Salsa In The City Square – Cuba! Friend To The World!

Tomorrow, Saturday August 25, 2012, the Canadian -Cuban Friendship Association, will host the 17th Annual Toronto-Cuba Friendship Day from 1 pm to 8 pm.  See details of the event below.  Visit their excellent site at http://ccfatoronto.ca/.

From here in Jamaica we congratulate the CCFA and wish them another happy occasion.

17^th Annual Toronto-Cuba Friendship Day
1 pm to 8 pm

“Cuba! Friend to the World!”

Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West at Bay

 Cuban Dance bands:

Yani Borrell y Los Clave Kings

Pablo Terry and Sol de Cuba

Plus more…

Free Salsa lessons, Display and Info tables
and a clown

Beer Garden, Cuban Food

from La Cubanita Restaurant
(9 Milvan Dr – Plaza Latina,� Lunch till Dinner
2 lights west of Weston Rd & just north of Finch W.)

ALL WELCOME

Organized by Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto

416 410-8254 or 905-951-8499 Sharon

Cuba Offers Expertise in Culture and the Arts to the World

All the specialists of the Cuban Culture within your reach.

Whenever we think of Cuba’s assistance to other countries, health and education come to mind.  In the context of the changes to strengthen socialism in Cuba, however, the country is undertaking several other initiatives.  One of these new forms comes in the area of Culture and the Arts, through D’ARTE.

D’ARTE is the Cuban agency, which promotes and commercializes technical and professional services related to the Cuban Culture outside of its country.

According to a release from this agency, “D’ARTE designs and implements interesting programs based on diverse areas of the Cuban culture, which include: Cinema, Fines Arts, Music, Ballet, Theatre, Modern Dance, Contemporary Dance and Folkloric Dance of

Possibility of Linking Jamaican Mayor with Cuban Counterpart Discussed

Recently, Mr. Benny White, Mayor of the Jamaican city of Port Antonio, in the parish of Portland, paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Yuri Gala López, at the headquarters of the Cuban diplomatic mission.

During this cordial meeting, both parties exchanged views on the possibilities of strengthening the links between the Mayor’s Office of Port Antonio and its counterparts in Cuba.

The Cuban diplomat offered the Mayor an update on the Cuban reality, the impact of the

Cuban Star Choreographer Meets with Organizers of Jamaica 50 Grand Gala

Responding to an invitation from the Ministry of Culture, the well-known Cuban choreographer, Johannes Garcia paid a visit to Jamaica. Mr. Garcia held meetings with officials from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Jamaica; as well as other representatives of the Jamaican cultural sector within the framework of the celebrations of Jamaica´s 50th anniversary of independence.

During his stay in Kingston from 17th July to 10th August, Johannes interacted with Jamaican experts who organized the cultural show of the Jamaica 50 Grand Gala held on 6th August.  Garcia also had the opportunity to exchange views with the Ministry of Culture

Wife of One of the Cuban Five Visits Bolivia to Honour Che

On Wednesday, August 22, 2012, Adriana Pérez, wife of Gerardo Hernández , the Cuban hero convicted in the U.S. to serve  two life sentences plus 15 years for fighting terrorism, arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, from Lima, Peru, on a five-day visit.

Adriana was invited by the Movement of Solidarity with Cuba in Bolivia, and her visit will include participation in the tribute to the Argentinean-Cuban guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara in La Higuera, reported Prensa Latina news agency.

In her first statements Adriana welcomed the invitation and said that any Cuban that visits Bolivia creates expectations, and especially for anyone associated with the Cuban Five, because of what Che has meant to them.

She stressed that Gerardo had in his cell a picture of Che and one of Nelson Mandela, and said that as his wife, as well as a Cuban, she will be at the tribute in La Higuera, where Che was killed.

At the same time, she described as fruitful her

Ten Young Haitians to Take Medical Courses in Cuba

Ten Haitian youth will begin medical courses in Cuba in the 2012-2013 academic year as part of a bilateral education agreement between Havana and Port-au Prince, under which over 800 Haitians have graduated as medical doctors.

The Haitian students, who will do their courses at the University of Medical Sciences in eastern Santiago de Cuba province, shared views during a recent meeting with Cuban officials  and members of the Cuban Medical Brigade at the island’s diplomatic mission in Haiti.

During the gathering, the vice-director of the medical brigade doctor Alejo Sagol spoke to the students about the work being done by Cuban doctors in Haiti and congratulated them

Jamaican Medical Scholarship Winners Leave for Cuba

August 18 2012

Five Jamaicans left the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston today to join the list of over 600 Jamaicans who have benefited from scholarships offered by the Cuban government to Jamaicans since the 1970s.  They will spend seven years in Cuba,the first of which will be devoted to a pre-med programme which includes learning to speak Spanish.

It was a happy send-off for this year’s winners of medical scholarships Danya-Gaye Chin, Darrieux Gordon, Dellie-Ann Green, Jamie Lindsay, and Jason Scott, who were accompanied to the airport by their families and close friends.

In a message to the students, Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, Yuri Gala, noted that all arrangements for their flight to and arrival in Cuba were in place and he wished them a “great stay in Cuba”.

Members of the Jamaica-Cuba solidarity network remained with the five happy Jamaicans and their families and close friends at the airport until it was time for them to board the plane.

Below are photos of this happy occasion.

(More photos below)

Scholarship from the Government of Cuba – A Message of Hope, says Dellie-Ann Green

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, scholarship winner Dellie-Ann Green speaks of how despite her excellent performance at Campion College (High School) and being accepted at the University of the West Indies, she was unable to move on to tertiary level studies as her parents could not afford the tuition.  She speaks of the scholarship awarded by the government of Cuba as a ‘message of hope’ saying that now she will be able  to practice medicine, serve her country and allow her parents to one day stop working so hard.

Read the full interview at: Dellie-Ann Green: Off to study medicine     http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/career/Dellie-Ann-Green–Off-to-study-medicine_12235045

YESCuba, News
Kingston, Jamaica

Church Holds Function for Cuban Scholarship Winner

On Friday, August 17, 2012, the Kingston Church of Christ (St. Catherine division) in Portmore held a special function for Darrieux Gordon, one of its members and one of the five Jamaicans who got a medical scholarship from the government of Cuba.

Member after member got up and showered praises on Darrieux as a role model to youth, as a good Christian and someone from Fortis (Kingston College).  Darrieux’s mother, Verna Owens, spoke emotionally of how because of complications during her pregnancy with him, the doctor had suggested aborting her child, now “look at him 19 years later” she said proudly to loud applause.

After the speeches, Darrieux was presented with a special cake made for him and he was

Why is Cuba on the US list of countries that sponsor terrorism?

 

A twisted reality.