HAVANA, Cuba — St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and Cuba marked 34 years of diplomatic relations on May 26, with Kingstown’s Embassy in Havana hosting an event on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary.
Over 36 ambassadors and chargés d’affaires accredited to Cuba, Cuban government officials, and other guests joined SVG’s Ambassador to Cuba, Angella Jackson and Vincentian students studying in Cuba at the event.
Jackson told the gathering that the diplomatic ties represent “three and a half decades of a friendship built on respect, solidarity, and cooperation between brotherly peoples”.
She said that Cuba has trained hundreds of Vincentian professionals, sent doctors when SVG needed them most, and shared its knowledge through projects that transformed the country.
“Argyle International Airport, the Georgetown Diagnostic Centre, and the daily work of your medical brigade in Kingstown are proof that this friendship is not only diplomatic but also human,” Jackson said.
She said that SVG has stood with Cuba in international fora, “defending its sovereignty and raising our voice against the blockade because we believe that true friendship is shown in difficult times.
“And today, Cuba is going through one of those moments. We know about the blackouts, the energy challenges affecting every Cuban family. From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we express our deep solidarity. We know well what it means to face disasters and adversity, and we know that the Cuban people, like our own, are resilient. Cuba is not alone,” Jackson said and pledged SVG’s continued support for Cuba.
Jackson attended university in Cuba and she said that the 34 years of diplomatic ties have shown that South-South Cooperation is real.
“I came here as a young Rasta, and I transformed into a professional woman; a person who understands that we should not give only from what is left over, but from what we have.”
The event also welcomed Cubans who worked on various infrastructure projects in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, such as the Argyle International Airport, and medical professionals who served as members of Cuban Medical Brigades.
Jackson recognised them especially, saying they were living examples of the friendship between the countries.
“Here, there is not only diplomacy. Here, there is family,” she said.
Jackson continued:
“Let us look to the future with the same conviction with which we began 34 years ago. Strengthening our bonds, diversifying our cooperation, and showing that small and large nations, united by respect, can build a more just world. Thank you, Cuba, for 34 years of unconditional brotherhood. Long live the relations between our peoples!”
The guests also included Josefina Vidal Ferrero, Cuba’s Vice Minister of International Relations, and Rafael Dausa Cespedes, Director for America, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as representatives of other governmental and non-governmental organisations, such as the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the People.
‘We have helped and supported one another’
Vidal Ferrero noted that Kingstown-Havana ties were established by then-prime minister Sir James Mitchell in 1992 under the New Democratic Party, which is back in office.
“The history of these 34 years reflects what two peoples who are geographically, historically and culturally close can achieve. We have helped and supported one another over these more than three decades,” Vidal Ferrero said, adding that almost 400 Vincentians have received university education in Cuba.
“It is with justifiable pride that we can say the new ambassador, Ms. Angela Jackson, is a true reflection of this fraternal bond; she graduated in Accounting and Finance from the University of Ciego de Ávila in 2007. Her three children, two of whom are here tonight, proudly carry Cuban blood,” the minister said.
Vidal Ferrero said Cuba could speak at length about what Kingstown and Havana have achieved together.
“Today we can look back with satisfaction on the programme to install electric light bulbs in … Vincentian homes, or the hundreds of eye operations carried out by Cuban specialists who restored sight to our brothers and sisters on that beautiful Caribbean island. Furthermore, together with Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, we contributed to the construction of Argyle International Airport.”
Vidal Ferrero said Cuba was also there when La Soufriere volcano erupted in SVG in April 2021, and noted that there was a permanent presence of a Cuban Medical Brigade, construction workers and, more recently, Cuban engineers from the Electricity Union and Cuba’s civil aviation sector.
“Our country has also received solidarity aid from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when we have been hit by hurricanes and in coping with the shortages caused by the genocidal blockade and the energy blockade that the government of the United States imposes against Cuba,” Vidal Ferrero said.
“St. Vincent and the Grenadines, together with its Caribbean neighbours, has consistently denounced this policy which seeks to bring an entire people to its knees through hunger and misery. Our gratitude is eternal.
“For all these reasons and many others, at a time like this, we must raise a toast to these first 34 years of friendship and mutual cooperation and express our hope for the consolidation of these relations between Cuba and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. From Cuba to all our Caribbean brothers and sisters.”
The cultural package at Saturday’s event showcased various elements of Vincentian culture, including a rendition of Alston “Becket” Cyrus’ iconic “St. Vincent, My Homeland”, rendered by Vincentian students Simonique Da Silva, Safiya James and Tristan Simmons.
Tillal Webb, a 35-year steel pan veteran, arranger and band captain, moved the crowd with his performance of Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On” and “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias on pan.
Webb was later joined by the Band Gala Mayor, performing “This Island Is Mine”, “St. Vincent, My Homeland” and “Havana to Cuba”, before Gala Mayor performed the Cuban classic “Guantanamera”, along with two songs written by the band leader, Alejandro Mayor.
The activity ended with a toast to both countries.
