TTT Celebrates 52 Years Of Cuba T&T Relations with Special Film Broadcasts

Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago will have the opportunity to learn more about Cuban life and culture as TTT broadcasts three Cuban films over the coming days in commemoration of 52 years of diplomatic relations between both countries. Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Gustavo Daniel Véliz Olivares, visited TTT's NOW Morning Show ahead of Sunday's celebrations. On December 8th, 1972, Trinidad and Tobago was one of the first four Caribbean States to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, along with Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica. Since then, there have been several transnational arrangements between Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba, most notably a more than two-decade educational and medical collaboration between both nations. "Between Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries, we offer, every year, several scholarships to people from Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries to be training in Cuba. That’s why you have, in the case of Trinidad and Tobago, one hundred people that were training graduated already in Cuba. And, today, we have in Cuba, about fifteen people from Trinidad and Tobago that study medicine in Cuba." Ambassador Olivares is hopeful that the bonds of friendship, collaboration, and solidarity continue to strengthen between both nations, especially given our cultural similarities. "We have a mixed culture between Cuba/Spain… Eh, sorry, between Africa and Spain in our case. In your case, you have the same situation adding other cultures – Indian and so on, no? But, yeah, we have a lot of similarities; similarities between Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago: music, dance."