The Slave Route Project, proposed by Haiti and
several African countries, was officially launched
in 1994 in Benin in order to raise awareness of the
causes and consequences of the slave trade on human
beings.
Cuba has been a member of this program since its
inception and has an active national committee which
has done important research and work on the
preservation of African heritage, stated Moussa to
Prensa Latina.
He recalled that Cuba has a slavery museum,
created in 2009 in the city of Matanzas, the largest
of its kind in America, where valuable objects,
pictures, texts and artworks are displayed.
UNESCO played a crucial role in slavery and the
slave trade being recognized as a crime against
humanity during the World Conference against Racism,
held in Durban in 2001.
This year, to mark the twentieth anniversary of the
project, the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization organized a series of
events, which included a panel discussion and jazz,
gospel and percussion concerts.
A Cuban painting and sculpture exhibition was also
inaugurated in the Cuban delegates Circle of UNESCO,
and was attended by diplomats from African and Latin
American countries.
The Cuban ambassador to France, Hector Igarza
recalled the historical ties between his country and
Africa and the links of friendship and solidarity
formed and solidified after the triumph of the
Revolution in 1959.
Igarza stated that thousands of Africans have been
trained in Cuba and tens of thousands of workers
from the island have provided assistance in Africa
in sectors such as health and education. (PL)
