It is no doubt that Caribbean and African ties run deep and are based on a shared history, culture, and sense of a common identity forged by the slave trade which forcibly relocated more than 10 million Africans to the New World; in the process, creating large centres of African Diaspora in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Ambassador Ruben explained that last week, the new Vice President of Columbia, Francia Marquez went to Cuba and said that the Latin Americans, Caribbean, and Africans have to get closer. He added that VP Marquez also said that as an afro-descendant, she was going to work with this objective to support Cuba for the good relations they have with Africa and the Caribbean countries.
“It is an amazing idea and I loved it when I heard her. I am African and pro-Gambian,” he said while reiterating that the collaboration between Africa and Cuba is a very beautiful thing. He added that the mutual bilateral relationship will continue for good.
Ambassador Ruben explained that if Venezuela, Columbia and other Caribbean countries can join together, they could make cooperation among the countries with the centre in Cuba to prepare many young people.
“Maybe we can build a Caribbean-African University. We have to propose this to the Vice President of Columbia. The lady has a very good intention and she feels herself to be African in reality”.
He told our reporter that Cuba is under a United States blockade that stops them from doing many things. He said if there was no blockade, countries could be assured of more Cuban support including The Gambia. Because of the blockade, he continued, that they experience a lack of resources and that the United States has imposed a lot of measures and sanctions with the objective of destroying them.
Dwelling on the long existing Africa relations with Cuba, he said: ‘Madela said that the only country in the world that has helped Africa and has never asked for anything from Africa is only Cuba. The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mamadou Tangara stated that Cuba is the most African country out of the African continent.’
To promote the bilateral relationship between Africa-Caribbean, VP Valdés Mesa in Cuba, expressed delight in the Colombian government´s solidarity with Cuba to call for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.
