Above: the unveiling ceremony in Inagua (BIS Photo/Ulric Woodside)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Bahamas has officially unveiled a monument to commemorate Cuban independence hero Jose Marti in Matthew Town, Inagua.

Inagua was the port of call during Marti’s return to Cuba in April 1895.

“Marti and five comrades walked on this very ground and were, fortuitously, right here in Matthew Town, Inagua, assisted and enabled to continue on his fateful mission,” said Bahamas Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes. “It was a mission that was to cost him his life, but eventually bring independence to Cuba and inspiration to millions in the Caribbean and the Americas.”

Foulkes, a native of Inagua, said the monument seeks to establish anthropological roots in the region.

It was designed by Cuban sculptor Tomas Lara. The project was supported by the Morton Salt Company.

“Monuments are meant to be things of beauty and inspiration as well as instruments of tribute and remembrance,” he said. “It is my hope that this one will accomplish a number of things. It is obviously a thing of beauty and I hope it will fulfill its other purposes as well.”

The Governor General said he hoped the monument would serve as a reminder of the part Inagua played in the Caribbean’s historic events, and in particular the liberation struggle in Cuba.

“Most of all, I hope it will draw to the attention of this and future generations the life and times of Jose Marti; his magnificent poetry, his enlightened philosophy, his noble aspirations for Cuba, the Caribbean and the Americas; his vision for a hemisphere free of slavery and imperialist domination,” he said.