SUNDAY 5TH APRIL, 2015 – UWI TODAY
5
UWI’s Faculty of Humanities
and Education (FHE)
was well represented by a delegation of six lecturers and
instructors of the Departments of History and of Modern
Languages and Linguistics at the 24th Annual Havana
International Book Fair that took place from the 12th to
22nd February, 2015.
The 2015 Havana International Book Fair had
over 300,000 attendees and nearly 1,500 exhibitors and
presenters, the largest in the Caribbean. Each year the fair
is dedicated to a nation. This year’s honoree was India,
showcasing Cuban editions of Indian authors and sacred
Hindu texts. The historic 18th century Spanish colonial
fortress complex San Carlos de la Cabaña, laid out among
cobble-stoned streets and massive coquina walls, served as
the main exhibition centre with other official sites spread
throughout the seaside capital.
Drs Claudius Fergus (Head, History), Rita Pemberton
(History, Retired), Armando García de la Torre (History),
Nicole Roberts (Head, Modern Languages and Linguistics),
Mr Diego Mederos (Instructor, Spanish) and Ms Paola
Palma (Instructor, Spanish) engaged in presentations and
discussions throughout the Book Fair. Dr García organised
and chaired the first panel from the St Augustine Campus
to present at the prominent Havana event.
Cosponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago in Cuba, the panel session, entitled
“The Caribbean: Perspectives from Trinidad and Tobago”,
featured presentations by Drs Fergus, Pemberton and
Roberts. Held at the Centro de Estudios Martianos (Centre
for Martí Studies), the panel brought together perspectives
on “Pan-Caribbeanism”. The panel was favourably received
by a large audience of Cuban scholars, journalists, secondary
and tertiary students, and the general public.
Following the panel session, Dr Jennifer Jones-
Kernahan, the Ambassador of Trinidad andTobago, hosted a
reception in honour of the UWI scholars. Both Cubans and
Trinbagonians enjoyed an evening of Trini culture in Cuba
amidst sounds of steelpan and short films of life in the twin-
island republic. Dignitaries of the Cuban Diplomatic Corps
the Ministries of Foreign Relations and Tertiary Education,
along with other top scholars from the University of Havana
were in attendance.
Throughout the week, the FHE lecturers visited and
held meetings at Cuban institutions such as the UNEAC
(National Union of Cuban Authors and Artists), the Casa
de Las Américas (Institute for the Study of the Americas),
at the Headquarters of the Cuban National Programme for
Martí Studies and the Foundation Antonio Núñez Jimenez
(Institute for the Study of the Environment and Indigenous
Cultures) among others.
The panel presentation by UWI FHE scholars and the
visits and meetings throughout the week of the Book Fair
proved to be a resounding success, opening new roads for
future collaborations and exchanges between The UWI, St
Augustine Campus and leading institutions in Cuba.
REGIONAL
La historia, la lingua, la literatura
Humanities team presents at the Havana International Book Fair
B y D r . A r m a n d o G a r c í a d e l a T o r r e
Lecturer, Department of History, Faculty of Humanities and Education
Members of the faculty delegation (starting second from left) Drs GarcÍa, Fergus, Pemberton and Roberts.
