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Vol. 80/No. 8      February 29, 2016

 
 

(feature article)
Cuba’s role in fighting Ebola highlighted at Book Fair

Above, Juventud Rebelde; inset, Luis Pérez Borrero/Casa Editora Abril

HAVANA — One highlight of this year’s Havana International Book Fair, which began Feb. 12, was a presentation of the book Zona Roja: La experiencia cubana del ébola (Red Zone: The Cuban Experience with Ebola) by Cuban journalist Enrique Ubieta, fourth from left. The book tells the story of the 265 volunteer Cuban doctors and nurses who served in West Africa to combat the Ebola crisis. In individual testimonies, many of them describe the conditions created by the imperialist plunder of the region that contributed to the spread of the deadly epidemic. Their accounts also bring to life the selfless internationalist solidarity that has marked the Cuban Revolution from the beginning. A number of doctors and nurses who took part in this effort attended the lively, packed event.

Tens of thousands of Cubans have attended the book fair since it opened. Along with the 188 book exhibits by publishers and institutions from Cuba and 24 other countries, the 10-day cultural festival includes forums, panel discussions, film showings, theater performances and free concerts. Prominent at this year’s book fair is a three-day international seminar on slavery in Cuba, marking the 130th anniversary of its abolition.

Joining Ubieta on the platform at the Feb. 12 event on Cuba’s leading role in the fight against Ebola were, from left, Drs. Juan Carlos Dupuy, Carlos Manuel Castro, and Jorge Delgado, heads of the Cuban medical brigades in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, respectively, where the epidemic took hold. Speaking with mic is Abel Prieto, adviser to Cuban president Raúl Castro. On the far right is Javier Dueñas, director of Casa Editora Abril, which published the book.

— RÓGER CALERO AND JONATHAN SILBERMAN

 
 
 
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