Guatemala Hosts Exhibition Honoring José Martí

Guatemalan artists are exhibiting works dedicated to Cuba’s National Hero, José Martí, through May 29, marking the 131st anniversary of his death in battle.

At the opening ceremony, Fernando Minera, secretary general of the union representing the participating artists, said the exhibition, as in previous years, seeks to exalt the universal legacy of the Apostle of Cuban independence.

Martí foresaw with prophetic clarity the shadow that emerging imperialism would cast over the rest of the continent, the painter and muralist emphasized.

At the Luis Cardoza y Aragón Hall of the National Library in the capital, Cuba’s ambassador to the land of the quetzal, Nazario Fernández, stressed that the Caribbean intellectual also belongs to all Latin Americans.

“His moral and patriotic legacy remains with us. The continued relevance of his thought is a fundamental weapon in today’s struggle, at a time when the world is being shaken by neo-colonial ambitions spreading to every corner of the planet,” he said.

The diplomat said it is important for people to know the history, the struggle of the Cuban people, and every achievement won for the benefit of those most in need.

“We are descendants, children of Martí and of Commander Fidel Castro, who was his greatest disciple and who, in the year marking the centenary of the Apostle’s birth, rose up against the Batista dictatorship,” he said.

“You also stand with us through your solidarity, your support, and everything you do to ensure that the truth about Cuba is known,” the official added.

Those in attendance later toured the exhibition area, which features 13 works by members of the Plastic Arts Workers Union, including Mauro Osorio, Julio Pereira, Marselo Espino, the young Marco Antonio Fausto, and Minera himself.

Martí, who lived in this Central American country at the age of 24, from March 1877 to July 1878 — 15 intense months — grasped the essence of the Mayan people and left an indelible mark on Guatemala’s heart.

He served as a teacher at the city’s Escuela Normal para Varones, walked its streets, squares, and churches, wrote and delivered speeches, and, as if that were not enough, his son José Francisco began to grow in the womb of Carmen Zayas during that time.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez

Photo: Prensa Latina