The congress included, among other things, debates, examples of socio-cultural experiences, work with adults as well as with children and young people in urban and rural areas, artistic and literary presentations. Photo: Taken from Facebook.
The activities of the III. Mesoamerican and Caribbean Congress, attended by representatives from 11 nations, concludes today in Matanzas.
IPS Cuba July 3, 2023
Havana, July 3 – Culture and Arts for Societal Change, Gender, Diversity, Women’s Empowerment and Local Development from culture, solidarity economy, academic management, tradition and heritage spark debates in various locations in the city of Matanzas, seat of the III Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Congress, which ends this Monday.
Since June 28, the western Cuban city has hosted an exchange between representatives of programmes, projects and community experiences from Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Cuba .
As María Eugenia Romero, coordinator of the congress, told local media, this event focuses on showing the culture created to support vulnerable communities and strive for recovery and development.
“This culture is also important and we need guests from other countries who know and appreciate them as part of the exchange,” he emphasized.
In her words of welcome to the participants from the 11 nations, the Cuban spokeswoman for the international movement of living cultures assured that the event allows people of different ages to network and learn, “convinced that all opinions are valid and tools”. .
Represents the program of the event, during which activities will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the system of Houses of Culture in Cuba, the 50th anniversary of the University of Matanzas, the 170th birthday of José Martí and the 330th anniversary of the city of Matanzas and the tenth anniversary of the Latin American Community Culture movement.
The event, organized by the project “Cuba: Bridges of Living Community Cultures” with the aim of strengthening these experiences in the country, is also dedicated to Mexico, the host country of the forthcoming VI. Latin American Congress “Living Community Culture”, as well as solidarity and peace and friendship between peoples.
varied program
On the first day of activities, conclave participants visited the Castle of San Severino and the Museum of the Slave Route in Matanzas, where they learned details about these historic sites and discussed race, religion, heritage, economics and solidarity.
Likewise, at the headquarters of the Maravillas de la Infancia community project, they could share with girls, boys and young people about childhood, adolescence and youth, enjoy audiovisual media and analyze realities and challenges related to communication and internet access for the family.
The Word Circle on Gender, Diversity and Women’s Empowerment held meetings on June 29 at the headquarters of AfroAtenAs, the socio-cultural integration, intervention and transformation project in Matanzas.
A post on the project’s Facebook page reported the presence of people from Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia and different regions of Cuba, who addressed issues such as diversity, inclusion and LGBTIQ rights, cultural rights and community participation, sexual orientation and gender identity discussed. Discrimination, violence, racism, classism, non-binary women and men, gender and ruralness, among others.
According to the publication, an articulation was formed to “maintain effective communication in favor of preserving what has been done, showing what has been done and what is yet to be done, along with allowing the struggles for equality to continue in spaces without stigma.” be.’ , discrimination or any kind of violence’.
For more integration
Several users of this social network reported the meeting at the Sauto Theater between the Presidency of the Ibercultura Viva program, representatives of the Center for Exchange and Reference Community Initiative linked to the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and delegates of the Congress .
They discussed the inclusion of Cuba in this program of international cooperation in community development. In addition, the experiences of the member countries of Ibercultura Viva as well as Cuba, Latin America and the Caribbean in defending their identity were analysed.
As the vice-president of Ibercultura, Argentinian Federico Prieto, pointed out on local television, this international initiative aims to integrate the experiences of the Iberoamerican community in order to propose solutions and strategies for a better quality of life, education and social welfare.
According to the Cuban spokesman for the International Movement of Living Cultures, the conclave held in Matanzas revisits the experience of the Cuban delegation at the V Congress of Living Community Cultures, held in Peru in October 2022.
Likewise, he affirms, it “represents the opportunity to meet again, to rediscover the worlds of work with very different cultural policies, not only in each country but also in the regions and communities of these countries (members). the Movement in Defense of Living Culture). (2023)