Guests at the We Gatherin’ 2025 social hosted by the Embassy of Barbados in Havana, Cuba, last Saturday. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade)
As part of activities to mark We Gatherin’ 2025, the Embassy of Barbados in Havana, Cuba, hosted a social event for Barbadian descendants in Cuba last Saturday, May 31.
Barbados’ Ambassador to Cuba, Dr. Sharon Marshall, explained that the celebration was being held in the context of the We Gatherin’ initiative, which seeks to encourage Barbadians overseas to come home and to deepen the connection between the island and its diaspora.
She pointed out: “The links between Barbados and Cuba are long and enduring, stemming primarily from the migration driven by Cuba’s booming sugar industry of the early twentieth century.”
In addition to descendants based in Havana, the Embassy facilitated the participation of delegates from the provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Guantánamo, Holguín and Las Tunas, the main sugar-growing areas of the country where Barbadians and other British West Indians found work. Diplomatic staff of the CARICOM Embassies in Havana were also invited to participate in the activity, which was held at the headquarters of the Caribbean Association of Cuba.
Dr. Marshall said attendees were treated to musical entertainment provided by the band Charanga de Oro, including a “touching” rendition of the Merrymen’s Beautiful Barbados by lead singer Ernesto Tejeda.
In addition, guests indulged in Bajan refreshments such as sorrel and fishcakes.
They were also introduced to some of Barbados’ heritage board games like Warri and Potta, while card games and dominoes also kept the guests engaged. First Secretary, Disa Lewis, expressed appreciation to Barbados’ Division of Culture for providing games for the occasion.
The event saw guests walking away with prizes for correctly answering trivia questions on Barbados’ history, geography, national symbols and fun facts.
Guests also had an opportunity to share in the celebratory We Gatherin’ cake, which was cut by Ambassador Marshall, with assistance from the President of the Caribbean Association of Cuba, Maria Rollock, and Vice-President Alejandro Clarke Greenidge, both Barbadian descendants.
Ambassador Marshall noted there was an “overwhelmingly” positive response to the activity from the over 150 participants, who expressed appreciation to the Embassy and the Government of Barbados for maintaining the generations-long connection with the hundreds of Barbadian descendants across Cuba.
Author: Sheena Forde-Craigg
Source: https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/barbados-embassy-in-cuba-hosts-we-gatherin-event/
