A statue of Cuban national hero José Martí was unveiled on Tuesday in the heart of Colombo, marking what officials described as a symbolic moment in the city’s cultural landscape and a reaffirmation of the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Cuba.
The monument, dedicated to Martí’s legacy as a poet, patriot and advocate for independence, was inaugurated at a ceremony attended by Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar.
The Mayor described the statue as a “symbol of unity, dignity, cultural connection, and the shared values between our two nations,” Newswire reported.
José Martí was a Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor and publisher who is regarded as a Cuban national hero for his role in the late-19th-century campaign for independence from Spain. He was killed in 1895 during the Cuban War of Independence and remains one of the most-cited literary and political figures in Latin America.
The unveiling adds Cuba to a growing roster of countries that have placed cultural monuments in Colombo, alongside earlier installations marking ties with Russia, China, India and other partners. Sri Lanka has been deepening bilateral engagement with several nations this month, including a railway cooperation MoU signed with Russia and a pledge by President Dissanayake to Cuba on domestic procurement cooperation.
Source: Newswire.
