Cuba's UN Mission Celebrates Day of Cuban Culture

An exceptional program combining music, dance, and visual arts was the proposal of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations to celebrate the "Day of Cuban Culture" here.

Attendees had the privilege of enjoying a special concert by the award-winning pianist, composer, and educator Arturo O’Farrill, whose performance was accompanied by dancer Isabella Vergara.

O’Farrill performed a selection of works that are an essential part of the island's soundscape. Additionally, several audiovisuals were screened, reflecting the patriotism and the rich cultural and artistic wealth of the Caribbean nation.

Ceremony participants also appreciated an exhibition of paintings by Cuban artist Yosvany Martínez, whose works highlight a reverence for nature, architecture, and art.

Earlier, while welcoming the attendees, Ambassador Yuri Gala, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the UN, emphasized the significance of this commemoration of patriotic sentiment, which invites reflection on the values, identity, and art that define the Cuban nation.

He, in turn, reiterated that "culture has served and continues to be an important bridge or link between the peoples of Cuba and the United States, which we must preserve and enhance."

The diplomat recalled that the Day of Cuban Culture in 2025 was dedicated to the start of the program for the Centenary of the Historic Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro (August 13, 2026), and the 95th anniversary of the birth of Armando Hart, two essential figures in the construction of cultural thought in the largest of the Antilles.

He added that the centenaries of other important figures in the island's cultural landscape are also being commemorated, such as Alfredo Guevara, Juana Bacallao, and Abelardo Estorino, as well as the 100th anniversary of the Trío Matamoros. Founded in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros, Rafael Cueto, and Siro Rodríguez, the trio marked a turning point in Cuban music.

Furthermore, the celebration was dedicated to the 95th anniversaries of Alfredo Sosabravo and Omara Portuondo, and the 40th anniversary of the National Campaign for Reading.

Gala highlighted that this evening in New York was an opportunity to pay tribute to the nation's identity and reaffirmed the certainty that "Cuba Is Culture."

The Day of Cuban Culture was established on August 22, 1980, in commemoration of October 20, 1868, the date on which the march that would become the National Anthem of the Caribbean country was sung for the first time.

Written by the lawyer Perucho Figueredo and initially named "La Bayamesa," it is considered "a full song to the liberating insurrection and the abolition of slavery (...), as well as the highest and most genuine expression and symbol of our national culture."