JOSE MARTI’S 150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Cuba To Hold International Conference

THE Havana Convention Centre in Cuba will host from January 27 to 29 an “International Conference For World Equilibrium” to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Marti that falls on January 28. Marti is undoubtedly one of the outstanding figures in American history and has become a personality of true world significance through the universality of his thoughts, writings and socio-political project.

The event inspires the progressive forces all over the world to both delve into the past and to mediate on the challenges of today, using Marti’s world vision as their starting point. Here one finds a wealth of ideas to help people understand the contemporary world and forge their struggle to transform this world for the supreme good of all humanity.

The proposed “International Conference For World Equilibrium” comes as a culmination of the programme of events that are being held around the world to commemorate this great event. This conference is being co-sponsored by UNESCO, the Organisation of Ibero-American States and numerous other international bodies and organisations, universities and institutions. The event aims to bring together intellectuals from the most diverse currents, disciplines, institutions and countries, together with students and all those interested in the life and work of Jose Marti, in a common concern arising from the challenges facing humanity today.

In his work, Marti gathered together the very best of Hispanic culture, reworked it, imbued it with an American character and broadened its appeal.  He also internalised the traditions and cultures of the native populations of America (including the blacks or so-called “subrogated natives”) whom he identified as fundamental parts of the Latin American and Caribbean personality. Marti was familiar with, internalised and spread the cultural values of many different countries the world over. He studied in Europe, lived and worked in different Latin American and Caribbean republics and spent many years in exile in the United States --- a country he came to know and describe with a clarity that still amazes. He was a journalist, diplomat for Latin American nations, teacher and translator. In this pilgrimage he produced a vast literacy output (poems, plays, novels, literary criticism, articles, children’s stories, speeches, a vast collection of letters and numerous essays on the most diverse social, economic and political themes) that confirms his status as one of the masters of Spanish letters. At the same time he dedicated his whole life to organising and leading the fight for Cuban independence and to liberating Puerto Rico. Marti strove for the construction of a republic that, in his own words, should include everyone and be for the good of everyone. One can grasp his desire only in the context of one of his statements, defining the essence of his life and heartfelt commitment to social justice: “With the poor of this world I cast my luck.”

Marti condemned the economically and militarily powerful countries’ drive for domination and rallied together the peoples of America as the sons and daughters of one history and one cultural heritage. His life-long commitment to Cuban independence and to Latin American and Caribbean integration did not limit his universal vision and projection, as was clearly demonstrated in his declaration that “Homeland is humanity.”

The identification of culture and education as core components of the people’s character and soul makes Marti’s texts a powerful weapon in the current war of ideas, in the fight for preservation of cultural diversity and heritage, for eradication of poverty, education for all and free access to universal culture. For, in Marti’s words, it is an indispensable condition for the exercise of freedom. As he said, “to be cultured is the only way to be free.” Marti was a visionary of his time; his ideas on equitable economic growth and environmental protection emerged in the 19th century when these issues barely troubled the rest of humanity.

These references demonstrate the serious motivations behind today’s thought; behind the men and women dedicated to the creation of a balanced, diverse, educated, cultured, ecologically sustainable, socially just, inter-dependent world where national sovereignty is respected. These are the men and women who are dedicated to fight and alter the current course of globalisation, to save the world from the tendencies towards exclusivity and hegemony.

A great diversity of motivations to carry on this fight is to be found in Jose Marti’s work as well as its links with the best of Ibero-American, Caribbean, and universal socio-cultural thought.

The 20th century witnessed many advances but also left a vast moral and ethical deficit in the spiritual life of the majority. It is crucial to place culture and intelligence at the top of the scale of knowing and feeling. History clearly shows that science and cold reasoning are not enough; spiritual development and ethics, present in the best utopian traditions, are indispensable.

This defines the tasks the “International Conference For World Equilibrium” has specifically set for itself --- to offer a platform for widest reflection and debate on these themes, to contribute to the development of theories that are capable of facing the numerous and complex challenges of the new century.

The memory of Jose Marti, with his love for humanity, his noble ideals, his uncompromising democratism, his invaluable legacy and the validity of his thought create perfect conditions for this undertaking.

The central themes of the proposed conference are (1) economic imbalances, (2) social imbalances, (3) cultural and theoretical imbalances, (4) Jose Marti as a historic and literary figure, and (5) Jose Marti and world equilibrium. Each of these themes will be divided into several topics and sub-topics on which papers will be presented in Spanish, English and French languages.