Havana, December 27 (RHC-Granma)-- Cuba's Minister of Culture, Abel Prieto, has stressed that despite the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in September, the country managed to reopen damaged art schools and save patrimonial objects.

In statements to Prensa Latina news agency, the Cuban minister said that the hurricane, the most powerful formed in the Atlantic Ocean basin, caused damage to some 300 cultural institutions in provinces along the northern coast.

Offering an analysis of the recovery efforts, Abel Prieto said that in addition to restoring arts schools, the cultural life of the most severely affected zones was reinvigorated.

The response of Cuba’s artists was very important, who, as on other occasions, created brigades to travel to the worst hit regions with a message of solidarity, spirituality and affection, portrayed through different art forms, performing for those who remained in shelters, having suffered damage to their homes or lost everything.

Despite the destruction caused by Irma, Prieto noted, 2017 was a year full of successful events such as the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, the International Crafts Fair, Cubadisco, the Festival of the Caribbean, the International Book Fair and the traditional Romerías de Mayo festivities.

Asked about the prospects for 2018, the Cuba's minister of culture explained that one of the challenges will be to guarantee a vibrant cultural life with the rational use of resources.