The figure and work of the Cuban poet Georgina Herrera were the object of remembrance and homage during the First Conference for Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women, an event held in Havana from July 18 to 25.
The space provided a discussion about his literary legacy and his anti-racist activism through testimonies from intellectuals and creators who shared their struggles and their friendship.
The participants discussed the work of the writer, who placed the family as one of the centers of her poetry, evoked the ancestors to rescue the history of slavery, pondered female figures and extolled popular religions of African origin.
Herrera “delved into the roots of the African legacy and its mythology, and even integrated proverbs from that culture into his daily heritage, which marked many of his decisions in life,” underlined the writer Roberto Zurbano.
For her part, fellow poet Carmen González said that the author of liked sensations he stood out for “the tremendous word of his poetry, which invited us to discover the background of the texts, to notice those things that he did not say and the constant invitation to reflect”.
“In his literary heritage there is a poetics closely linked to life in the way he assumed his existence, the shortcomings, the lack of recognition, the loves and his achievements, because he did not seek success, but he conquered his space in Cuban literature,” he said. Zurbano.
Author of eight collections of poems, “Herrera bequeathed a catalog of works marked by coherence, affinity and harmony through the interaction of various thematic lines and motifs that stem from self-awareness and self-representation as a black feminist, proud of her origin, condition and value. Gonzalez said.
The meeting aims to articulate the work of groups of activists, feminists and anti-racists, academics from different scientific disciplines, representatives at various levels of the National Program for the Advancement of Women.
The day takes place within the framework of the commemoration of the International Day of Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women, which every July 25 seeks to make their work visible and promote policies aimed at improving the quality of life, eradicate racism and discrimination and promote personal and social development.
Among the venues chosen for the day are the Yara cinema, the Varona Amphitheater of the University of Havana, the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater of Cuba.
