Cuban President Confers National Medal Of Honour On Soyinka

The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel, Thursday, awarded Nigerian writer and Nobel Prize in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka, the Haydee Santamaria Medal.

The award was given on behalf of Cuba and at the proposal of the Minister of Culture.

Prof. Soyinka received the award at Casa de las Americas.

Presidency on X, Jorge Fornet, director of the Center for Literary Research of Casa de las Americas, in his remarks of praise, said that awarding Soyinka the medal that bears the name of that extraordinary woman “is an act of justice that honours us.”

After the ceremony, Diaz-Canel held a meeting with Soyinka, where he thanked her for his visit in such a complex moment for Cuba.

READ ALSO

•Cuba Not A Terrorist State, Will Be Delisted From US List – Aregbesola

•Stop Taking Nigerians For A Ride, Country Breaking Informally – Soyinka Tells Govt

“It is the visit of a brother who has always been fighting for the most just causes,” the president noted.

The Haydee Santamaria Medal is conferred to national and foreign citizens and groups who, over the years, have shared the main objectives of the Casa: the enrichment, defence and integration of the genuine cultures of Cuba region and the entire South.

This event also celebrates Wole Soyinka’s 90th birthday and the 60th anniversary of his first visit to Cuba, where he has returned on several occasions.

The Nobel Laureate in Literature, who during the tribute had stated that “Cuba is also my home”, referred during the meeting to the strong ties that unite the island and Africa.