“For me, pouring our heart on Cuba also entails reaching the heart of the nation with culture,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said today at the meeting to evaluate the work of the Ministry of Culture (MINCULT) in 2021.

The José Martí National Library in Havana hosted the assembly to discuss MINCULT’s main results and shortcomings in 2021 and its goals and plans for the current year.

Díaz-Canel recalled last year’s situation and how Cuban culture was affected by the tightening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade, COVID-19, subversive media attacks and the international circumstances, and defined 2021 as a complex and challenging year. “These are times to be proactive, contribute, reflect, make corrections and strengthen our commitment,” he said, and appealed to the concept of creative resistance as a way to overcome adversity.

As to MINCULT’s activity, he remarked that there were 479 online music concerts, whereas the Streaming Cuba network made more than 793 broadcasts which received more than 51,000 comments and recorded nearly 2,800,000 views. Likewise, they praised the ongoing community actions to promote art and literature and encourage popular engagement in cultural events.

Regarding possible improvements, those present pointed out that our institutional communication teams need to make more promotion and the fact that artistic and literary criticism is still deficient.

Among MINCULT’s highlights in 2021 were the campaigns to honor significant dates such as the 120th anniversary of the José Martí National Library, as well as the 95th anniversary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the 60th anniversary of his speech known as Words to Intellectuals.

A major goal for this year, as President Díaz-Canel himself has stated, will be the organization of quality cultural programs for the population.