Tribute to Vilma on her 80th birthday anniversary

Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura
with Asela de los Santos and family members
of the heroine at the Memorial to Vilma Espín



SANTIAGO DE CUBA.— Cuban Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura presided over the inauguration of the Vilma Espín Guillois Memorial, which testifies to the humane influence of our Cuban heroine, outstanding combatant and paradigm of revolutionary womanhood.

The memorial pays tribute to Vilma on the 80th anniversary of her birth and is a reference point for understanding her legacy of fortitude, generosity and patriotism, affirmed Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal during the ceremony, which included the participation of her children, relatives and other close friends.

The six rooms in the museum summarize the different stages of Vilma’s life and work and conserve dozens of photos, thoughts, personal garments, graphics, and illustrations that renew the legacy of this mother, wife, combatant, and exceptional female leader.

Music composed by Commander of the Revolution Juan Almeida Bosque and performances by Orfeón Santiago, the Children’s Choir, and dance pieces from the Vocational School of Arts, and Fátima Patterson offered the artistic component of the inauguration. Frank Fernández played several pieces on the piano that were once sung by Vilma Espín, among them lullabies to her children and Agustín Lara’s "Cielito lindo."

Army Corps General Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, member of the Political Bureau and minister of the interior, as well as Central Committee Armando Hart, Yolanda Ferrer and Lázaro Expósito, attended the inauguration.

The tribute to Vilma Espín also included the placing of flowers before the obelisk holding her remains in the Mayarí Arriba Mausoleum and a cultural gala "Al nacer de la ternura," which took place in the Dolores Concert Hall in Havana.

Translated by Granma International

http://www.granma.cu/