President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has conferred a national medal of honour on Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.
The Haydee Santamaria Medal was bestowed on Soyinka at the Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, on August 23.
The Cuban presidency in a statement, quoted Diaz-Canel to have said Soyinka’s visit to the country is “very significant, it is the visit of a brother who has always fought for just causes.”
The president said awarding Soyinka the medal is an expression of many feelings for Cuba, adding that the Haydee always harped on the importance of culture to revolution.
“With you, we share ideas, dreams, commitment to human improvement,” Diaz-Canel said.
Jorge Fornet, director of the Centre for Literary Research of Casa de las Americas, said awarding Soyinka the Haydee Santamaría Medal, which has been previously received by many of the most outstanding figures of Latin American, Caribbean and other world intellectuals, “is an act of justice that honours us”.
The event also celebrated Soyinka’s 90th birthday and the 60th anniversary of his first visit to Cuba.
In his remarks, Soyinka emphasised the importance of strengthening ties between Africa and Cuba, adding that the South American country is also his home.
“Our ties with Cuba are not limited to art and literature, but also to liberation,” Soyinka said.
“I grew up listening to Cuban music, in those days when there were gramophones, when there was no electricity.
“This has been a wonderful way to bring me back and remind me that Cuba is also my home. And it is proof that Yoruba is everywhere here, and that completes the spiritual aspect of people like me.”
