Image: Internet.
By María Josefina Arce
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez's tour of Africa speaks of the importance the Caribbean nation attaches to its relations with that continent, whose best values nurtured our people and contributed to forge our nationality.
Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya are the countries included in the trip, which comes to consolidate the bonds of brotherhood, born of a common history of struggle, challenges and aspirations.
Conversations at the highest level have been held in these states by the head of Cuban diplomacy. During the meetings, it was possible to confirm the excellence of the ties and the fruitful bilateral collaboration.
But there are still great potentialities, so there is a strong interest to continue working on the expansion and diversification of relations, a willingness expressed during the dialogue of Bruno Rodriguez with the highest authorities of these nations.
For decades, cooperation in the area of health has been intense and has been very well received by African peoples and governments. Several actions have been developed in that field, such as the dispatch of medical brigades that have helped to improve health indexes.
The professionals of the archipelago have faced diseases such as malaria, one of the main causes of death in Africa. In Kenya, Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, the Cuban anti-vectorial program has been applied, with fumigations and the application of products such as the biopesticide Bactiveo, manufactured by LABIOFAM, Grupo Empresarial Laboratorio Farmacéutico.
In the face of the world health emergency caused by COVID 19, Cuban cooperants helped in the fight against the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which has caused a high number of deaths and infections worldwide.
The teaching contribution in the medical schools of several African countries has also been highly valued, as well as the training of tens of thousands of young people in Cuban territory.
In several countries of the so-called black continent, such as Uganda, Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, the Cuban literacy method "Yes, I can" was applied, recognized for its economy and effectiveness. More than ten million people in the world have learned to read and write with this program.
Africa has permanently supported Cuba on many sensitive issues in the international arena. Especially important has been its unanimous support for our struggle against the economic, commercial and financial blockade that the United States has maintained for six decades against the Cuban people.
There are many common challenges that Cuba and Africa face, which mutually support each other and work for the welfare of their citizens, on the basis of deep friendship, solidarity and respect.
