Art can provide a way to prevent and cope with gender violence, artists and intellectuals believe.
Speaking at a meeting organized by the Spanish Embassy in Havana on September 25, Isabel Moya, editor-in-chief of Women publishing house, indicated that artists are in a position to help fight male-chauvinistic traditions.
There have been quite a number of initiatives along these lines lately, including the local implementation of the United Nations Secretary-General Unite to End Violence against Women and Girls Campaign.
The Spanish Embassy and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) formally endorsed the UN initiative that seeks to promote gender equity on the island.
Historian Julio C. González highlighted the important role played by the Campaign in the country.
«We at the Latin American and African Network on Masculinities have been raising awareness among Cuban men, with the support of artists and athletes,» he commented.
«Singers like David Blanco and Rochy Ameneiro have been promoting non-sexist messages at concerts and other activities, he exemplified.
«Young people do not only accept, but also digest messages that help enhance a culture of peace,» Ameneiro told SEMlac.
Right after the meeting’s closing ceremony, a photographic exhibition (Convivencia / Living Together) by Ernesto García Peña and Ernesto García Sánchez (Jr.) was opened.
Parallel to the event, the Federation of Cuban Women organized a gender training workshop for 20 media specialists.
Moya, who was one of the workshop facilitators, said that acts of violence against women make them experience fear and exhibit low self-esteem.
Filmmakers Marilyn Solaya and Ernesto Pérez; singers M Alfonso, Ivette Cepeda and Gretel Barreiro; painters Ileana Sánchez and Juan C. García; theater expert Anaisy Gregory; Síntesis music band; and actors Luis A. García and Laura de la Uz joined the UNITE Artists Network.
Singers Elaín Morales, David Blanco and Rochy Ameneiro; historian Julio C. González; and filmmaker Lizette Vila were recognized for making male-chauvinistic violence visible as a social problem in Cuba today.
Translated by Adolfo Fuentes
