Cuba celebrates National Culture Day marking 1868 anthem debut

Cuba is celebrating National Culture Day, commemorating the October 20, 1868, occasion in Bayamo when the national anthem, ‘La Bayamesa’, was first performed following the city's liberation by independence forces.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other high-ranking officials, including Roberto Morales Ojeda, have characterized culture as the nation’s ‘shield and sword,’ serving to protect national identity and defend sovereignty. Celebrations have taken place across the island, including in Bayamo, Guantánamo, Las Tunas, and Matanzas, featuring concerts, exhibitions, and literary events.

The festivities also coincide with the upcoming centenary of Fidel Castro’s birth. International observances were noted in Italy, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic, where Cuban embassies organized cultural showcases to promote national heritage and discuss the impact of economic sanctions on the country's artistic development.