October 20 is the day of culture in Cuba.

The Cuban people spend the day significantly every year.

In the past, Cuba made great progress in the cultural field.

Before its revolutionary victory in 1959, over a million people were illiterate among the 6.5 million Cuban population, and 600 000 children between 6 and 12 had no opportunity of receiving education.

The Communist Party of Cuba and the revolutionary government adopted a decision on organizing the national committee for abolition of illiteracy three days after the victorious revolution and carried out a vigorous campaign against illiteracy. Thanks to the nationwide and all-people campaign, all the Cuban people became able to read and write letters in a short time. This meant that Cuba became the first country that has no unlettered person among Latin American countries. Its general education and higher education also made rapid progress. The number of universities of the country where there were only three universities in 1958 has now increased remarkably and many students receive higher education.

Cuba also developed science, public health, art and literature, sports and other cultural fields, to say nothing of educational sector.

Great progress has been made in the scientific research work.

Lots of scientific and technical research centres and groups including the Academy of Sciences of Cuba and research institutes are now in operation to promote the country’s development of science and technology and advanced scientific research institutions have been organized to successfully carry on research projects. Typically, the government put forward the nano-technology development strategy until 2030 and, based on it, it plans to produce nano-parts and, furthermore, advanced nano-products as well.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently in an article posted on Twitter account that the wisdom of the Cuban people and high intellectual level of society showed that they had potentials great enough to resolve arising problems, while calling for attaching importance to science and technology.

Remarkable achievements have been made in the work of promoting the people’s health thanks to the establishment of a well-knit public health network in all regions of the country. All children of the country enjoy state benefits before their birth and the country has developed the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture many kinds of biological medicines. In the past 60 years, it made remarkable successes in preventing infectious diseases including infantile paralysis, meningitis, influenza and typhoid.

Great efforts have been channelled into the development of sports, with the result that Cuba’s sports have reached a high level that is incomparable with that before the revolution.

Meanwhile, it inherits and develops national cultural heritage to meet the ideology and emotion of the people.

The culture of Cuba has many development potentials.