Yesterday, October 18, artists, intellectuals and creators came together at José Martí National Library to celebrate the 120th anniversary of this majestic reservoir of knowledge, as well as the 35th anniversary of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS).
It was an afternoon of light, of memories, emotion and well deserved honors for a group of Cubans who have put their talent in the service of the homeland; an inauguration and dedications of spaces at the National Library; plus an AHS awards ceremony, attended by Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; Party Secretariat member and head of its Ideological Department, Rogelio Polanco Fuentes; and Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh.
Along with young writers and artists, library staff and members of the National Union of Cultural Workers, the event was also attended by the first secretary of the National Committee of the Young Communists League (UJC), Aylin Alvarez Garcia; first deputy minister of Culture, Maria Elena Salgado Cabrera; the vice president of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (Uneac), Marta Bonet de la Cruz; Casa de las Americas president, Abel Prieto Jiménez; AHS president Rafael González Muñoz; as well as the director of the National Library, Omar Valiño Cedré.
The special afternoon began with a visit by the Cuban President to the new Eliseo Diego Youth and Children's Hall, a renovated space within the library where specialized services are offered.
The National Library’s auditorium where, in 1961, the historic meeting between Fidel and intellectuals took place - and the Comandante insisted on the Revolution’s right to defend itself - will now be known as the Hart Theater, in honor of Armando Hart Dávalos, the eminent intellectual and revolutionary leader, Minister of Education during the Literacy Campaign and founding head of the Ministry of Culture.
In the context of its 35th anniversary, the AHS, Rafael González, presented a special seal, awarded every five years to significant figures and institutions for their contributions to culture and the homeland, to intellectual Abel Prieto Jiménez, as well as Uneac on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, and the National Library on its 120th anniversary.
Journalist and storyteller Yasel Toledo Garnache, vice-president of the AHS, recalled Fidel's meetings with the young creators’ organization, and the poets Luis and Sergio Saíz Montes de Oca, in whose honor the association is named, two young men who died one defending the other, two writers deeply committed to the ideas of Fidel and Martí.
Earlier in the day, President Díaz-Canel tweeted: "The beloved AHS has reached 35 years of existence, with the challenge of never growing old and taking its young, revolutionary art to every corner of the island. Congratulations, we count on you to continue giving heart and soul to Cuba. May the spirit of the Association never die."
