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A series chronicling cultural and educational exchange

The Spirit of Cuba

Cuba is a "treasure island" of music, where a rich fusion of the musical influences of Africa, the Americas and Europe has given birth to unique rhythms and styles. Cuban music has in turn inspired and contributed not only to the development of jazz and salsa, but also to Argentinian tango, Ghanaian high-life, West African Afrobeat, and Spanish "nuevo flamenco."

The Min-On Concert Association, founded by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda in 1963, aims to deepen international cultural exchange and friendship through music. As Mr. Ikeda has written, "Music speaks directly to the heart. This response, this echo within the heart, is proof that human hearts can transcend the barriers of time and space and nationality. Exchanges in the field of culture can play an important role in enabling people to overcome mistrust and prejudice and build peace." Min-On first invited Cuban musicians to Japan in 1981 as part of a series on Latin American music. The response from Japanese audiences was extremely positive, and many groups from Cuba were invited to Japan over the ensuing years.

José Martí's Inspiration

José Julián Martí

In December 1991, SGI President Ikeda met Cuban ambassador to Japan, Eduardo Delgado Bermudez, and discussed plans for future cultural and artistic exchange. They also conversed about the life of José Julián Martí (1853-1895), the writer and patriot who is the symbol of Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain.

Martí's brief life is a shining model of selfless commitment to the ideals of freedom and human dignity, and SGI President Ikeda has frequently drawn attention to Martí's life and work in his own writings and speeches.

José Martí wrote prodigiously, championing liberty and justice throughout his life. He joined the struggle for the independence of Cuba at the age of 16 and suffered imprisonment and exile as a result. He died on the battlefield in Cuba at the age of 42, seven years before independence was realized.

During his time in Japan, Ambassador Delgado delivered two lectures at Soka University, speaking of the spiritual struggle of the Cuban people. He emphasized Martí's view that a nation's true greatness, and the happiness of its people, is not dependent on its wealth, power or size, but on its spirit and its commitment to ideals.

SGI President Ikeda visits the José Martí memorial hall in Cuba, June 1996   [©Seikyo Shimbun]

Meeting with SGI President Ikeda before his return to Cuba in December 1995, the ambassador repeated his earlier invitation to Mr. Ikeda to visit his country. A delegation of SGI youth members had visited Cuba in September that year, and the ambassador and Mr. Ikeda agreed that it was vital to continue a steady flow of such exchanges in order to deepen trust and mutual understanding.

In February 1996, the University of Havana announced its decision to confer an honorary doctorate of literature upon Mr. Ikeda, in recognition of his literary achievements and his contributions to peace.

Visit to Cuba

In June 1996, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Ikeda visited Cuba. On his arrival, he stressed his sole wish to transcend division and realize true global harmony and unity.

During a 90-minute discussion with President Fidel Castro at the Palacio de la Revolución, the two exchanged views on education and life philosophy and agreed that dialogue and culture are vital in securing peace.

A selection of the Cuban groups invited to Japan by Min-On: The National Ballet of Cuba under artistic director Alicia Alonso, 1991; Tropical Cuba, 1997(below); the National Folk Dance Troupe of Cuba, 1993.   [Photos from Min-On]

Mr. Ikeda visited the University of Havana where he received an honorary doctorate, as well as being awarded the Order Félix Varela of the First Grade of the Republic of Cuba. In a commemorative lecture entitled "Building a Great Spiritual Bridge to the New Century" he paid tribute to the poetic spirit of José Martí and the Cuban people and described the search for connection between the human being and the universe.

Around this time there was the first informal gathering of individuals practicing Nichiren Buddhism in Cuba, around 30 people who had been introduced by friends or family members living in other countries. It was the first time many of them had met each other.

In July that year the SGI-affiliated Tokyo Fuji Art Museum's "Treasures of Japanese Art" opened at Havana's Museum of Decorative Arts, cosponsored by the Cuban National Museum of Fine Arts, with support from the Cuban Ministry of Culture and the Japanese Embassy in Cuba. In April 1997, an exhibition of 62 masterpieces from the National Museum of Cuba toured major cities in Japan.

Ongoing Exchange

In October 1996, an exchange agreement was signed between Soka University and the University of Havana. Since then a total of 8 Japanese students from Soka University have studied in Cuba and 12 Cuban students have come to Soka University Japan.

In 2001, a dialogue on José Martí between SGI President Ikeda and Cuban writer and Martí Studies Center Honorary President Cintio Vitier Bolaños was published in Spanish and Japanese. It covers the inspirational life of José Martí, and the impact of his passionate spirit and high ideals on the people of Cuba and the world.

On January 6, 2007, SGI-Cuba was officially accredited as a religious corporation by the government of Cuba.

SGI-Cuba is the first Buddhist organization to be officially recognized by the Cuban government. Speaking at the ceremony to celebrate this occasion, Dr. Armando Hart Dávalos, president of the José Martí Cultural Society and former minister of culture, stated that the SGI's movement based on peace, culture and education has created a network of friendships spanning the globe and is furthering the struggle for human rights.

The SGI and its affiliated institutions are committed to continuing to expand cultural and educational exchange with Cuba. As SGI President Ikeda commented in his speech at the University of Havana in 1996, "Bridges toward an indestructible peace for humankind can only be forged by fostering people, and by forging strong ties between them, their hearts and minds. And that process is, by its very nature, a gradual, grassroots effort. We cannot expect quick results. We must be committed to it for the long term."

SGI members in Havana   [©Seikyo Shimbun]
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