Havana Hosts International Forum on Caribbean Cultural Diversity

Havana, May 19 (ACN) The Center of Studies on the Caribbean at the “Casa de Las Americas” cultural institution in Havana is hosting the 10th International Colloquium on Caribbean Cultural Diversity, focusing on “Archives and Memories: decolonization in the Caribbean.”
Attending scholars and experts are debating issues related to identity, history and the regional memory at the forum running till May 23rd.

The opening session was attended by Casa de Las Americas president Abel Prieto and by the institution’s director Camila Valdes, who referred to the importance of the archives for attending Caribbean intellectuals and their role in cultural projects.

Valdes recalled Cuban National Hero Jose Marti on the 130th year of his death in combat against Spanish colonial rule; she stressed Marti’s vision as Caribbean thinker and promoter of decolonization.

Participants pay homage to writer Didier Dominique, a friend of Casa de las Americas, who recently passed away.

Some of the topics on the colloquium’s agenda include the link between revolution, power and the archives, as well as the impact by socio-cultural phenomena on children, families and the nation.

Haitian historian Franz Voltaire gave a key-note lecture stressing the need to preserve the historic memory for new generations, in a context marked by colonialism, slavery and mass migration.

The international colloquium affirms the commitment of the Havana cultural institution to the study and preservation of Caribbean memory by promoting critical analysis and academic language about identity and the decolonization processes in the Caribbean region.