CubaPLUS Magazine

Cuba-Canada, Working With Love

By: Rafael Arzuaga / Photos: José Luis Anaya
Cuba-Canada, Working With Love

It is said that everything is possible with love" and this is precisely the basis on which the Canada Cuba Sports and Cultural Festivals organization bases its work, which has been praiseworthy over the last 25 years, working on making people aware of Cuban culture, sports, science and traditions. In an interview granted to Cubaplus magazine, Jonathan Watts, president of Canada Cuba Sports and Cultural Festivals said that the entity he heads has one main objective, which is create on authentic set of experiences that project a true image of Cuban reality.

Cuba-Canada, Working With LoveWhat we want to do is make it possible for both Canada and Cuba to get to know each otherás realities, explained Watts.

Over the past 25 years we have organized many cultural and sports events. One yearly event we have is that we bring the Canadian womenás baseball team to train in Cuba. This year it was particularly important since for the first time the womenás team will participate in the Olympics and the Pan-American Games", Watts added.

We have obtainined wonderful results through our work and, in fact, many Canadian schools now have Cuba as part of their work stream and every two years a student group travels to Cuba to get to know and exchange with Cuban students", he said.

Cuba-Canada, Working With LoveWe presently have a studentsrsquo; group from two Winnipeg schools which will come and exchange music and experiences with several cuban art schools".

We have also been working with dance schools for several years as there is incredible talent in this discipline in Cuba", he pointed out.

Exchanges have also been done in plastic arts, theater, volleyball and other disciplines, and all of this has greatly contributed to the deepening of the friendship between Canada and Cuba".

The success of our work has been such that students who came to Cuba as part of this program as adolescents have returned now, 10-15 years later, as teachers, leading students groups", said Watts, visibly moved.

Cuba-Canada, Working With LoveIn responding to a question on the entityás current work, Watts explained: We are working with some groups of adults who want to get to know Cuba and its reality, among which are many retired teachers. We also plan to open a tourism segment named áTrips of Experiencé in which one can learn about cooking, plastic arts, how tobacco is cultivated without the use of chemical products, among other subjects".

This work with Cuba has been extremely gratifying. Not only does the country offer safety - statistically Cuba is the country with the lowest level of delinquency in the Americas ndash; it is extremely hospitable and united, which greatly helps in the development of outstanding and fruitful work

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