Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cuba Alpidio Alonso Grau shared his country's experience in preserving culture and popularizing education, during the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting, which opened Thursday in Beijing.
Themed "Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development," the two-day event has attracted over 600 guests from 140 countries and regions.
Alpidio Alonso Grau elaborated on how Cuba, which had over two million illiterate people in 1959, ensures widespread access to culture for its population.
"Cuba has shared its civilizational heritage with the world. We promote education and health as pillars of South-South corporation. We preserve and celebrate traditions like rumba and punto cubano, both recognized as intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The democratization of education and culture is the central principle of our socialist society," he said.
"To give you an example of the achievement of a Cuban revolution in education, in 1959, Cuba had just over six million people, more than two million of whom were illiterate -- some of them couldn't even write their own names -- and only three universities. Today Cuba is a nation of educated men and women with universal and free access to all levels of education. More than 50 universities, and in the universities, we have some libraries, galleries, museums, bookstores, theaters and cinemas ensuring equal cultural enjoyment for all," said the Cuban minister.
Cuban minister of culture shares experience in preserving culture, popularizing education
