In honour of Wole Soyinka’s achievements to liberation and culture, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has bestowed upon him the Haydee Santamaria Medal.
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, awarded Wole Soyinka the Haydee Santamaria Medal last Thursday at Casa de las Americas, as a national distinction.
Diaz-Canel emphasised the importance of Soyinka’s visit in a statement released by the Cuban presidency, characterising it as “the visit of a brother who has always fought for just causes.” The president outlined how the medal’s naming honouring Haydee Santamaria, who consistently stressed the value of culture in revolution, symbolises Cuba’s profound regard for Soyinka.
Giving Soyinka the Haydee Santamaria Medal is “an act of justice that honours us,” according to Jorge Fornet, head of the Centre for Literary Research at Casa de las Americas. He pointed out that many of the most eminent personalities in Latin American, Caribbean, and international intellectual circles have previously received the medal.
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The Haydee Santamaria Medal is given to international and Cuban individuals and organisations that have helped Casa de las Americas achieve its goals. The Dulce María Loynaz International Prize was also given to Soyinka by the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. Theatre critic and theorist Omar Valiño called Soyinka a “consistent man,” pointing out that his scholarship heavily pulls from Yoruba culture’s ancestry.
“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.”
