By: Oscar Ignacio Ruano Chavez
Santiago de Cuba, CMKC, Radio Revolucion – With a variety of activities and taking into account the rules imposed by the danger of contagion with the covid-19, artistic-literary institutions in Santiago have made public the program for the National Day of Culture, October 20, here in this eastern province.
The celebrations planned for October 10-20, have literature among the best proposals in the city, according to Vivian Tornes, from the “Jose Soler Puig” Center for Literary Promotion in Santiago de Cuba.
«On the 10th, at 10 a.m., there will be a talk with Dr. Teresa Fleitas, at the “Jose Soler Puig” Center for Literary Promotion, about the Visual Arts in Santiago de Cuba; on the 13th, «Miradas» an exhibition by the Mexican artist Fabian Cortes, who lives in New York will be inaugurated; On the 17th, the literary gathering will focus on the poet Efrain Naderau Maceo on his 80th birthday, and therefore, books such as «El Pequeno Zoo» (The Little Zoo) and other presentations with illustrations by the renowned guest will be shown.
The day will close with literary games for children: What do you know about literature? At the door of the Amado Ramon bookstore, on Enramadas street.
The “Jose Soler Puig” Center for Literary Promotion seeks on this day the greater stimulus to reading without taking into account ages, or creeds, or sexes, when culture becomes the Soul of the Peoples, which is extremely necessary in times of covid-19 pandemic.
Cuban National Culture Day
The Cuban National Culture Day is celebrated in Cuba every October 20th, being considered an event that definitely marks the birth of a rebellious nation and its identity.
The date was instituted in commemoration of one of the most relevant events in Cuba’s history, the singing for the first time of the Cuban National Anthem, La Bayamesa, as it was called by the people when Mambi troops under the command of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes liberated the city of Bayamo.
Perucho Figueredo, a man from Bayamo, on horseback, writes the lyrics of the Bayamo anthem.
The lawyer Pedro Figueredo, “Perucho”, was the author of such ardent verses, he wrote the lyrics while on his horse in the midst of the rejoicing of the takeover by the Mambi troops of the Liberating Army of the Republic of Cuba in Arms.Tthe city of Bayamo preferred to be burned down by its inhabitants than to be handed over to the enemy.
On October 10th, 1868, ten days before the event, the Revolution began at the call of the “La Demajagua” sugar mill bell, and it was on the 20th when, as an expression of the profoundly revolutionary character of the germinating deed, the permanent combat was called and the patriotic feeling was exalted, through this war and victory hymn, which, copied from hand to hand, was sung by all those who attended the exalted moment.
It is the history of the Cuban National Anthem which was firstly sung on October 20th, 1868.
