La Jornada: Authors captured their verses in a mural in support of Cuba

A unique mural that brings together 150 poems by authors from various countries was inaugurated in Havana as an expression of solidarity with the island.

For Cuba: 100 graffiti against the wall It served as the closing of the 32nd Havana International Poetry Festival and brings together, in 24 meters wide by 2.44 meters high, texts by authors from Chile, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Venezuela, Italy, Uruguay, China, Spain, Tanzania and Cuba.

The collective piece contains verses by renowned Cuban writers, such as Miguel Barnet, Nancy Morejón and Alpidio Alonso; It emerged from the collaboration between cultural institutions on the island to leave a permanent testimony of the meeting on the walls of the Cuba Pavilion, an exhibition venue in the capital.

At the mural unveiling ceremony, the Peruvian poet Hildebrando Pérez Grande read “Urgent message from Havana,” a statement signed by the participants of the meeting.

The statement maintains: “poets and poetry are at your side unconditionally”; He pointed out that the signatories do not remain indifferent to “the anguish of daily life, nor the war to the death to which imperialism subjects them.”

The document included a call to defend peace, solidarity and justice, as well as to lift the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba for more than 60 years.

The president of the Havana International Poetry Festival, Álex Pausides, described this year’s edition as an “extraordinary festival,” despite an international context marked by uncertainty and the economic crisis. He highlighted that the program of the event reached all Cuban provinces through readings in municipalities, scientific centers, schools, communities and cultural spaces.

The Mexican poet Manuel Cuautle considered that culture constitutes an element of unity between people. “It is what saves us and unites us,” he said.

He pointed out that artistic manifestations allow us to strengthen unity in the face of global conflicts and tensions and that “culture breaks borders, unites peoples, generates bridges.”

The festival, which has been held in Havana since 1996, was dedicated in this edition to the historical leader Fidel Castro.