KINGSTON, Jamaica – The head of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), Kenia Serrano, will arrive in Jamaica on Friday, December 7 for a five-day visit as a special guest of the Kingston Chapter of the Jamaica Cuba Friendship Association.

Accompanying her will be Barbara Iglesias ICAP’s representative for the Caribbean region. This is the first visit to Jamaica by an ICAP president. It will also be the Regional Representative’s first visit since assuming the position one year ago after succeeding Yamil Martinez who served the region for four years.

The high level visit of the ICAP representatives is timed to coincide with the commemoration of both the Caricom-Cuba Day and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and four CARICOM countries including Jamaica.

On December 8, 1972, a joint decision was taken by the Governments of Barbados (led by Errol Barrow), the Cooperative Republic of Guyana (led by Forbes Burnham), Jamaica (led by PM Michael Manley) the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (led by Eric Williams) to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba.

During the visit, the Cuban delegation will tour two educational institutions that resulted from Jamaica and Cuba collaboration. They will also meet with civic and political representatives and members of friendship organisations with Cuba.

A highlight of the five-day visit will be the keynote address by the ICAP president during the public session of the Annual National Meeting of Solidarity Organisations with Cuba on Sunday, December 9.

ICAP was founded in 1960 following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution as a bridge to those countries and people across the world who were either sympathetic or supportive of Cuba’s right to self determination as a sovereign state.