The 35th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Memorial Center (MLKMC) was celebrated this Monday afternoon with a cultural activity, which was attended by Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba; the prominent Brazilian intellectual Frei Betto, Reverend Joel Ortega Dopico, executive secretary of the Council of Churches of Cuba, and Raúl Suárez Ramos, founding director of the Luther King Center.

Photos: Yuliet Gutiérrez

 Located in the Pogolotti neighborhood of the Marianao municipality in the capital, the CMMLK is an initiative that germinated on April 25, 1987 in the Ebenecer Church of this Havana territory, and since then has developed various community projects aimed at the transformation for the good of society from the Christian Faith.

Also present were members of the networks that work with the CMMLK: Network of Popular Educators of the country and the Ecumenical Network Faith for Cuba, workers of the Center, as well as his relatives, friends and neighbors of the locality.

Frei Betto, in recalling the beginnings of the Center, highlighted the role of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, who "realized the importance of popular education for Latin America" and of a methodology of popular work.

Betto emphasized that the Luther King Center was responsible for organizing this work in the country, which throughout these 35 years has produced several materials and promoted dialogue with movements throughout the continent, through the networks created by the institution.

"Today is a special day - said Betto - the celebration of the anniversary coincides with the holding of a workshop with the highest officials of the Communist Party, the Government and the People's Assembly".

He expressed his wish to be able to attend the Center's 70th birthday. In this sense, he said: "We should not be pessimistic, we are going to have hope and congratulated all those who have helped to build this political and pedagogical project.

In another moment of his speech he expressed his gratitude to the Cuban Revolution for recognizing, supporting and legitimizing the Center. "May God bless your work and the heroic Cuban nation," he emphasized.

Raúl Suárez Ramos, founding director of the Martin Luther King Memorial Center, recalled that Fidel visited the Center on three occasions. 

The cultural evening began with the performance of La Bayamesa by Eduardo Sosa.

He was followed by the Duo Iris.

 The singer David Blanco.

At present, the Center is present throughout Cuba, through a network of popular education and an ecumenical platform that combines the ideals of the Christian faith and the Cuban social project, and is committed to transforming the country from the local space.