Published 16 October 2023
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St Kitts and Nevis News Source
CUBAN AMBASSADOR VISITS C.E.M.S.S IN RECOGNITION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.
Basseterre: St. Kitts, Frida, October 13, 2023: The Cuban Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency David Rivero Pérez, visited the Charles E. Mills Secondary School (CEMSS) as part of its celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month on Friday, October 13, 2023.
During the morning assembly, Mr. Perez addressed the student body and gave a brief synopsis of Cuban history and culture.
“Cuba, despite being an island, is the largest country in the Caribbean with eleven million inhabitants, and we were colonized by Spain for four centuries. That’s why Spanish is our mother tongue. Cuba is recognized worldwide for different things. For example, in sports, we are recognized for our music, and we are also recognized for our dance. Cuba is also recognized for helping our sister nations and we are famous for our Cuban medical doctors. We have Cuban doctors in more than 60 countries.”
He elaborated on the language spoken [Spanish] and explained the benefits of studying Spanish in school.
“It is important to study Spanish here in the Federation. In Cuba, for example, there is a university, a school of medicine, the Latin American School of Medicine and many people from St. Kitts and Nevis study there. More than sixty (60) doctors and nurses are graduating from Cuban schools. So, in the future, if you can study, not only in Cuba, but it is also very important to have the Spanish. Every Kittitian and every Nevisian who, today, speak Spanish have more opportunities for professional development. In the future, some of you are going to be working in a Bank, in the Tourism Sector, or maybe as a doctor, and you must communicate with this person who lives with you who speaks Spanish and not all of them can speak English. Many tourists who visit the islands are from those countries and you must communicate with them.”
Ms. Joahan Kelly, Modern Languages Teacher at CEMSS, expressed her gratitude to the Cuban Ambassador and stated the rationale for their visit. “Today, here, at CEMSS we were very pleased to welcome the Cuban Ambassador as well as another delegate from the Embassy. They were here to interact with the children today as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. We have a relatively large population of over 3000 people here in St. Kitts, so we wanted to give the students a chance to interact with native Spanish speakers, learn a little bit about the Cuban history, the Cuban culture and the importance of learning Spanish. We have good relations with the Cuban government, and we just think it was fitting for today to celebrate the culture and to have them here.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 and highlights the histories and cultures of Hispanic and Latin territories.
