen's University and in coordination with the universities of Havana in Cuba and Chapel Hills in North Carolina, U.S.A. A festival celebrating Cuban culture run parallel in the Kingston, which is the only Canadian city
with a partnership with a Cuban city, Cienfuegos.

(Concluye conferencia sobre Cuba en Kingston, Canadá)

Cuban and Canadian Artists in Defense of the Environment

SANTIAGO DE CUBA. Cuban and Canadian artists are presenting here an art project entitled "Two Groups of 7 + 1”, which in championing the preservation of nature and its links with mankind.

Creators from the Cram Coleltive from the Niagara region in Ontario and the Luis Díaz Eduardo Cultural Workshop from eastern Santiago de Cuba province, reflect in their paintings the importance of preserving the environment and the participation of man as the main element
contributing to its protection.

Throughout May, these artists will exhibit their works at the Oriente Gallery, located in the area around the historic Céspedes Park, as an example of creative exchange and solidarity.

Participating for Canada are painters Tobey Anderson, Ernest Harris junior, Sandy Fairbairn, Melanie MacDonald, Carolyn Wren, Stephen Remus and John Venditti, while Vivian Lozano, Jorge Luis Chávez, José Armando Medina, Gregorio Pérez, Israel Tamayo and Miguel Ángel Lovaina -among other artists- represent Cuba.

Cram is a group made up of 30 Canadians and has the smallest art gallery in Canada, devoted to the promotion of the work of national and foreign intellectuals.

The Luis Díaz Cultural Workshop excels as the only one of its kind on the archipelago due to its structure, and it’s in charge of encouraging the work of artists, critics and researchers interested in the creation, study and spreading of art.

It also contributes to the training of creators and to enrich culture by way of lectures, seminars, specialization courses, classes, as well as individual and collective exhibitions, both in Cuba and abroad, plus other activities of similar scope.

(Artistas de Cuba y Canadá en defensa del medio ambiente)

Canadian Youths Happy to Be in Cuba

Bayamo, Cuba, March 26 (acn) Canadian youths visiting Cuba expressed today their great sympathy for the people of the island, after touring historical sites of the Sierra Maestra mountain and other places of interest in the eastern province of Granma.

Members of the group made up of theater students and professors from the city of Trois Rivieres, Quebec, told ACN that they were happy for having been able to talk with Cubans of different ages and occupations, which allowed them to learn about the culture and history of the island.

Amelia Langlois, member of the Trois Rivieres Solidarity Committee spoke to ACN on behalf of the rest of the visitors, who in general expressed their interest in studying Spanish and travelling to the island again in the future.

She said the group loved the Sierra Maestra tour, where they met with children and adults in the communities of Providencia and Boca del Salto, scenarios of battles fought by the Rebel Army, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, during National Liberation War.

Langlois said they walked around the Revolution square in Bayamo and visited the museums of the National Anthem and the Motherland, as well as the Los Dolores chapel, which is a real architectural jewel in the main catholic church of the city.

The Quebecois committee has been organizing trips for community-based cultural exchanges to Cuba since 2006 with the Cuban theatre troupe La Guerrilla de Teatreros, explained Langlois, and added that the project seeks to introduce young Canadians to international actions of solidarity and increase their knowledge about other nations.

The Canadian group arrived in Cuba on March 15 and will conclude its visit on the 29th, coordinated by the Cuban Friendship Institute delegation in Granma.

(Expresan jóvenes canadienses simpatía por Cuba)