At the 9th Congress of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) a speech made by the Cuban president was interrupted a number of times by applause and cheers and ended with a long ovation from participants. Miguel Diaz-Canel delivered a number of vitally important messages on which EBM, as a company fully linked to the culture of this country, is working and contributing with our professional skills.
“Culture can and must contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and that’s what its companies are for. The dissatisfactions of artists and creators, who should do everything in their power to disseminate or promote their work, abound, while those who have the responsibility to do so exercise a kind of parasitism from inactivity”, said the president, who, from criticism, set the tone to follow to reverse the situation.
In the most difficult circumstances, culture has been a protective shield and there is a lot of potential in our talent and institutions. We need to promote it and do so in a way that is consistent with using all of the tools. There is an urgent need to honour creators, but above all, the country, with a focus on the education of aesthetic taste. He also referred to this issue as a significant source of income.
“Cuba is a cultural power and, as tourism today is an economic activity that adds to the budget on a daily basis, the truth is that it still contributes much less than it could do if tourists went out to consume goods and services, not just cultural goods and services but mainly cultural”, he said.
The president particularly stressed the link between culture and tourism, the latter being another of the important sectors on which we are working in Cuba.
Miguel Díaz-Canel gave the closing speech at the UNEAC Congress. Photo: Irene Pérez/ Cubadebate. Photo: Irene Pérez/ Cubadebate.
“And in the specific case of tourism, I would like to stress that culture is a fundamental link in the production chains that we are interested in promoting. But I advocate, above all, that tourism not only brings artists to its facilities, but that we promote a very intense cultural activity in all of our cities and tourist areas which, while enriching the cultural life of the community, attracts and wins over visitors. We have to be authentic and stop selling “canned shows”, pseudo-culture products that are more about profitability than pride in showing who we really are.”
The president made a call not to be naive, because the toughest battles are being fought in the ideological field.
“We will not limit creation, but the Revolution that has lasted 60 years due to knowing how to defend itself will not leave its institutional spaces in the hands of those who serve its enemies, either because they denigrate any effort to overcome the economic blockade or because they benefit from the funds to destroy the Revolution”.
At EBM Marketing Solutions, we follow the debates closely and support the country’s efforts to defend and promote its cultural values. We need to keep working, but above all, we will have to turn this speech, which was interrupted so many times with applause and cheers and ended with an ovation, into facts.
