A nation’s heritage not only includes objects and buildings, but also so-called natural monuments and the most authentic and popular values that denote each community. When a natural disaster devastates a particular territory – as Hurricanes Gustav and Ike did in Cuba – the resulting damage is not only measured in terms of economic figures and the monetary cost of the destruction, but also the ravages on the heritage that, for generations, has kept alive the identity of our people.

That was the case with our cultural heritage treasures that were threatened in every way by the onslaught of the winds throughout the whole country. Margarita Ruiz, president of the National Cultural Heritage Council, talks in this interview about these important values, whose survival is also a part of the recovery process.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/septiembre/vier26/38margarita-i.html