Mincultremembers the 165th Anniversary of poet Bonifacio Byrne

Havana, March 3. - The Ministry of Culture (Mincult) today recalled on its social media the poet Bonifacio Byrne, a cardinal figure of Cuban patriotic poetry, on the 165th anniversary of his birth in the city of Matanzas.

Byrne was born on March 3, 1861, and died on July 5, 1936, in his hometown, where in 1915 he was declared an Illustrious Son, a recognition that distinguished both his work and his civic commitment.

Among his books, Lira y Espada (1901) stands out, a volume that includes the poem "Mibandera" (My Flag), which became a symbol of national identity and historical consciousness for several generations of Cubans.

The cultural institution stressed that evoking Byrne is to reaffirm the value of poetry as enduring memory and as an expression of convictions that transcend their time.

In this context, the March Literary Event will begin today in the Athens of Cuba (Matanzas) with the motivation to greet Poet's Day in Cuba, and will extend until next Sunday to also celebrate International Women's Day with literature and other arts.

This Tuesday, an event at the Flag Square, located on Ayllón Street in the Viaduct area, will be an opportunity to place a floral wreath in tribute to Bonifacio Byrne, known as the Poet of the Flag, who was born on March 3, 1861.

Also this Tuesday, the Gener y Del Monte Library will host the conference "Byrne, the Verse of the Homeland," by UrbanoMartínezCarmenate, National History Prize winner and Doctor Honoris Causa in Social Sciences from the University of Matanzas.

The Matanzas Pharmaceutical Museum, a National Monument, will host a colloquium in homage to Dr. Ercilio Vento Canosa, Historian of the City of Matanzas; the panel will include relevant professionals from science and culture, assured Noslén González, provincial deputy director of Culture.

A bibliographic exhibit of high heritage value belonging to the private collection of Dr. Vento Canosa will also be displayed in the former 19th-century French Pharmacy, which is preserved original and complete, pride of the largest of the Antilles.

As part of the March Literary Event, Liberty Park, a symbolic space in the urban Historic Center of this city, will host book sales, the opportunity to download titles in digital format, free book exchanges, and meetings with writers willing to sign volumes. (Text and photo: ACN)