The Order of José Marti, Cuba’s highest award, was presented to Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit by President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
Skerrit received the award in Havana at a ceremony held on April 26.
Among those receiving the award in 1991 and 1999 were former Presidents Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Marti was a renowned national hero of Cuba, a nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher who played a crucial role in the liberation of his country from Spain.
With the support of former President Fidel Castro, the Order was founded in 1972 and a memorial built-in 1978. The highest decoration awarded by the Cuban Government to Cubans and foreign citizens, as well as to Heads of State and Government who have made outstanding contributions to education, culture, governance, and the well being of all peoples.
“I feel the revolutionary spirit still alive in this land; a spirit that springs from your history, your character, and your values. Skerrit, speaking at the ceremony in Havana on Tuesday night, described our revolution as one based on ideas, one that seeks to elevate the dignity of the human person as the dominant principle of our world.
Among those highly commending Skerrit is the political party which he leads.
