Havana, Aug 19 (Prensa Latina) Personalities with extraordinary work dedicated to the culture of the largest of the Antilles were honored today at a ceremony held at the José Martí Memorial in the Cuban capital.
Musicologist Alicia de las Mercedes Valdés, musician Román Justo Pelladito, and writer Armando Valentín Cristóbal were awarded the Alejo Carpentier Medal in recognition of their outstanding achievements and outstanding work in artistic and cultural creation, performance, promotion, and organization.
Meanwhile, the Distinction for National Culture was awarded to 13 figures with similar contributions and professional performance, linked to prestige, enrichment, and promotion of the roots of our cultural heritage.
This award is a great honor for us and represents a challenge for our current and future work, because from the first day of our work, we have embraced the challenge as our primary motivation, said Alicia de las Mercedes Valdés, representing the recipients.
The Alejo Carpentier Medal and the Distinction for National Culture represent recognition for living for and through the culture of this country, he added.
Although the path taken was complex, he noted that “we have emerged victorious because we achieved the earthly miracle of creating something that serves as inspiration and guidance.”
In his opinion, this was possible thanks to the demands and support of his family and the Revolution.
At the end, he extended his gratitude to both of them, stripped of unnecessary embellishments and filled with sincerity.
Music and the satisfaction of having fulfilled one’s life’s work well delighted the gathering, which was not lacking in praise, nor in admiration and love for what Commander in Chief Fidel Castro urged us to save: culture.
rgh/amr
