Irish President highlights historic ties between his country and Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 17 (ACN) The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, spoke about the deep historical ties that unite Cuba and his country, "two islanders in the same sea of struggle and hope."
Both nations have lived under the shadow of a powerful neighbor, a shadow that deprived the lives of generations of opportunities, Higgins said at the inauguration of the exhibition Irishmen in Latin America, one of the activities he carried out as part of his official visit to Cuba.
In the presence of Abel Prieto, Cuban Minister of Culture; Sonja Hyland, Ireland's ambassador to Havana, and members of the Irish community in Cuba, Higgins recognized the deep imprint left by such oppression, even when people come out of it and begin to look to the future with hope as Cuba does.
According to the president, this exhibition, which will be presented in its Spanish version throughout Latin America, describes in 26 panels the shared history between Ireland and Latin American nations, mostly connected by the migration from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
He emphasized that many of the descendants of the Irish emigrants, who fled British colonization, shared the ideals of the pro-independence leaders Simon Bolivar and Jose Marti.