Havana, January 24 (RHC)-- The 5th Meeting of the International Scientific Committee of Volume IX of the General History of Africa was inaugurated Monday at Havana's Casa de las Américas cultural institution, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO).

The event gathers renowned Cuban and foreign intellectuals and personalities, among them Casa de las Américas President Roberto Fernández Retamar, Miguel Barnet, as well as Director of UNESCO's Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Katherine Muller-Marin, and Ali Moussa-Iye, chief of the UNESCO Section History and Memory for Dialogue.

According to the program, the meeting intends “to update scientific research on the history of Africa, in addition to putting the African Diaspora at the heart of UNESCO projects and assessing the position of the region in the contemporary world.”

During Monday's inauguration, the historic ties between Africa and Cuba were recognized. Retamar recalled the Cuban commitment to the liberation of several African countries, including Angola and Namibia. He referred to support for the struggles against apartheid and also recalled Operation Carlota. The work of Cuban medical missions in Africa was also highlighted, specifically the sacrifice of Cuban doctors who faced the Ebola epidemic.