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Presentation of the book Los gangá en Cuba, by Colombian author Alexandra Basso Ortiz |
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The text was published by the Fundación Fernando Ortiz with the contribution of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
March 6, 2006/ UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean
The book Los gangá en Cuba, by Colombian author Alexandra Basso Ortiz, is a new contribution to the studies on African influence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The text was No. 25 published as part of the collection “La Fuente Viva” (The Live Source) of the Cuban Fundación Fernando Ortiz, with the contribution of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The book’s presentation, held in the House of Africa sponsored by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, Cuba, culminated the activities foreseen for the year 2004, International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and Its Abolition, and it also represents the first contribution to the new strategy of the Project “The Slave Route,” most especially with the aim to promote live cultures as well as those artistic and spiritual expressions that were brought about by the interactions generated by slave trade and slavery in general.
The speakers included Dr. Miguel Barnet, President of the Fundación Fernando Ortiz from Cuba; Mr. Frédéric Vacheron, Specialist for the Cultural Program of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean; Dr. Alberto Granados, Director of the House of Africa, who also made the presentation of the text and its author, Alexandra Basso, B. A.
The President of the Fundación Fernando Ortiz praised the serious study carried out by the author on the last representatives of the Gangá Longobá culture in Cuba, and he stressed her contribution to the on-going research on religious beliefs and cults of these Gaga descendants. Dr. Barnet also expressed special gratitude for the support given by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in publishing the text, and he mentioned the widespread cooperation between their two institutions for the implementation of the International Project “The Slave Route.”
Mr. Vacheron mentioned the importance of this publication, which came right after the meeting of the International Committee for The Slave Route and the presentation of the new Strategy for the project, which includes among its numerous action points, a specific one for the inventory and protection of the memory sites related to the slave trade and slavery in general. He stressed the importance of all these actions, which are proof of the synergies between some of UNESCO’s major work guidelines, such as the Material and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Cultural Diversity, and Intercultural and Inter-religious Dialogue. In his final words he mentioned the forthcoming implementation of the Convention for the Safeguard of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Dr. Granados, Director of the House of Africa, made a detailed reference to the structure and contents of the book, stressing its outstanding contribution, which began with a detailed analysis not only of the documentary sources the author had consulted, but in particular, of her direct contact and approach with the representatives of this culture.
Ms. Alexandra Basso Ortiz, B.A., expressed her special gratitude to Cuba, for having contributed to her training in research, stressing the importance of having become familiar with methodologies that open new panoramas in relation to anthropological work, putting distance between the author and the paradigms imposed by the colonizers. She also expressed her gratitude to the last representatives of the Gangá Longobá culture in Perico, Cuba, who had given her all their support.
The presentation of the book ended with a cultural show by the group “Lázaro Ros,” representative of the richest and purest expressions of the Yoruba cultures in Cuba. |
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Related Link(s): The Slave Route, Cultural Policies, Intercultural Dialogue |
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