The French edition of the book Cienfuegos, La Perla de Cuba (Cienfuegos, The Pearl of Cuba) was presented at UNESCO headquarters.

Paris, May 9 (RHC)-- UNESCO headquarters in Paris hosted Tuesday the presentation of the French edition of the book Cienfuegos, La Perla de Cuba, which offers a closer look at this beautiful city, whose Historic Urban Center is a World Heritage Site.

In the presence of directors of the multilateral organization, diplomats from different countries and friends of Cuba, the presentation was in charge of architect Iran Millán, curator of Cienfuegos, the island's ambassador to UNESCO, Yahima Esquivel, and the president of Cuba Coopération France (CubaCoop), Víctor Fernández, the association that made the new publication possible.

Millán, who coordinated the collective of authors of the book, highlighted that the patrimonial text makes a chronological journey through the southern city, from before its foundation in 1819 by French settlers until the work of the Revolution that triumphed on January 1, 1959.

It is a jewel worth treasuring, the result of the work of researchers, professionals and students, he said.

The curator explained to the public that the book Cienfuegos, La Perla de Cuba (Cienfuegos, The Pearl of Cuba) gathers in six chapters the background of the foundation, the planning of the town, its fortifications, the urban growth, the evolution of its main square, the current José Martí Park, the houses of the 19th century, the wooden houses and the constructions that came with the Revolution.

He also considered the proposal an ambassador of the city to the world and a testimony of the friendship between Cuba and France, twinned by 200 years of history.

For her part, Ambassador Esquivel acknowledged Cienfuegos' efforts in heritage protection, in line with the priority that the island gives to the issue.

The presentation of the book was attended by the assistant director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for Priority Africa and External Relations, Firmin Edouard Matoko, and the director of the World Heritage Center, Lazare Eloundou Assomo.

He also praised the work of the collective of authors and the quality of the photographs, by Julio Larramendi.

In his speech, the president of CubaCoop shared experiences of the joint work between the French association and Cienfuegos, accumulated in more than a hundred projects and collaborative actions since 2006, several of them focused on culture.

Fernandez also valued the relevance of the text and its reflection of restoration and recovery activities (Source: PL).