Former journalist Dr. Sharon Marshall has authored the book A Return To Roots: “Cubajans” In Barbados, and presented Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, with a signed copy this morning at the Ministry on Culloden Road.
Dr. Marshall, who is of Cuban lineage and is married to a Cuban, Pedro Hope, who coined the term “CuBajan”, shared that this book is a follow up to Tell My Mother I Gone To Cuba, which she published in 2016 and tells the stories of Barbadians who migrated to Cuba in the early part of the 20th century.
“This book is about their descendants, children and grandchildren, and in some cases, great-grandchildren, who have come to Barbados to settle. And the book highlights their contribution to Barbados the areas in which they are working, education primarily, in entertainment, in banking and a number of fields and their relationship with Barbados and how they have been received by Barbadians,” Dr. Marshall revealed.
Minister Walcott expressed his appreciation on receiving a signed copy of the publication, and said that he believed it would make an interesting read as he knew some of the persons sharing their stories.
The Foreign Affairs Minister spoke fondly of his visits to Cuba, and shared his fascination with the country’s health facilities and health care, and also its road infrastructure.
Dr. Marshall thanked Minister Walcott for his role in facilitating a shipment of care packages to Barbadian descendants in Cuba last year at the height of the pandemic. She said he was “very supportive” and felt it was important to share a copy of her book with him.
Dr. Marshall highlighted that she was “very heartened” by the response to the book so far, and noted that it would be used by The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus’ Department of History.