On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Cuban Ambassador Yusnier Romero recalled the lasting influence of these people on the island at the UN General Assembly’s plenary session that took place on Tuesday.
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The Cuban Ambassador said that nowadays, some of the world’s most developed societies face alarming manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia, noting the special importance of the commemoration.
Romero went on to say, “we will never forget that around 1 300 000 African slaves arrived in Cuba by force to replace the indigenous population exterminated by Spanish colonialism as labor”. Cubans also honor the roots of our people by commemorating the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, he said.
The official went on to say that Cuban roots are deeply mestizo and would not be possible to explain without noting the African contribution. He said that it is necessary to consider the decisive contribution of the formerly enslaved people and their descendants to comprehend the struggles for independence and self-determination in Cuba.
Romero referred to those nations like Cuba that yesterday were a colony and now are subjected to an inequitable international order that continues to favor the wealth of a few at the cost of the poverty of many.
In this regard, he said that developed countries need to take action to eradicate racism and discrimination since, over the years, they have been the only ones that have profited from conquest, colonization, slavery, and transatlantic trade.
The diplomat said that despite the unprecedented tightening of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. against the island, Cuba has continued to reinforce its international cooperation programs in the field of health, primarily with countries and territories in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.